A Collection of Journal Prompts

Journaling can be a powerful tool for emotional clarity and personal growth. Whether you’re looking to express difficult emotions, untangle confusing thoughts, or gain perspective during times of uncertainty, writing can offer a sense of relief and insight. Journaling provides a safe space to explore your inner world, process complex feelings, and reflect on your experiences. However, it’s not always easy to know where to start or what to focus on. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of journal prompts to help you get started on your journey of self-reflection and discovery. If you need more ideas, or are looking for journal prompts on specific topics, please feel free to reach out to me at erinthecounsellor@gmail.com

Journal Prompts for Healing and Self-Exploration

• What does healing mean to me? What is a step I can take today towards healing?

• What are some habits or behaviours that are no longer serving me? Am I ready to let those go? Do I want to?

• What has changed as I've moved through my healing journey? What is different about how I see myself?

• Imagine a future version of you that has found peace and healing. What is different about how they do life and relationships? What steps did they take to get there?

• What is an experience or memory that still causes you distress? How would you like to feel about that experience or memory?

• What aspects of myself do I hide from others and why? What would I do differently if I weren't afraid of judgment or failure or abandonment?

• What fills my cup? What "spills" from my cup? Do I feel balanced between cup fillers and spillers? Are there areas where I can or need to make change?

• What thoughts or worries are occupying my mind right now? What is overwhelming me? Do I need help to address stress or overwhelm?

• Describe three positive things that happened in the past week.

• How did I contribute to someone's happiness or well-being recently?

• How would my best friend describe my strengths?

• What does it mean to be "productive"? Where did I learn this? How does this contribute positively and/or negatively to my well-being?

• What do I need more of in my life?

• What feelings do I avoid or numb from? What is it about these feelings that I feel uncomfortable experiencing?

• Write a letter to your younger self offering kindness, love, compassion, forgiveness, whatever you feel younger you was needing or lacking.

• Imagine your life 10 or 15 years from now and write a letter to your current self offering hope, reassurance, support, love. What are the potential challenges and how has older you overcome them? What has older you learned that they want current you to know?

Journal Prompts for Grieving

• What are the things you most want to remember?

• Are there things you want to forget? What are they and how do they impact your relationship with the person you lost?

• What were they like? What is the memory that reminds you the most of them?

• What did they do that always made you laugh or feel loved or cared for?

• Write a letter to them. Explain to them what you are feeling or struggling with about them being gone.

• Write a letter to yourself from them (What would they want for you? What would they want you to feel or understand?)