If you can’t stop wondering what others think of you, changing your preferences just to be accepted, or feeling restless when no one praises your efforts, you might be caught in the exhausting loop of seeking external validation.
Yeah, I know, we’ve previously touched on something to help you stop seeking external validation. But now, I’m sharing journal prompts to help you kill approval addiction in the quietness of solitude and reflection. Oops, read this blog if you missed the last one.
The truth is that if you cannot reflectively recognize the times and situations under which you seek approval from others, you may not be able to kill approval addiction.
You know why?
Most people never believe they are addicted to approval until they are caught in the very act of chasing after approval from others.
But hey, can we be honest with ourselves?
No amount of applause from others will ever be enough when you’re disconnected from your own worth. And one efficient way to reconnect with your worth is journaling. Hence, the reason I believe these 25 prompts will help you kill approval addiction for good.
These prompts will help you navigate the act of approval addiction, take you down its root cause, and help you reestablish your identity so you can cultivate confidence that thrives beyond what others think of you.
So, if you’ve always wanted to know how to kill approval addiction that has held you back for too long, here you go.
How to Use These Journal Prompts
Name your audience
I strongly advise that you try to name the people or category of people before whom you are used to performing. Are they your parents? Your colleagues? Your superiors? Or even your friends?
Once you name the invisible audience whose approval you are addicted to, write precisely what you wish you could say to them about your worth (instead of seeking approval from them) in your journal. Don’t worry, you’re not sending anything to them. This step only serves as a way to replace external validation with self-validation.
Naming your approval audience also helps heighten your self-awareness around them. This way, you can consciously restrain yourself from switching to performance mode around them.
Journal in the moment
Another effective way to use journal prompts to kill approval addiction is to journal the moment you catch yourself in the act.
Journaling in the moment helps you disrupt the approval loop and retrains your brain to seek clarity right away.
So, whenever you catch yourself checking for likes, feedback, or rereading messages to see if you sounded good enough, pause.
Don’t just put your phone away. Open your journal and answer one prompt with the exact emotion you’re feeling at that moment.
Whenever you find yourself oversharing to get someone’s attention, pause and answer a prompt in your journal. This method will be perfect if your journal is digital.
Build a self-validation vault
Each time you do something impressive, courageous, or honest, write it down in your journal. In fact, celebrate it in a remarkable way, and write about the celebration.
Over time, these achievements will become receipts of your growth and worth. Whenever you’re tempted to run after people for approval, or after you chase approval and start to journal with these prompts, take a long look at those achievements to ground yourself in your identity and capability.
Journal Prompts to Kill Approval Addiction
Recognizing the pattern
- What situations make me most anxious about what others think of me?
- When was the last time I made a decision just to please someone else?
- What emotions come up when I feel people do not see, like, or praise me?
- Whose approval have I been chasing lately? Why did I start chasing them?
- What is something I really wanted to do, but didn’t, because of the fear of judgment?
Digging into the root
- Where do I think my need for external validation began?
- How did the adults in my early life react when I failed or disappointed them?
- What messages did I receive growing up that made me feel unaccepted or insufficient?
- Did I ever feel like I had to earn love or attention? From who?
- What lies have I believed about my worth?
Reclaiming your identity
- Who does God say I am?
- What gifts, values, or traits do I have that are valuable with or without applause?
- In what ways have I confused being liked with being worthy?
- What would it look like to validate myself internally?
- How can I build a solid sense of identity rooted in the truth of who I am?
Releasing dependence
- What approval am I willing to let go of today? What small steps can I take now to let go?
- What’s one small decision I can make today that is authentic to me?
- How do I want to respond the next time I’m tempted to seek validation?
- Who in my life enables my need for approval? How can I set boundaries around this person?
- What habits do I need to break to stop performing for praise?
Building confidence from within
- What does self-validation sound like when I talk to myself?
- How can I affirm myself today, spiritually and emotionally?
- What affirmations do I want to start declaring over my life daily?
- How can I walk confidently even when I feel unseen or misunderstood?
- What’s one way I can celebrate myself this week without needing anyone else to notice?
Conclusion
There you go!
I genuinely hope these journal prompts will help you kill approval addiction for good. You are worthy of everything good, regardless of whether others know this.
P.S. To have a better result with these journal prompts, read this blog to learn how to build unshakeable confidence so you’ll never need to seek approval from people.
