I used to buy beautiful notebooks and never write a single thing in them. They’d sit on my shelf like tiny promises of a “new me” that never showed up. Then one night, after a heavy day with struggle upon struggle, I grabbed one of those journals and jotted down everything that was in my head. It wasn’t poetic or even good writing, but it was real.

The more I wrote, the more I noticed how much calmer I felt. Some days I only wrote five words, other days pages spilled out. My notebooks became a safe space to have a dialogue with myself, to repeat struggles and ideas so I could digest them internally and over time they became action steps. 

Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery

Discovering who you are starts with asking the right questions. Questioning yourself in your journal helps you to examine who you are, what you are doing, and why you are doing it.  It gives you valuable insights and heightens your self-awareness.  

• What does my ideal day look like from start to finish?

• When do I feel the most like myself?

• What beliefs have shaped how I see the world?

• What parts of my past am I ready to outgrow?

• What brings me true joy and purpose?

Journaling Prompts for Mental Health

Writing out your thoughts is a form of therapy.  If you create distance between you and your thoughts you are able to stop a continuous cycle of overthinking.  You can calm yourself by jotting your worries down, you can dump your frustration and anger on paper that does not judge instead of dumping it onto your friends, family or co-workers who might react in the wrong way.  You can cage your monkey mind if you need strength or motivation to stick to your goals.

• What am I holding onto that’s causing stress?

• What does “peace” look like for me right now?

• How can I show myself compassion today?

• What are three things I’m grateful for this week?

• What thoughts keep repeating in my mind, and what are they trying to tell me?

Journaling Prompts for Self-Love

Journaling is a way to keep in touch with yourself.  The sheer act of writing a dialogue with yourself is an act of self-love.  You are much more compassionate to yourself if you put your appreciation on paper, it is like talking to a good friend you want to help out and give the best advice to.

• What qualities do I appreciate most about myself?

• How do I want to speak to myself when I make mistakes?

• What makes me worthy of love just as I am?

• What boundaries support my well-being?

• How can I celebrate myself today?

Journaling Prompts for Self-Growth

Growth comes from reflection and intention. Use these prompts to guide your personal development and transformation by setting goals, writing out action steps to take, tracking habits and celebrating your achievements.  After some time you can revisit old entries and remember the person who you used to be and feel confident about your past growth and future potential.

• What’s one habit I want to strengthen this year, and why?

• What recent experience taught me something valuable?

• What does success mean to me now versus five years ago?

• What fear am I ready to release?

• Write a letter to your future self as a means to let go of the past few years.  

Journaling Prompts for Beginners

If you’re new to journaling, you don’t need to overthink it. The key is to start simple; one line will do or five minutes of writing. The hack is to just start instead of waiting for motivation, the right time or the right tools.  The following prompts are easy to tackle and can be answered in one sentence.  

• What made me smile today?

• What’s one goal I’m working toward right now?

• How am I feeling at this moment?

• Who inspires me and why?

• What’s one thing I want to remember about today?

Journaling prompts for couples

A fun way to deepen the connection with your loved one is to share a back-and-forth journal and write to each other.  Digital messages have whipped out writing messages or letters by hand but nobody says you can’t go back and enjoy a little nostalgia.  It is also a beautiful way to build a memory book for later.

• Write a love letter about something small your partner does that means a lot to you.

• Write about something your partner has learned to understand about you over time.

• Write about how your partner shows up for you during difficult moments.

• Write a love letter about a memory you return to often.

• Write a love letter about what first attracted you to your partner.

So if you run out of inspiration and the blank journal page decides to stare back at you today and let you feel stuck, choose one of the prompts above.  Pick a notebook, a pen and start writing.