Inside: In the throws of the "4th trimester"?  I know unraveling all those new thoughts + emotions feels impossible. These journal prompts for new moms will help.

Have you ever tried to untangle a knotted, clumpy ball of yarn or thread? It's a nightmare. So much of a nightmare I literally get nauseous. The frustration is palpable, and the more I try - the harder I pull and tug in an effort to release one strand - the more congested and twisted the yarn becomes. 

Not unlike that ball of yarn, my thoughts often get mixed up, knotted and tangled in my head. When hormones are crazy and a newborn baby is involved, untangling those new emotions can feel downright impossible. Not to mention discouraging. 

The more you try to piece together the "whys" of the feelings and the "hows" of the emotions, the more convoluted it all seems to get. 

Are you sitting in that place right now? If so, I can assure you of this: you are not alone. And I know of something that might help pull those jumbled lines of yarn straight and free. 

Benefits of Starting a Writing Routine for New Moms

You may not be a writer. You may have hated English class in school. Or maybe you loved it, but never felt good enough so you've dropped the idea of being a "writer" all together. 

But stick with me a moment and let me convince you that journaling might be just what you need. You don't have to be a writer to start a writing routine. Journaling doesn't need to be pretty (really, it shouldn't be). 

What writing does is help you pull that knotted, messy ball of yarn out into a long, straight, knot-free line of string. 

Here are some ways a journaling routine will help you as a new mom. A journaling routine will:

• help you decipher what is true, and what is just mental noise
• slow down your brain and allow you to process all the changes in your life
• get you into a new daily routine
• offer a quiet space
• get your thoughts out of your head and into the open, where you can test them and hold them accountable

35 Journal Prompts for New Moms

So with that in mind, here are 35 journal prompts for you to get started with. 

There's no magic in these questions. There's no magic in writing. What matters is you have some quiet space, put the pen to page, and get those knotted thoughts strung out onto paper. 

Some of these questions are geared towards motherhood - you and your new baby. Others are focused on other people. Because if I could give you one piece of advice it would be this: get your mind off of yourself. 

Sometimes to get out of mom funk, you've got to get out of your own head, and focus on loving other people. 

Some of these questions will help you do that. Here we go:

1. How much of yesterday did I do on autopilot? How can I be more intentional with my actions today?
2. What are three things I love about my home?
3. What can I choose today, even if all my plans go haywire?
4. What are 10 things that I appreciate about my husband?
5. Am I the friend that I want others to be to me? How can I be a better friend TODAY? Be specific.
6. What do I believe God says about who I am? How does He see me?
7. What do I miss about life before my baby? What is one good thing that has come from having a child?
8. What is beautiful in my life right now? What is hard?
9. What is my favorite color? Why is it my favorite? What emotions does it bring out in me?
10. What are 5 specific ways that God has shown His intentional love for me in the past 3 years?
11. What is one action I can take today that will make it a success?
12. What am I doing on a daily basis to make sure I am taking care of my physical and mental needs? How does taking care of myself affect my relationship with my husband and my kids?
13. How many times a day do I look at myself in the mirror? What are my motives for looking into a mirror?
14. Who do I know that is isolated? How can I show them love this week?
15. What are five things God says in His Word about who I am?
16. Am I holding on to any resentment or jealousy towards someone in my life? What needs to happen so that I can move forward?
17. What are two friends I know that are struggling? In what small way can I show them I care?
18. How was my birth experience different than planned? Why was that so hard? How was my actual birth experience better than my plan?
19. What is the most beautiful place I have been to? What was it that I loved so much, and how can I share that beauty with others around me?
20. What is one thing my husband did this week that made me smile?
21. What is one thing in my life I am doing more for appearance sake, and less because it actually matters to me and those I love?
22. If I had a day all to myself, what would I do? Choose one thing from that imaginary day you can do today (even if it's in a very small way).
23. What do I wish others knew about me, or what do I feel most misunderstood about? How can I better express myself to others?
24. Who are the five people (outside of my immediate family) that I spend the most time with? Remember: "You're the average of the five people spend the most time with" - Jim Rohn
25. What are five ways God has proved Himself faithful to myself and my family in the past 5 years?
26. Who are 3 people I admire, and why?
27. Name something in your life/mind/heart going on that your husband does not know about. How can you share and be vulnerable with him?
28. What is distracting me during the day and keeping me from spending quality time with my husband and baby? What practical steps can I take to put those distractions aside and engage more deeply with them?
29. Is the time spent on social media adding to my life, or taking away from it?
30. What am I really good at as a mom?
31. How can I take better care of my physical body today? How does taking care of my body affect my husband and my kids?
32. How can I focus more on who I am becoming vs. what I am doing?
33. What routines do I miss? How can I create more structure in my day? Even if it's something small...
34. I find myself smiling when...
35. How can I remind myself that this is a season, not the end all. The baby will eventually sleep! How can I enjoy this season, while looking forward to the future?

When Find Time to Journal as a New Mom

And this is the crux of the matter, isn't it? I get there's a lot on your plate. You're feeding your baby at all hours of the day; you're cleaning up; you're scrubbing spit-up off the couch; you're folding laundry; you're trying to figure out if that rash is something to speak to the doctor about...

Your day is full (fuller than you ever expected it to be with a newborn!). Plus, you need to sleep!

When you are not in the newborn stage, I always suggest mornings as the best time to start a journaling routine - when the rest of your family is asleep, the house is quiet, and your mind is fresh. 

But with a newborn and their crazy sleep schedules, mornings don't always work. 

So that in mind, here are two times that will work:

1. the first 5-15 minutes of nap time (choose one nap)
2. right before you go to bed

How to Start A New Mom Journaling Routine

Here are 4 quick points advice to help you start your own journaling routine:

Just write

Here is my first piece of advice - just write. Don’t edit, don’t think. Just write. In fact, if you start to lose the words, keep the pen moving and literally write “blah, blah, blah” until the words come back (I do this myself!). And they will come back. Our minds are always going, so I know there are words in there, you’re just not used to getting them out 

Start small

Time wise, you’ve got a lot going on. So choose just five minutes to start with. Maybe it’s five minutes before bed, or during your morning routine while the kids are still asleep, during nap-time, or in the carline…choose just one of the journal prompts for moms below, and write for five minutes. 

Same time, same way

Make it a habit by carving those five minutes out of the same chunk of time each day. Make an appointment with yourself. Stick to it. It may not be the same time on the clock, but have it be the same section of time in your day (ie: the first 5 minutes of your baby's first nap). 

Have one notebook that you use for journaling. Keep it where you plan to write. If you plan to write on the couch when your little one naps, put it on your coffee table (or slip it under the sofa). If before bed is the best time, keep it by your nightstand…pick a time, pick a notebook, and keep it the same. Consistency matters. 

If you still feel stuck, snag your copy of this 30-day printable journal for moms.

You've got this, mama!

I know you're overwhelmed, I know you're not sure what you're doing. I've been there. But don't get stuck in the bog of your mind. Get those thoughts out onto paper. Unravel that ball of yarn. 

It only gets more convoluted the longer you let it sit, all balled up. 

Grab a pen, grab a notebook, grab a journal prompt, and grab 5 minutes. 

You won’t regret it!

I’m rooting for you,