Describe your perfect day.
Discuss 5 things you wish others knew about you.
Write one paragraph about what made you happy today.
Identify three short term goals and one long term goal.
What is a self-care strategy you've always been curious in trying?
What inspires you?
Make a list of 15 things that make you happy.
Write about an important person in your life who you are grateful for. What do you admire about this person, why have they had such an impact on your life, and what would you like to tell them?
What are your best character traits?
Write down three to five things that trigger feelings of anxiety in you and identify one to three coping strategies you can attempt to implement in response to these.
Pick one positive word you'd like to focus on today and describe what it makes you feel or what you associate with it.
Describe a situation in which you helped someone else. How do you think it made them feel? How did it make you feel?
What self-care strategies have you used in the past? Rate them from 1-10, 10 being the most effective and helpful, 1 being the least.
What advice would you give to someone going through a hard time?
What is a quote that you want to manifest on for the rest of the week? How can you apply it to your life every day this week?
Describe a hardship you have had. How does it make you feel reflecting back on it? What do you feel you learned?
What makes you feel fulfilled?
Write a letter to someone who has done you wrong. Discuss what they did and how it made you feel. Try to forgive them and rip it up if it feels right.
What things are you avoiding dealing with?
What do you need right now?
Why Should We Journal?
It is a coping strategy that provides an opportunity for you to release your emotions and thoughts. It can be a nice way to clear your mind without feeling the pressure of having to share it with someone else.
Many of these prompts and ones like it provide solutions and help us start re-structuring our thinking towards positives.
It helps us identify triggers and patterns. Sometimes it can be helpful to go back through your journal and highlight things that you feel you improved on. When we document, we can take note of what may be causing us stress, who may be upsetting us regularly, etc.
It is a wonderful habit to stick to. Even if you write that you don't want to write for an entire page in your journal, that is okay. Being kind to yourself is part of this whole process. Developing healthy and intentional releases in our lives will continue to make a positive impact.
It may be one of your only opportunities to really sit with your emotions and release them throughout the day. In our busy lives, we may not really get any alone time until we hit the pillow for bed. By making this time, we prioritize ourselves and our mental health.
Different Ways to Journal
You can find any of your old notebooks that you may have only written five sentences in and start there. You can make any notebook or journal special just by giving it that intentional space.
You can look into bullet journaling, plain notebooks with no lines, a lined journal, or anything else that may seem interesting. Five Below typically sells books for under $5 that have guided topics and space for you to get creative. Whether you want to pick a journal because of its aesthetic, or whether the lines suit you just right, anything will work! Try to pick a journal that brings you joy when you look at it. Bright colors, happy quotes, sticker pages, etc. may do it for you!
Some days it may be hard to journal and you really may feel unmotivated. Like I said, make sure you write something, even if it is that you don't want to. By being honest with ourselves, we are learning to be kind to our true emotions. You can also set a timer, perhaps a 5-10 minute writing period would be a good place to start your journaling journey.
Be intentional about when you do it. Try to make it a pattern of when you choose to journal so that it becomes a habit. Whether it is before bed, when you wake up in the morning, or during a break, anything will work.
Date your entries so that you can come back to them later on and see your progress! It will also give you time to reflect on your prior perspectives to see where you are at now.
Be honest and kind to yourself. No one will be reading your journal. Let whatever emotions flow out of you hit the page, and don't judge yourself on the quality of your work or the significance of what you wrote. Just release and enjoy the time.
Some of My Favorite Journals
300 Ways to Begin Writing a Wonderful Story available at Five Below.
The Five Minute Happiness Journal available at Target.
Finding Gratitude: Simple Ideas that Can Change Your Life (use this alongside your journal as a topic guide). Available at Five Below.
One Sentence a Day: A Meaningfulness Journal available on Amazon.
The Legend of Me: An Epic Do it Yourself Autobiography available at Five Below.
52 Lists for Happiness available at Target.
Bucket List Journal available at Five Below.
Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self Exploration available at Target.
You Goal Girl: A Goal Setting Workbook available at Five Below.
The Inspire Journal available at Five Below.
Present, Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Loving Who You Are is available at Target.
My Happiness Journal available at Five Below.
The Five Minute Mindfulness Journal available at Target.
NAMI's Expressive Writing Workshop
Did you know that NAMI KDK offers Expressive Writing Workshops?! This ca be a great opportunity to journal alongside others to get a change of scenery and fresh perspective. The workshop helps participants, through literature such as poetry, to create cathartic texts that connect to their need to heal.
-It is hosted in English on the Second Tuesday of every month at 6pm.
-It is hosted in Spanish on the Second Thursday of every month at 6pm.
Register on our website under Let's Talk or Conversemos.