Journal Prompts That Feel Like Therapy

I’ve written about journaling on this blog before, but I realised that I never posted any journal prompts, so here we are 🙃

I haven’t always used prompts, or at least I didn’t always call them that, but lately they’ve come in very handy. The reason journaling is such a beneficial habit is because we can get to know ourselves better and reflect on our thoughts and actions. On some days, personal issues are so obvious that you don’t need to wonder about what you’ll write about, but on others, you just can’t think of anything.

That’s when prompts can give you a good kickstart.

So first of all: Here are 5 journal prompts that I personally found very life-changing in the past few years:

Make a list of the things you like about yourself and the things you don’t like about yourself. Then divide the second list into things you can change and things you can’t change (e.g. appearance). Next, figure out how exactly to change the things that you can change.
Picture your own funeral and imagine what you would like different people to say about you (e.g. a colleague, a friend, a family member, your partner, someone you do a hobby with, etc.).
Make a list of values that you want to live by.
When you get upset about something, write down what expectations you are holding and if they are helpful or not
Write a long description of yourself, with everything that makes you you: good and bad parts, annoying parts, hobbies and niche-obsessions, childhood heroes and little habits etc.

I also did a bit of research and found a ton of other prompts, a lot of which I have used in some form already:

Self-reflection

What trait do you judge most harshly in other people? How might you be rejecting that same trait in yourself?
What emotion are you most afraid to feel fully, and what are you protecting yourself from by avoiding it?
When do you feel jealous or envious? What unmet need or hidden desire is that revealing?
What part of your personality do you hide or suppress? What would happen if you let it show?
What compliment makes you uncomfortable or hard to accept? What does your resistance reveal about how I see myself?
Describe yourself using the first 10 words that come to mind. Then, list 10 words that you’d like to use to describe yourself. List a few ways to transform those descriptions into reality.
What do you appreciate most about your personality? What aspects do you find harder to accept?

Self-discovery

What are your energy givers/drainers?
What is one thing no one knows about you?
When do you feel most like yourself—not a daughter, partner, mother, employee, or friend—just you?
What values do you consider most important in life? How do your actions align with those values?
Describe one or two significant life events that helped shape you into who you are today.
What do you fear most? Have your fears changed throughout life?
How have you changed in the past 5 years?
What are your favorite hobbies? Why?
What three ordinary things bring you the most joy?
What things in your home are the most you?
What is something you would love to learn how to do?

Dreams and Goals

What would you do differently if you weren’t afraid of failing or being judged?
Who do you admire, and what specific qualities of theirs do you want to develop in yourself?
If you could design your ideal day from start to finish, what would it include? What’s stopping you from living more like that?
What do you most want your children (or future children) to learn from you?
What are the things you’re most looking forward to and why? What emotions do they bring out in you?

Success

If your inner critic had a face and a story, who would they be and what would they be trying to protect you from?
What thoughts are on repeat in your mind right now? Are they facts, or are they fears?
What do you look forward to most in the future?
What does success mean to you?

Problem Solving

What are the biggest sources of stress in your life, and how can you address them?
What is the story you’re telling yourself right now about your current situation?
How have you been reacting to this experience? Is this reaction serving you? Why or why not?

Achievements and Appreciation

What can you do today that you didn’t think you could do a year ago?
What is surprising to you about yourself lately that I like?
What’s a challenge you’ve faced that you’re now grateful for because of what it taught you?

Relationships

What are your strongest and weakest relationships like? What personality traits do you think they bring about in you?
Who do you trust most? Why?
Who do you trust with your most painful and upsetting feelings? How can you connect with them when feeling low?
How has a member of your immediate family helped shape your life?

Emotional Management

What emotion(s) are you feeling right now, and where do you feel it in your body?
If your anxiety/sadness/anger could speak, what would it be trying to tell you?
Write the words you need to hear right now.
Describe your favorite thing to do when feeling low.

Experiences

If you could relive one experience in your life, what would it be?
What part of your story do you keep replaying? What would change if you gave yourself permission to write a new ending?
Write about the place you grew up. How has it shaped you?
What has been the most defining moment in your life?
What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
If you were stranded on a desert island, what is the one thing and the one person you would want to have with you and why?
What place makes you feel most peaceful? Describe that place using all five senses.