Journal Prompts: Adult Children of Divorce
This is a list of journal prompts to assist with episode 45: Adult Children of Divorce: Healing the Effects of Your Parents' Divorce.
Journal Prompts:
How are you feeling today? List 3 emotions you are feeling right now. One way to begin to connect with yourself is to begin identifying how you feel throughout the day. Many people are disconnected from themselves and are not actually aware of all the feelings they have throughout the day.
How does it feel in your body to think about your parents’ divorce? Does it feel heavy? Tight? Anxiety inducting? Do you feel a sensation in a specific spot in your body? Stomach? Back? Heart? Allow yourself to journal about the feelings and sensations that arise in your body when you think about your parents’ divorce.
What is your parents’ relationship like today? Are they amicable? Do they fight or argue? Is there tension? Allow yourself to explore your FEELINGS about your parents relationship. How do you feel about your parents’ relationship?
After reflecting on your parents’ relationship, I then invite you to explore what do you wish your parents relationship was like. What do you wish your parents’ relationship looked like? Don’t judge yourself, allow yourself to fully explore what you wish you had as a child and even now as an adult.
After you write about that, I invite you to read it back to yourself and see what feels to be missing in your life. Is this peace? Love? Family? A lighter relationship? Take the time to notice the themes and then I invite you to explore how you can add these to your own life. Many times what we seek from our parents, we are able to start giving to ourselves as adults through self-love.
What is your current relationship like with your mother? What feelings arise when you think of your mother?
What is your current relationship like with your father? What feelings arise when you think of your father?
Do you find your relationship easier with one parent over the other? If so, allow yourself to explore this and when this began. Was it always this way? Or is there a memory that arises of when this became the case for you?
Do you carry any of the blame for your parents’ divorce? It is not your fault that your parents’ got divorced, but many people carry the blame of this experience because they did not know how to understand what happened. Allow yourself to be with your child self and explore if you hold onto any self-blame.
Do you blame one parent more than the other for their divorce? Does this create tension with this parent? Explore your feelings around “blaming” someone for the divorce.
Write a letter to yourself at the age you were when your parents got divorced. Allow yourself to say everything you wish someone had said to you when you were first moving through this experience. I then invite you to write back to yourself as this younger version of yourself. See if this younger you has anything they’d like to say.
Write about the moment you found out your parents were getting divorced. Allow yourself to explore the feelings, the memories, and the beliefs that were created in this moment. Is there anything you wish someone had said or did in that moment? Is there a way to offer yourself this now? For example, if you realize you wanted a hug, can you take a moment to hug yourself or if you wish someone would have communicated more about, can you find a space to talk more about this in your life now?
If you have a fear of confrontation…
How does the idea of confrontation feel in your body? Tight? Dark? Heavy? Explore where you feel this and what it feels like in your body.
When you think of confrontation is there a memory that comes to mind? Is it a childhood memory or is it more recent? Allow yourself to explore this. Allow yourself to free write about this experience.
Pick one question, write it in your journal and just let your pen flow. You may go completely off topic when you start journaling and that’s okay! Trust that whatever comes up when you start writing is what you are meant to journal about. When you are done writing, take a few moments to reread what you wrote and see if you learned anything new about yourself.
Journaling is a practice. Be kind and patient with yourself.
Sending you all my love <3
