What To Write In A Journal - Journal Writing Prompts for Reflection and Self Improvement
Here are some journal writing prompts and ideas for what to write in your journal for self reflection, self healing, mindfulness, self discovery, self care and self improvement. Write in your journal daily and experience gratitude and faster manifestation of your dreams.
I’ve been a journaling enthusiast pretty much all my life. But, I haven’t always been consistent. I usually have a phase of really getting into journal writing for a while, and then a phase where I completely forget that my journal exists. I tend go back and forth between these phases.
However, over the last year, I have really gotten into journaling again, and I’ve been more consistent than ever before. In fact, I completely filled up my first journal in 2020, and started a new one for 2021 that was already halfway filled in by March. I guess being locked up and stuck at home leaves a lot of time for self-reflection.
Most people find it confusing to know how to begin journaling, what to write in it and how to be consistent. Here are a couple of previous posts I’ve written that should help with those questions:
Journaling Benefits and Inspiration: Journal Writing For Beginners
Journal Writing has so many benefits - many I’m probably not even aware of yet. I just think it helps with holistic healing and improves your life and mental health in so many ways. It’s something I wish every human being would prioritize. Journaling is my favourite meditative activity, and meditation is something we could all use in this fast-paced world.
If you would like to know how to take some of the pressure off of keeping a journal, check out the posts linked above. I’ve discussed allowance and ease with journaling, and how the pressure to be consistent or regular with it is nothing but a hinderance. Pressure to be regular is probably one of the biggest reasons people don’t start journaling. I’m here to tell you consistency isn’t required. It’s just a helpful, enjoyable activity. Do it when you want to. Even if that’s once in ten years. :)
If you are looking for ideas and prompts for what to write in your journal, keep reading! In this post, I’m going to share some of my favourite things to write about, some ideas for writing prompts for your journal, and how to use your journal effectively for mental health, self reflection, self improvement and mindfulness.
What To Write In Your Daily Journal:
The main use for my journal is as a record of my life. I just write about my day. The mundane things I did, the significant AND boring thoughts I had, the plans I made for the upcoming days, some new goals that I thought of, etc.
There’s no limit to the things that you can jot down in your journal. You could literally just pen down your fleeting thoughts and that could be a journal entry on it’s own. In fact, those ones are my favourite to look back on and keep track of my thoughts.
Of course, other than being a place to record the inner workings of your mind, it’s also a great way to sort out the myriad of thoughts that cross your mind and make sense of them. It’s quite therapeutic and meditative. It’s actually my favourite meditative activity and I highly recommend it to everyone, even if you’re not the biggest lover of writing and expressing yourself with words.
Things to Write About in Your Journal:
Here are some basic ideas for what you can write in your journal, before we get into more introspective journal writing prompts. This would be a good starting point for journaling - recording as well as planning your life. These topics are also great for those days when you don’t feel like thinking too much and therefore may not want really deep, introspective prompts, but still want to fill a page or two in your journal.
Write about the basics of your day: food, thoughts, conversations, plans you’ve made, goals (personal or otherwise), basically anything that crossed your mind or anything that happened during your day.
This helps you still have that meditative activity of writing, without having to overload your brain with deep thinking when you’re just not in the mood for it. It can also sometimes trigger a new thought or idea that you can delve into later, or even a solution to a problem you may be dealing with.
Some things you can write about:
dietary goals or meal planning
skincare goals
what you ate that day
an interesting revelation/epiphany you had recently
how you passed your time that day
what shows/movies you’re planning to watch soon
things you want to do over the upcoming week/weekend (work or fun - kind of like a to-do list)
books you want to read
places you’d like to visit
bucket list - things you want to experience in your lifetime
Literally anything. That’s how normal/mundane, or exciting/eventful you can make your journal. I promise the experience of journaling will be just as enjoyable either way. In fact, in my opinion, the little thoughts and lifestyle changes/plans are the best pages to look back on in an old journal. 😊
30 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts and Ideas:
What do I like about my personality?
What would I like to work on/change about my personality?
What are some qualities of other people that I admire?
What is my most important life goal?
How am I working/going to work towards this goal?
What is one piece of advice I would give my younger self?
What is one major life lesson that I have learned?
What does my dream/ideal life look like?
Is my dream life realistic? How can I make it real?
Describe my happy place.
20 things that I am grateful for.
What is the best compliment I have ever received?
What is the best compliment I have ever given?
What are some things I want to experience in my lifetime?
How would my loved ones describe me? Do I agree?
What is an achievement that makes me feel the most proud of myself?
Write about the last good deed I did. How did it make me feel?
What would I do if I had nothing to worry about - if I was completely free and able to do as I please?
Describe the last time I felt totally at peace.
How can I deliberately create more peaceful moments in your life?
What is my greatest strength?
What self-care habits do I want to incorporate into my life?
One thing I want to achieve or experience before this year ends.
What is one thing I would like to change about the world we live in?
What experiences would I like to leave in my past so I can move on? Write about them for catharsis.
List of realistic ways in which I can give back to society (charity, service, etc.)
If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live and why? Is this something realistic that I can plan for?
What aspect of my life is working well for me right now?
What aspect of my life do I wish was working out better? How can I make that happen?
What small changes can I make to my everyday life, that will make me a happier person?
More Ideas for Journal Writing for Reflection and Self-Improvement:
One of my favourite things to do in my journal when I don’t really feel like writing much, is to note down some of my favourite, thought-provoking quotes by other writers.
I love saving quotes and poems that I come across on Pinterest and Instagram, and then having journaling sessions every so often when I write those quotes down.
I have a Pinterest board for quotes, and an Instagram collection for them as well where I constantly save words that make me think and feel something. It’s something I recommend highly to anyone that loves words as much as I do. It’s so therapeutic to even just ponder on other people’s thoughts as you do the meditative act of putting pen to paper.
Another thing readers do to fill their journals is writing down thoughts and favourite lines from the books they read. It’s a beautiful experience - looking back on how you felt about something you read, what you learned from it, or even what you didn’t like about it. You may be surprised someday about how you have unconsciously been influenced by something you read a long time ago. I think it happens more often than we realize. We are constantly being shaped by what we input into our brains.
How Journaling Benefits Self-Improvement:
Journaling is something I recommend to absolutely anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re not fond of writing. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the most expressive person. There is always something you can do with a journal that works for you and benefits your life. Through journaling, you can improve so many aspects of your existence without even being conscious of it. It just happens. You just become more aware, more centered, more you. Whoever that ‘you’ may be.
Sometimes it is just the simple act of writing that can be cathartic. The repetitive action has proven to be meditative - even without much thinking about the content you’re writing - similar to the act of coloring in a mandala. And if you actually focus on what you’re writing, it helps to unravel your tangled thoughts and can be therapeutic as well. I can’t recommend journal writing enough.
If you are looking to start journaling, I sincerely hope you do. There’s nothing better. Just try it and see for yourself. 😊