Journal Prompts For Mental Health

Think of this as your go-to list of journal prompts for mental health when you’re in need of some head space.

Journaling – also called writing down your thoughts on paper.

Scroll down straight away if you want access to 30 free journal prompts for mental health benefits.

If you’re still reading however – journaling is one of the best things you can do for your mind. It’s that powerful, I even dedicated a whole e-book to the topic.

If you’re not so new to journaling, perhaps you’ve fallen off the bandwagon with it?

Life gets busy and full of distractions, doesn’t it – I mean, it takes commitment and willpower to sit down with a pen and paper.

Surely Netflix is more appealing.

I know this, because I journal regularly. And yes, sometimes, I have to force myself to write.

If this sounds like you, then this post was made for you.

Below you’ll find a whole list of the best journal prompts for mental health, to get clarity on your thoughts and feelings, and move forward with strength and resilience.

Whether you’re feeling low, burnt out, stressed or anxious, these prompts (and the act of doing the journaling) will help you.

Journal Prompts for Mental Health

To start journaling, make some quiet time for yourself, away from your phone and away from any distractions. You’ll need a pen and paper.

Read the following sentence starters, and continue writing. See what comes out. There’s no right or wrong, it simply is what it is.

1. How are you feeling right now?
2. What’s going on in life, and how is it affecting you?
3. What are you avoiding?
4. What’s one of your happiest memories?
5. What makes you most proud of yourself?
6. What’s the best thing you’ve achieved to date?
7. What is one goal you’ve set for yourself this year?
8. (cont) If you haven’t set any goals, set one now!
9. What do you want?
10. If nothing stopped you, what would you do?
11. What are your triggers?
12. What do you want to improve on?
13. Who do you love more than anything else in the world?
14. Write yourself a letter. What do you need to know?
15. Write out your perfect day (go crazy with your imagination!)
16. What are you afraid of?
17. What made you smile today?
18. Who are you grateful for in your life?
19. What’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone else?
20. Can you recall a tough experience, and what you learned from it?
21. Describe an experience which you struggled with initially, but which made you stronger in the end
22. What would make you happier?
23. Write a ‘body love letter’. What does your body need to hear that you never say?
24. When did you last cry? What happened?
25. What’s your default in a tough situation? What do you do? How do you protect yourself? Is this working for you?
26. List out your top 3 songs. Why do you love them so much?
27. Write a letter to someone who means a lot to you.
28. What secrets do you have that you’d never tell anyone? (remember, your journal is for your eyes only.)
29. What do you struggle with the most daily?
30. What was the best thing that happened this year?

This list should give you hours and hours of journal time, and as I said before, there’s no definitive way to journal. It’s simply allowing what needs to flow, to flow!

Benefits of Journaling

The benefits of journaling are wide and varied. The main benefit is that journaling offers an outlet to express feelings.

Sometimes, we want to talk, but maybe no one’s around, or alternatively, we want to keep things to ourselves, and this is where a journal session can really help.

It’s time for yourself, with yourself, only for your eyes.

Journaling also helps you get clear on your behaviour patterns. As does reading encouraging poetry, did you know!

You can identify your triggers and repetitive behaviors and then choose whether you continue to repeat that or choose to behave differently.

Journaling is a fantastic habit breaker! It’s also very calming to spend time writing.

You get lost in it, and time seems to stand still. It’s relaxing once you get into the flow of putting pen to paper.

If you’d like to read more on the topic of journaling, read this.

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