This post is all about how to overcome self-sabotaging with these 25 powerful journal prompts.

Are you tired of holding yourself back and sabotaging your own success?  Then it’s time to break free from the self-limiting patterns and unleash your true potential!

And you are in luck because, in this blog post, we will explore the concept of self-sabotage, common self sabotaging examples, and most importantly, how you can overcome it.

Self sabotaging it’s like having an inner critic constantly whispering doubts and fears in our ears. 

We all have experienced moments of self-sabotage at some point in our lives – procrastinating when we should be taking action, doubting our abilities when facing new challenges, or bringing ourselves down in front of others.

The good news is, you can overcome self sabotaging. In fact, there are many strategies you can use to stop it.

One powerful tool in this journey is journaling. Through thoughtful reflection and targeted prompts, you can gain deep insights into your self-sabotaging behavior patterns.

In this blog post, I want to share with you these 21 journal prompts specifically designed to help you identify your self-sabotaging behaviors and develop strategies to overcome them. 

These prompts will motivate you to self reflect, promote positive mindset shifts, and guide you toward making empowering choices that align with your true goals.

So grab a pen and paper because it’s time to embark on a transformative journey towards personal growth.

Remember, you are capable of achieving greatness – all it takes is a little introspection and determination to break free from old patterns…

Overcome self sabotaging.W hat is self-sabotage?

To best understand what self-sabotage means I want to share with you this simple definition by Alyce Conyn Selby:

She says: Self sabotage is when we say we want something and then go back and make sure it doesn´t happen

This explanation may leave you even more confused than before. So let’s break it down.

It might seem weird the idea that we might purposefully sabotage our own success and goals.

I mean we want them for a reason right? And when you think about it you long for those dreams and that life?

So how is it that I might want to self sabotage that?

The reason for this actually depends a lot on the situation. But it all comes down to your fears and limiting beliefs.

You might have self sabotaged yourself when wanting to achieve that specific goal.

Or maybe it’s the relationships in your life. Or that job promotion you dream about. Even your productivity.

The truth is no matter how much our brain is trying to convince us we failed because of “external reasons”, we are the ones to blame in most cases.

Because in the end that’s what self sabotage is- a behavior that becomes sabotaging and harmful when it starts creating problems and obstacles in our path to success and achieving long-term goals.

But why you might be still asking yourself?

In Gay Hendricks´s book “The big leap” you can find one of the best explanations as to why we self sabotage ourselves.

And they come down to these four reasons:

1. You feel like you´re flawed and are not deserving of good things. You don´t believe yourself good enough.
2. You fear others abandoning you because success brings change
3. You believe that success will make you a burden to others.
4. You don´t want to outshine others with your success.

In the end all these reasons are those fears and limiting beliefs we talked about in the beginning and the root cause for our self sabotage.

Examples of self-sabotaging behaviors

To better help you understand self sabotage, here are a couple of common self sabotaging behavior examples.

Learning about these examples will also help you to identify yours so that you can start breaking this harmful habit.

Procrastination

You are constantly putting off important tasks and leaving everything to the last minute. It kind of feels like you are avoiding the situation as much as possible and even when you are working on it, you constantly find new ways to distract yourself.

Negative inner voice

As we said at the beginning of the post, self sabotage is kind of a negative voice in your mind giving voice to those limiting beliefs and fears.

Thus why having a toxic self talk is the first and most common behavior when it comes to self sabotaging.

Related post: 5 powerful ways to reframe your negative self talk

You trust others more than you trust yourself

The problem with this habit is that we give more value to other’s people opinions, rather than our own.

It’s okay when we look for guidance or advice from others. Especially in people we trust.

But you should learn to trust your intuition and stand for your ideas and what you want and know it’s best for you. Not what others think.

In the end, no matter how much these people might know you, they are not you. And they don’t have the whole picture.

So even if it’s scary you need to start making your own decisions and trusting in them.

You focus on the negative side of things

You know that moment when you receive an opportunity in your life.

It could even be in the most basic cases, like going out with your friends or planning a trip, etc.

But the first thing your mind jumps into is the negative side of everything.

