As the year starts, so many people start journaling to be in touch with their feelings or to plan and set goals for the year ahead. For that, I decided to share with you some journaling prompts that I used last year and that I plan on using again this year because they are that good!
Journaling prompts to help you reconnect with yourself
Most of these journaling prompts are going to be in writing; however, feel free to art journal the prompts instead if you wish to explore your creativity more or feel like you can express yourself better in visuals.
Write a letter to your past or future self
I saw this journaling prompt on Pinterest a couple of years ago, and I was very touched by the idea.
Do you ever feel like you have things to tell your younger self? How about your future self? After all, what you are living now is the consequence of your past decisions and choices, and what you decide to do now and the habits you build are going to define your future self. Not to make you feel any pressure, but our lives are a story and the succession of multiple events on a timeline. Is there anything specific you want to talk about that only younger you could understand?
It’s time to write these letters, and you can thank me later.
Write about your resolutions, dreams, and goals
I sometimes feel like I have run out of goals and that I have achieved everything I ever wanted to achieve. Then, I reach out to my journal, and I start imagining what I want to achieve in the future or the things that could drive me and keep me going. Maybe you’d want to live with your best friend in Copenhagen at some point in your life! Write that down. Or maybe you would want to learn how to make the most delicious cookies out there. I don’t know! Once you start journaling to this prompt, make sure you have no limiting beliefs stopping you from fully opening up. No goal is ever too stupid or insignificant if it’s what you want to do.
Here are some goal ideas that you can use to inspire your journaling session.
Things you do when you are happy, sad, or anxious (reacting)
This journaling prompt calls for a bit of analysis and objectivity. How you react to certain emotions, especially extreme ones such as fear, sadness, anxiety, etc., tells so much about you. You may recognize that you have anger management issues or that you tend to overshare when you are happy or become avoidant when you are anxious. Taking a moment to notice your reactions and understand them will help you better manage future situations of extreme emotion and help you reconnect with the shadow parts of you.
For that, you’re going to journal this:
- What you are feeling
- What actually happened
- What you believe happened
- The truth
Now, I can never assume that the truth is certain, but I am learning to listen and open up to know the truth not only from my perspective but from all parties’ perspectives. Here’s an example:
- What you are feeling: Feeling very disappointed and lonely after a friend cancels plans I’ve been looking forward to.
- What actually happened: My friend canceled our plan at the last minute
- What you believe happened: I believe that no one likes to hang out with me and that they canceled because I did something wrong or they no longer enjoy my company.
- The truth: Unless I have a conversation with the said friend or they tell me that they do not like to hang out with me or that I did something wrong, I am going to keep in mind that life gets busy and anyone could cancel plans while still loving and respecting their friends
I have found this method to be very helpful, especially as an overthinker. So whenever you feel like your mind is making a fuss about a little situation or reacting to a situation through extreme emotions, I hope you use this journaling prompt to help you figure it out and feel better.
Easiest journaling prompt: Lists
Write your lists. A bucket list, a list of the things you love about yourself, your skills and hobbies, the things that make you happy, people and things that inspire you, what you can’t live without, and so on. Get creative; think of the lists that matter to you or that you would love to explore.
- Bucket list
- What you love about yourself
- Skills and hobbies
- Things you’re afraid of
- Habits/people you want to get rid of
- Things you keep on avoiding
- Stuff that make you happy
- People and things that inspire you
- Things you can’t live without
- The books you read
- Movies you watched and the ratings you give them
- A list of thoughts that live rent-free in your mind
- etc.
Use your journal to dream
What does your dream life look like? Take the time to design your dream home, your dream family, and your dream occupation. Plan your dream vacations and road trips. Put pictures of the outfits and home decor and books you want to buy or thrift, maybe the museums you want to visit, or the food you want to try. I have had so many of these become realities, and I love looking back at them and feeling grateful.
Conclusion
I still have so many more journaling prompts that I would love to share with you, but to make this blog post easy to read and digest, I am going to stop here. I will link to any future articles I make about journaling at the end of this one, so make sure you bookmark this page. Enjoy creating <3
