Journal Prompts for Self-Care
I don’t know about you, but everything in the world seems extra heavy for me lately. I’ve been having more anxiety than normal about the violence of the world, and I’m still getting used to my new therapist on top of regular work and making sure my house is kept up. With all that stuff going on, it’s hard for me to remember to be like “ok I need to do something to let these feelings out.”
One of the ways I like to let go of anxiety is by writing my feelings down in a journal, but more often than not I forget to actually do it. I tend to keep my worries bottled up and analyze them to death which causes more anxiety and then it becomes this fucked up cycle until I can talk to my therapist, but sometimes I need to let some air out in between sessions.
Journaling is one of those things that’s on every “how to take care of yourself” type list, along with stuff like “drink water” and “take a bath” but I know it’s not so easy! What do you even write about? Are you supposed to have a “voice”? Who do I write “to,” myself? My journal?
It’s none or all of the above! Journaling can be whatever you want it to be which is why it’s so satisfying. It doesn’t even have to make sense. Nobody is going to read it, and you don’t even have to go back and read what you wrote months ago, because it’s all in the moment. For me, it’s a way to get my worries and anxieties out so that I don’t carry them with me wherever i go. You also don’t have to journal every day. We’re not Carrie in Sex and The City writing about the day on our laptops every night. (Unless you do, then hell yeah girl!) I definitely don’t write in my journal every day, and that’s ok. But if you want to get some consistency in journaling and have never done it before, maybe make a goal for writing in a journal once a week, and no pressure. If you want to start a journal and have never done it before, here are a few tips to help you get started.
Free write for 5-10 minutes. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but my senior year english teacher in high school required us to buy a journal so that we spent the first 10 minutes of class free writing to get ideas flowing. The only rule is you have to keep your pen moving and write down whatever comes to mind. Use a timer to set 5-10 minutes and just go. You will be so surprised at what comes out when you’re letting your thoughts flow freely. I’ve had so many revelations journaling this way, its my personal favorite way to write
I feel ___ because ____. Check in with yourself. How are you feeling? This is probably my most frequent way of journaling, usually because something is causing me to feel out of wack and I need to let it out so that I don’t carry it around with me. It doesn’t have to always be bad either! You can say “I feel happy because I ate some bomb Thai food. And I love that I got to share this experience with (person) and I love them because they’re always down to get Thai food with me,” etc. It really works for every occasion.
Make a list. This one is for my worriers. As a fellow worrier, I tend to spiral in my own thoughts, and this prompt is super helpful when I feel an anxiety attack coming on. When I feel this way, I ask myself “what are the things that are worrying me right now?” and it will be things like “I’m not good enough at my job, what if Mijo doesn’t love me, what if I’m unable to have kids,” and then when I write them down I can actually see how untrue they are and how they’re things I don’t actually have to worry about. Full sentences or bullet points, making a list of worries that you don’t want to share with anyone is helpful for letting those ideas go and taking time to check in with yourself.
Gratitude. This is a prompt I like to do in the morning to start my day on a positive note. You list 3 things you’re grateful for, and then elaborate on each of those things. When I was feeling really depressed or anxious, mine would look something like “I grateful for my bed that I woke up from, grateful for Noah and Mijo, grateful for my body.” Bringing your gratitude back to your essentials is an easy way to stay grateful and can make you feel accomplished, even if it’s the only thing you do that day.
Your Dreams! I guess this is a 2-for-1, because I mean literally writing down what you dreamt about that night OR writing down what your biggest dreams in life are. In college, I had a Tumblr called “Nocturnal Emissions” (lol why) where I would write what I dreamt about that night, and writing it in the present tense actually helps you remember your dreams better! It was fun and gave me something to write about and reading them back was always hilarious.
ALSO, I like to make my journal a part of my manifestation process. I write down my goals and dreams, and steps I think I can take to get me there. It’s helpful to loosely map out a process, and keeps me motivated. Mine are something like “How to Become Beyonce,” jk, nobody could EVER.
Journaling can be about literally anything you want! It’s all up to you! Write once a day or once a month! Write about how unicorns actually exist and you saw one and nobody believes you, or write about how annoying it is when your partner/roommate leaves their hair in the drain (it’s me, I’m the roommate that Noah gets annoyed at), or write about how scary the world can be and you sometimes feel helpless. Write until your hand is tired. It’s all good. Letting it out is healthy and it’s only going to help you become a happier you.
Happy writing!
