Want to improve your mental health and emotional well-being? This article includes 51 expert written mental health journal prompts to reflect, grow & deepen your self-awareness.
Keeping a journal is a great way to understand your emotions and experiences. Some people use journals as a place for free-flowing thoughts & ideas and others use it with a more focused direction and goal.
Journaling for your mental health can be hugely effective. It can provide a space for self-reflection and help you bring awareness to your emotions in specific situations.
Through journaling, people can practice self-compassion and acceptance which leads them closer to healing.
If you are someone who would like more structure & guidance in how to use a journal effectively, this post is for you! It will include different prompts around self-esteem, mental health and emotional well-being.
I am a licensed therapist and I’ve crafted this list of prompts throughout my years of clinical experience.
Journaling provides the opportunity to strengthen your relationships with yourself and with others.
This post is a comprehensive list of mental health journal prompts to use on your path of healing. It will go over what a mental health journal is, benefits of keeping a journal & specific mental health journal prompts to use today!
What is a mental health journal
Format
A mental health journal can be any journal designated to your mental and emotional wellness. There is some flexibility when it comes to what this journal will look like for you!
If you prefer to write with a pen on paper, you can use just about any blank page for this! You can buy a new blank journal to designate to your mental health.
Or if you need a more budget friendly option, use any loose leaf blank paper and staple together. Or keep it in a folder. You can get creative – consider using scrap paper or backs of flyers if you need.
Mobile devices can be a great option to store your journal entries if paper isn’t for you!
If your lifestyle makes it realistic to have access to a physical journal when you need it, consider using your phone, tablet or laptop to write.
Many people use their devices throughout the day & usually have direct access to them. This could simplify & make keeping a journal easier.
There is no better option.. It really depends
on who you are and what will allow you to write most consistently.
Consider the privacy and safety of both options in your life & reflect on which would be best for you!
Structure
Journals can be very loose in structure, meaning you write about whatever you want to write about. Obviously you want to be intentional here and use your writing time effectively, but there is a lot of flexibility!
This type of free-thought journal is where someone can write about whatever comes to mind.
It can be several different thoughts, bullets, ideas.. You can get as detailed as you’d like.
You could just sit down & write the thoughts that come to your mind or you could write about a specific emotion or situation you are experiencing in the current moment.
For example, you could write about the stressful day you had; the fight you got in with your husband last night; the way your anxiety felt in your body this morning; what you’re feeling most overwhelmed by right now…the list goes on!
There really is no wrong way to journal which is the beauty of it! Ideally whatever you are writing about will provide some space for reflection & openness, and for deepening your understanding of yourself & how you are feeling.
It can help you understand which symptoms you are experiencing if you are living with a mental illness. This is done simply by paying attention to what is going on inside of you- emotionally, physically.. And writing it down!
It can also be about what is going on outside of you and how you are responding, coping, struggling etc..
Having a blank journal allows you to use journal prompts you brainstorm yourself, get from a professional or find online.
There are also specific journals that have visual templates, pre-determined journal prompts, and overall more structure.
If you can afford it, there are some great journals out there!
Bottom line, whatever your budget is, there is an option for you! Whether it be your mobile device, loose paper, or a specific journal, what’s most important is to have a specific place for this type of writing & reflection.
Who should have a journal?
Everyone could benefit from keeping a journal. There is truthfully no harm in having a space to reflect and be present with what you are feeling.
Mental health journals can be a great space for you to unpack and untangle some of the thoughts & emotions you are experiencing.
Sometimes we are moving so fast, we don’t even take a second to consider how we are feeling or what our inner dialog is like.
Journaling is a great way to get more comfortable with your emotions & paying attention to what is going on in your life & how you are feeling about it!
Anyone could benefit from writing regularly in a journal, it is not limited to people with mental illnesses.
Keeping a journal is just one therapeutic coping skill that professionals recommend to their clients. To learn more, read this article about additional coping strategies and why they matter!
How to keep a journal
Keeping a journal should be easy! Well the writing itself ideally brings some emotional response, the act of keeping one should be as simple as possible.
Once you have identified the format & place you will have this journal, you are good to begin.
Make sure the journal is kept in safe space if you don’t want anyone reading it!
Or consider using the feature on many notes apps to ‘lock’ the note with a password.
You can plan a scheduled time to write each day or week if you need the structure! This can look different for everyone. For some it might be 10 minutes every morning or evening, for others, it could be writing once/week.
Or you just write however much or little you’d like to. I do think being intentional about making this a regular practice is a good idea. But at the same time, I think writing, even infrequently, can still be very helpful.
So this is to say, if you can, try to be consistent or regular with your journaling, to get the most out of this space.
