262804066 195. How to Journal Through Overwhelm | 5 Min Prompts for When You're Drowning - Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

Episode 195

full
Published on:

13th Nov 2025

195. How to Journal Through Overwhelm | 5 Min Prompts for When You're Drowning

When you're drowning in your to-do list, the last thing you need is another task. But what if four quick questions could help you actually breathe again?

You're tired of being everyone's lifeline. 🛟 You're exhausted from keeping all the balls in the air. And somewhere between your overflowing inbox and your kid's forgotten permission slip, you started holding your breath — waiting for something to fall apart.

This episode isn't about gratitude lists or adding more to your plate. It's about using the right questions to shift what's happening inside so you can stop spinning and start seeing clearly.

You'll journal through:

  1. What actually feels out of control (and how it's showing up in your body)
  2. The real fear underneath trying to hold it all together
  3. Where this drowning pattern started—and what you did to survive it back then
  4. What you could release today that wouldn't cause the disaster you're imagining

Strategic Journal Prompts (extended in the episode):

  • Prompt 1: What feels most out of control in your life right now?
  • Prompt 2: If you stopped trying to keep all of these balls in the air, if you just let one drop, what are you terrified would actually happen?
  • Prompt 3: Think back to the first time in your life that you remember feeling this same drowning sensation. And the key question: what did you do then to try and stay afloat?
  • Prompt 4: Write this at the top of your page: "What if I'm not actually drowning? What if I'm just holding my breath?" What is one thing that you could stop white-knuckling today that wouldn't actually cause the disaster that you fear?

After these four prompts, you'll stop white-knuckling your way through the day. You'll see what you're actually afraid of — and realize you've been holding your breath for no reason.

Resources Mentioned:

Work with me:

Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook | Reply to my newsletter

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Support Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

A huge thank you to our supporters, it means a lot that you support our podcast.

If you like the podcast and want to support it, too, you can leave us a tip using the button below. We really appreciate it and it only takes a moment!
Support Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
A
We haven’t had any Tips yet :( Maybe you could be the first!

Listen for free

Show artwork for Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

About the Podcast

Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Beyond Awareness (formerly Journal Entries) is for successful women in leadership and business who know exactly what they need to do but can't make themselves do it.

You know you need to prioritize yourself, delegate more, set boundaries, stop bringing work home. You've tried therapy, coaching, retreats. You know the solution - but you either can't follow through, or when you DO, it doesn't stick.

Host Samantha Hawley helps business owners and executives earning $100k+ excavate the root beliefs underneath the execution gap. Why do you keep not doing the thing? Why doesn't it feel better when you do? Using strategic journaling and emotional excavation, we go beyond awareness into why you're actually stuck in the pattern.

This isn't about more tactics or tips. This is about understanding why awareness isn't enough and what actually needs to shift for you to change.

You'll hear about: decision fatigue, why you can't prioritize yourself, nervous system regulation, being present with your kids, root cause of overwhelm, why boundaries don't stick, self-sabotage patterns, and how your internal state impacts everything.

Perfect for: Female CFOs, VPs, directors, executives, business owners, and women in leadership who are tired of knowing what's wrong but not being able to change it.
Support This Show

About your host

Profile picture for Samantha Hawley

Samantha Hawley