TL;DR [JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR MENTAL HEALTH]: Have you just started journaling for mental health, but don’t know what to write about? I typically go for the bullet journaling method, but sometimes when I’m free writing, my mind goes blank and I feel stuck. That’s where a prompt helps me a ton; I simply read it, get some ideas, and start writing. If you’re trying to improve your mental health (the most important part of your health), journaling is one of the best ways to do that. These 85 prompts encourage mental growth and self-discovery, and are perfect for any phase of your personal growth journey.
Have you just started journaling for mental health, but don’t know what to write about?
TRUST me, I know that struggle. When I started journaling, I would often stare at a blank sheet of paper for a few minutes before I started writing anything. I thought it had to be some long, drawn-out process, but then I thought about my elementary school days, where my teachers would ask us a question and give us 10 minutes to respond to it. And that’s when it clicked: journal prompts are basically the same thing! It was a really healing and freeing experience, as well as an outlet for creativity, self-expression, and reflection… no wonder I fell in love with it (and still haven’t stopped!).
Nowadays, I love a good journal prompt. Any time I’m bored of my typical journaling styles (bullet journaling and free writing), I look for or write my own prompt to answer. It gets my mind working a bit more and allows me to reflect on my life.
So, if you’re struggling to find things to write in your journal, this post is for you. I’m giving you a whopping 85 journal prompts to help you on your mental health or self-discovery journey. There are all kinds of prompts — short, long, detailed, simple… I hope by the end of this post, you’ll have collected a nice handful of prompts that you can’t WAIT to answer.
Are you ready, Star? Let’s do this!
This post is all about journal prompts for mental health.
What are journal prompts, and how can they be useful?
A journal prompt is simply a starting point that guides you in your writing process. It asks you a question that makes you reflect on a time or experience in your life.
Sometimes this could be quite simple, like, “How was your day?” Other times, it could be a bit deeper: “Reflect on a time where you felt you weren’t valued or seen.”
See how versatile these things can get?
There are tons of great reasons to use a journal prompt, like:
- You don’t know where to start because you feel overwhelmed
- You feel like you don’t have anything interesting to talk about in your journal
- You’re getting tired of writing the same thing everyday
Journal Prompts for Mental Health:
Responding to journal prompts is great if you’re just getting started or are having a hard time thinking of what to write about. They can even act as self-reflection questions for your healing journey!
I’m going to start with some short, reflective, and thought-provoking prompts.
I wrote most of them in first-person perspective so it sounds like you’re asking yourself the question. That will help you brainstorm your responses easier!
Keep in mind you don’t have to answer every question, or every part of every prompt. They’re just supposed to act as a starting point, then you can trail off how ever you like.
There are 80+ journal prompts, which is more than enough for 2 months worth of writing. You can choose one prompt per day, and then some!
Alright, let’s get to journaling.
Short Journal Prompts:
These short journal prompts are great if you only want to journal for about 10 minutes. Just get out your journal, pick a prompt, and finish the phrase.
Most of these are meant to be lighthearted and allow you to reflect on the happy parts of your life, but it’s still important to think about some of the not-so-happy parts also, so there are a few prompts that address those.
- My word of the year is…
- Describe your ideal friend.
- Describe your ideal romantic partner.
- Write a letter to your past, present, or future self.
- I feel [FEELING] about the current state of the world.
- Today I will be kind to myself by…
- Today I got out of my comfort zone by…
- Today I will work on my self-growth journey by…
- I’m proud of myself because I…
- I deserve a happy, healthy, genuine romantic relationship because…
- One thing I do to take care of my mental health is…
- I cope with my depression by…
- The last time I cried was…
- My favorite quality about myself is…
- I would like to learn more about…
- One goal I have been working toward is…
- I feel most comfortable around…
- I deserve this life because…
- I feel liberated when I…
- Right now I feel…
- I feel most inspired when…
- My favorite song is [SONG]. This song makes me feel…
- I feel most connected to my higher self when…
- I deserve love, appreciation, and joy because…
- The last time I did something nice for myself was…
- My safe space is…
- During my free time I love to…
- My favorite childhood memory is…
- My favorite person is [PERSON]. They make me feel…
- One area of my life I’d like to work on is…
- My opinion of myself matters most because…
- My favorite way to express my creativity is…
- The best piece of advice someone has given me is…
- When someone treats me poorly, I…
- I am afraid about…
- My healing journey is going [describe how it’s going so far]…
- When I’m stressed, I…
- I feel angry when…
- The first thing I do when I wake up is…
- When something doesn’t go as planned, I..
- I know I need a break (from school/work/other obligation) when…
- My main source of motivation is…
- I can make tomorrow a better day by…
Reflective Journal Prompts:
These reflective journal prompts will take a bit longer than the previous ones, hence the reason they’re a slightly longer and more detailed. They really tug on your brain and make you think about past experiences in your life, and how they’ve shaped the person you are today.