But if that’s not realistic, that’s okay too! And you will still benefit from writing, even if it’s not very often.
Benefits of keeping a journal for your mental health
I’ve already touched on a few, but there are many benefits of keeping a journal for your mental and emotional health.
Strengthens your Self-Awareness
By having to write about your emotions & experiences, you are being forced to pay attention. Having awareness of what is going on inside your physical & emotional selves is an important part of life.
Mindfulness is a therapy practice and framework entirely designated to being present, paying attention and not judging ourselves- for how we are feeling or experiencing the world.
Improves your relationships
Through intentional reflection & attention guaranteed by the act of journaling, it gives space to improve our relationships.
This can be our relationships with ourselves & our relationships with others.
Through our reflection we can pay attention to which relationships are bringing up positive emotions and which are stressful experiences.
We can also reflect on ways we might be feeling or showing up in our relationships. This gives us the opportunity to change our behavior or speak up for what we need.
Improves your communication skills & builds language to talk about hard things
Through writing down your feelings and thoughts, you are by default building language for these things.
You are having to put these things down into words, which challenges you to identify the words that can describe the feelings.
It is a great skill to have emotional language to be able to talk about your feelings & experiences. Being able to talk about important things with your loved ones or your mental health professional can be critical in your healing.
By getting more comfortable discussing difficult things in your journal, it will help you with talking about these things with others!
Vulnerability & sharing our emotions & experiences with others is essential to a successful relationship. There is no way around that!
So if being vulnerable and talking about yourself has never been easy, use a journal to get better at it and then practice it with someone else!
List of 51 mental health journal prompts
Below is a list of 51 journal prompts for your mental health. Some are more specific & structured and others have a more open-ending.
You can work through this entire list or pick & choose which are most relevant and helpful to you!
I organized the list into specific categories to help guide your search.
It includes common mental health topics that come up in my professional clinical work as a therapist!
Mental Health Journal Prompts
Self reflection
- What makes you feel the most alive
- What are the biggest dreams you have for your life?
- What are your biggest fears right now?
- When do you feel most connected to yourself?
- When do you feel most disconnected to yourself?
- Are you happy with your life right now? In what areas? And in what areas do you feel unsatisfied?
- What do you need more of in your life right now?
- The one thing you wish people understood about you is?
- What are some of your core beliefs that you hold about yourself and others? Are they negative or positive? Is there any chance they are inaccurate?
- How do you react when you’re experiencing fear?
- How do you feel when you’ve made a mistake?
Self esteem
- How can you put yourself first?
- How can you take better care of your emotional self?
- How can you take better care of your physical self?
- What are 3 things you like about your personality?
- What are you having trouble forgiving yourself for?
- What are you having trouble accepting in yourself?
- Write down 10 positive affirmations about yourself
- What is your self-talk like? Positive, neutral or negative?
- Who or what inspires you ?
- Who or what fuels, fulfilled & energizes you?
- How can you practice self-compassion today?
- What are you proud of?
- Is there anything you are not being honest with yourself about?
- What kind of person do you want to be? Are you living in alignment with your values?
- When do you feel most confident?
Mental Health
- What does your anxiety feel like in your physical body?
- How can you tell when your depression is getting worse
- What are some go to activities for when your depression is really bad
- Is there anything you can identify that you are feeling anxious about or is it more free-floating?
- Make a list of affirmations for your anxiety
- What are some ways you can cope with hard emotions?
- What areas of your life are bringing you joy and peace right now?
- What areas of your life are causing you stress right now?
- What triggers your anger? How do you tend to express your anger?
- What emotions are hardest for you to deal with?
- What are 10 things you’re grateful for?
Relationships
- Do you get defensive about anything? Why might that be?
- What types of situations or experiences make you feel most valued by others?
- Who do you need to forgive?
- Why is it challenging for you to forgive them?
- How do you tend to communicate when you’re hurt or upset?
- How do you engage in conflict? What emotions come up for you?
- How do you best feel heard and supported by others?
- Do you ever avoid vulnerability? What can you do to reduce the avoidance?
- What relationships or areas of your life do you need to set boundaries in?
- How can you go about setting those boundaries? If others push back, how can you uphold these boundaries?
- Who makes you feel good about being you?
- What pains and wounds are you holding onto? Are they serving you still? What would it be like to let them go?
- How do you best receive love? How do you best give love? (love languages)
- Are you working with or against your partner right now?
Although this list could keep you busy for weeks or months, it’s only the beginning! The more you write, the better you get at it!
This article discussed what a mental health journal is, who can use one, and how to use one. In addition it includes a comprehensive list of 51 mental health journal prompt ideas!!
The list includes prompts focused on self-discovery, self-esteem, mental health & relationships!
