Throughout our busy day to day lives, we tend to hold in the emotions and stressors of the day without releasing them before we try to rest at night. These trapped emotions can carry over to the following day and create a negative pattern.
Journaling is a great way to express your emotions and connect more with yourself, without having to verbalize your feelings. It can help you start your day with positive energy, discover more about yourself and also help you to decompress from the day by releasing any negative emotions.
Journaling is a place where you can be honest with yourself, express emotions towards others whom may have hurt you or express love to others when it is hard to find the words. The beauty about journaling is, no one has to read your journal, you don’t even have to go back and read your writings. This is a safe place of release.
How to use Journal Prompts?
Journaling prompts are a way to get your ideas flowing and kick start your writing. You do not need to stick to the script, just let your mind go where it needs to go.
-You can read through the list of prompts and pick one that speaks to you at that moment.
-You can choose specifically what your goal is for your journaling session, whether that is releasing anxiety or anger, achieving a goal, dealing with trapped emotions, or expressing gratitude. Whatever your goal is, let yourself write freely.
-The most important thing to remember about journaling is do not pressure yourself to be perfect. Don’t worry about your handwriting, don’t worry about how grammatically correct your writing appears. This is for you and for you only. Let yourself freely enjoy it without judgment.
Where do I start?
If the thought of journaling overwhelms you, start small. You can write for 5 minutes when you wake up or 5 minutes before bedtime. You can write for 30 minutes or three hours. The time does not matter as much as the experience. Whatever time you have, take 3-5 minutes to establish this practice everyday.
-Find a journal that speaks to you and a special pen that you look forward to using.
-Date your entries if you wish or just freely write.
-Find a quiet, peaceful place where you go every day to write. This will trigger your brain to recognize when it is writing time.
-Create a daily habit in the morning/evening, or over lunch if that is when your free time arrives. Just keep it consistent.
-Perfection is not the goal! Remember, this is for you.
-If you aren’t sure what to write about, choose one of the journaling prompts below. Just start writing. Many times you will start writing about a topic and you will end up writing pages and pages once you get started.
15 Journaling Prompts
- 5 Things You are Grateful for Today
- What is one goal I have today or major goal I am working towards
- How am I feeling today? Happy, Excited, Grateful, Irritated, Tired, Angry, Indecisive?
- Where are some areas you would like to improve upon? (self care, relationship, work ethic, diet/exercise, meditation and quiet time)
- What are five areas that you are really excelling and doing awesome?
- I feel most anxious when_____
- I cope with my anxiety by doing_____
- I feel most happy and peaceful when____
- What was your favorite part of today?
- What irritated you today and how did you handle it?
- Where did you see beauty today?
- What activity makes you feel most excited and energetic? (writing, exercise, family time, a hobby, a side career, vacation?) Why do you think it makes you feel most excited? Can you make this a career?
- What is your dream job? Why is this your dream job? What can you do to start making income doing this activity?
- My favorite songs are ____ Why do you love these songs? Does it spark a happy memory? Invigorate and inspire you, give you energy?
- What makes you worry? Write them all down. Why do you think this causes you such worry or fear? How can you change your mindset from fear to a positive one.
There will be days where you just don’t feel like journaling. It feels like another task on your to do list. Maybe you were up late the night before or did not sleep well. Maybe you’re so exhausted at night you just want to crash and watch mindless tv. Listen, this is all OK! This should not be a pressured practice. Meet yourself where you are and if that moment does not work, go back to it when you are ready. The idea is to create a habit that is helpful to you and does not cause added stress. Enjoy it.
If you would like access to more journaling prompts, you can sign up for my freebies on the homepage!
All my love,
Brenna