“Oh, but I don’t have the money, or how will I get back, what if the weather is bad, I don’t have anything to wear…”

This type of thinking automatically discourages you from doing anything out of your comfort zone and taking on new opportunities.

Perfectionism

Setting impossible standards for ourselves is another very common example of self sabotage.

Consequently because of those high standards you become paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes or not meeting those standards.

You are paralysed by analysis

This is honestly something that I struggle with myself being an overthinker.

And it’s becoming paralyzed by analysis. Let me explain.

Let’s imagine that there’s a project that you are working on for a house reno. You start your project with a brainstorming of ideas on what you want to do, how you are going to do it, the materials you are going to use…

But you reach a point where you have so many ideas and have thought so much about how and when you should start with each thing, that your brain can process those ideas anymore.

You became paralyzed.

And believe it or not, it happens to us more than we think. It is that moment when you become paralyzed by all the possibilities and different things that could happen.

Here are a couple more self sabotaging behaviors to complete the list:

• You cling to people who don’t value you
• You overeat or binge eat
• Making impulsive purchases and accumulating debt
• Fear of success. One of the root causes of self sabotage
• Self-isolation.  You isolate yourself from your loved ones and the world around you.
• You stop prioritizing self care as you start to give more importance to other’s people needs
• Play the victim. Continuously blaming external circumstances or other people for one’s problems rather than taking responsibility for your actions and choices.
• You try to understand everything

If you want to learn more about self sabotage and how to overcome it, make sure to check out this beginner’s post right here!

How to overcome self sabotaging. Journal prompts for self-sabotage

Now that you know what self sabotage means, and how to recognize it, let’s take a look at these journal prompts for self sabotage.

These prompts were designed to help you better understand your self sabotaging behaviors and why you do it in the first place.

It is completely up to you how to answer them. If you feel more comfortable you can answer them in one sitting. 

Or on the contrary, answer them one by one in your journaling sessions or whenever you feel yourself sabotaging.

1. What are some common self-sabotaging behaviors or patterns that I engage in?
2. When did I first start noticing these self-sabotaging behaviors or patterns, and how have they affected me throughout my life?

3. How does not achieving my goals make me feel?
4. What is making me not take action on my goals? Is it a belief I have, or maybe a hidden fear?
5. What is one small thing I can do today to move close to my goal?
6. Do I think I am worthy of success? Why or why not?
7. Some of the first signs of my self sabotaging behaviors are…
8. Why do I tend to make excuses for not succeeding?
9. How would I feel if I achieved my goals?
10. What is my motivation when thinking about my goals?
11. When was the last time I achieved a goal I set for myself? Why do I think I achieved that goal?
12. What are my biggest life goals? Are these goals things that I truly desire? What do I fear most about achieving these goals?
13. What makes me feel confident?
14. What are three small steps I could take towards my goals this week?
15. What do I need to let go of in order to achieve my goals?
16. What motivated me to keep going when I face challenges?
17. What are 5 things I can remind myself of when I start to self-sabotage?
18. Is there someone in my life who can help me stay accountable? Who would that person be?
19. Do I believe I am capable of learning new things? Do I have a fixed or growth mindset?
20. How would I feel if I never tried to achieve my life goals?
21. When I catch myself self sabotaging I will…

Final thoughts on how to overcome self sabotaging

In conclusion, self-sabotage is a harmful pattern of behavior that holds us back from reaching our full potential. It is important to recognize the signs of self-sabotage and take proactive steps to overcome it.

By using journal prompts specifically designed to address self-sabotaging behaviors, we can delve deeper into our thoughts and emotions, gaining insights that help us break free from this destructive cycle. 

Taking the time for self-reflection and introspection allows us to identify patterns, triggers, and root causes of our self-sabotaging behaviors.

Remember, overcoming self-sabotage takes time and effort. It requires a commitment to personal growth and a willingness to challenge our negative beliefs and thought patterns. 

But with each step forward, we gain valuable lessons and make progress towards a more fulfilling life.

So let’s embrace the power of journaling as a tool for self-discovery and empowerment. 

Let’s make use of these prompts as guideposts on our journey towards overcoming self-sabotage.

With consistency, you can break free from these limitations, unleash your true potential, and create a life filled with joy, success, and fulfillment.