Make sure you have a good 15-20+ minutes to respond to the majority of these prompts.
- What about today went well? What about the things that didn’t go too well? What can I learn about these moments?
- Who or what made me smile today? What can I do to enjoy this more often?
- Which part of my life is going the best compared to other parts?
- What have I been procrastinating lately? Why have I been putting this task/event off?
- Where do I want to be one year from today? How can I start working toward that improved version of myself?
- Who is the first person that I go to when I have exciting news?
- What is one healthy habit that I’m proud of? How will practicing this habit help shape me into the person I desire to become?
- List five (5) things or people you’re grateful for. Why are these important to you?
- Am I more introverted or extroverted? What parts of my personality make me feel that way?
- What’s something that makes me angry or gets on my nerves?
- What is one thing that happened last month that I’m proud of?
- Reflect on your week. What made you happy, sad, or frustrated?
- What have I been stressing about lately? Write about it today.
- Think about something offensive that someone has said to you in the past. How did that affect you at the time? Do you still think about it today? How does it affect your daily life?
- Do you pay attention to your intuition? Do you trust and believe that it has influence/power in your life?
- How is your work environment? Are you surrounded by positive, uplifting, driven, hard-working, non-toxic people? If anything, what’s one thing you wish you could change about your work environment? Are you able or willing to make that change? How?
- Do you believe you have a healthy work-life balance? Or one at all? Why? Do you think it’s possible to successfully manage work and personal life?
- Do people consider you an overachiever/perfectionist? How do you feel about this? Are you proud of your “go-getter” mentality, or would you like to change this narrative about yourself?
- How would you describe your relationship with food? Is it healthy or could it use some mending?
- Name one person you’d like to develop a closer relationship with. How is your relationship with them right now? What are some ways you can strengthen that bond?
- Talk about your self-growth journey. Have you seen any signs of growth in your life? Any new habits, routines, self-care practices, or mindset shifts?
- What does your money situation look like? Do you have a stable income?
- Do you usually act on impulse (no plan) or do need to plan every action you take?
Thought-Provoking Journal Prompts:
These in-depth journal prompts will take the longest to respond to. They really make you THINK!
Make sure you have a good amount of time (about 20 minutes or more) to respond to these. Once again, you don’t have to fully answer every question! Answer them how ever you like.
- What does the healed version of yourself look like? What kind of lifestyle do they live? How are they different from the current you?
- Where do I seek validation? What about that makes me feel good?
- Who or what has been bringing me joy lately?
- What is something I wish people knew about myself? Do I tend to “hide” this part of myself, or do people just oversee it? Why is this important to me?
- Who or what do you believe is limiting you from growing into the person you desire to become?
- Am I more likely to hide or show my emotions? Why?
- In what ways do I express my emotions (journaling, crying, going to therapy, venting to someone, etc.)?
- Am I more of a pessimistic (negative) or optimistic (hopeful & positive) person?
- Me-time is essential, but socializing with others is just as important for your mental health. Do I do a healthy amount of social interaction with other people? If not, how can I improve this part of my life?
- Do I listen to my mind and body when they signal that I need a break? Or, do I ignore them for the sake of “being more productive?”
- How has my childhood influenced my mental health? What events have shaped my personality and view of myself, my parents, and other people in my life? How do I view the world as a whole?
- Do I have a people-pleasing personality? In other words, do I constantly put other people and their needs before I even consider myself?
- In what area of my life do I compare myself to others the most?
- Do I have any healthy boundaries set for the people I have in my life? Do I feel that I need to work on these?
- Go try to sit in silence for 10 minutes. What did you feel during this moment of silence?
- Would you call yourself a hopeful person?
- Do you have a healthy (about 8 hours) sleep schedule? How do you feel when it’s time to go to bed? What about when you wake up?
- Describe how you feel when you look in the mirror.
- What is one topic you wish people were more open-minded about? Why is this topic important to you?
Recap
Today, we talked about journal prompts for mental health. I gave you 85 prompts to respond to when you feel down or simply need a space to talk about your personal growth journey. I hope by now you’ve got a good number of prompts you feel eager to answer!
Time to Take Action
We’ve reached my favorite part: it’s time to take action. Once you’ve read the entire post, I want you choose one prompt to respond to.
Feel free to share your prompt in the comments. You can even email me if you’d feel more comfortable doing that. I’d love to see what prompt you decide to answer, and how that’ll ultimately improve your mental health!
If there’s a certain problem you’re dealing with and need a prompt specifically for it, don’t hesitate to ask! Leave a comment, email me, or shoot me a DM on Instagram and I’ll be more than happy to write a dedicated prompt for you!
Until next time, keep shining, Star — one day at a time.
