50 Journal Prompts to Help You Start Journaling

Do you remember the feeling of coming home from seemingly the worst day of your life as a child and rushing to fill the pages of your diary with all of your thoughts? As years grew older, and time seemed to speed up, we lost touch with our old habits. Most of us stopped keeping a journal after a while, but what you don’t know is that keeping a diary is a healthy habit. There are a plethora of benefits to keeping a journal and all that it can do for you. And while our bad days have all new meanings now, journaling is still there for us. Here are some self-care journal ideas along with some daily journal questions to help you get back into the habit of journaling.

Benefits of journaling

Writing down goals and planning how to achieve them allows you to look back at the steps you are taking to achieve those goals. Reading previous entries helps you see growth and next-steps to continue going in the right direction. 

Keeping a log helps you keep track and maintain memories. It’ll allow you to have more mental clarity and greater focus. Writing down notes and ideas helps the brain know that this is something you want to remember. 

Intrusive thoughts can clog your brain and create unhealthy amounts of stress. Journaling allows you to release those thoughts and stop them from clouding your brain. 

Constantly writing journals helps to practice communication skills. Writing down your feelings helps you practice how to properly communicate them when the time comes. 

Journaling helps create self awareness that aids in self discovery. You can identify strengths and areas of improvement. 

Journaling allows you time to acknowledge your positive and negative emotions. It creates a safe space and sense of privacy.

50 journal prompt ideas

Whether you enjoy free writing or using a guiding prompt, journaling can help you sort through your thoughts and relieve any stress.

First, download and print out this template here to get started!

Here are 50 daily journal questions and prompts to help you start making journaling a habit:

1. In what ways can you show more compassion for yourself?
2. My favorite part of today was…
3. I forgive myself for…
4. Who do you trust the most? Why?
5. I feel safest when…
6. Write a love letter to yourself.
7. Describe a place where you feel most at peace.
8. What or who motivates you the most?
9. List 5 things you are grateful for.
10. Describe a kind act you have done for others?
11. What is the best gift you have ever received? Why did you enjoy it?
12. What are 3 things you want to improve? 
13. What do I know to be true now that I didn’t 1 year ago?
14. What distractions get in the way of me being productive?
15. I take care of myself by…
16. If someone described you, what would they say?
17. I feel most in tune with myself when I…
18. How does every part of your body feel at this moment?
19. What emotions am I holding on to?
20. What hurts right now? What can you do to find release?
21. What boundaries are important in a friendship? Relationship?
22. I value…
23. What is causing you the most stress?
24. Write a list of everything you are worried about right now.
25. What are your strengths in relationships?
26. How do you safeguard your wellbeing?
27. What does love mean to you? What does it look like?
28. List 3 things you did not get to tell anyone today.
29. My life would be incomplete without…
30. Describe a choice you regret. What did you learn?
31. Describe someone the exact opposite of you.
32.  Write about a difficult memory and the coping mechanisms you used. What would you have done differently?
33. Write a letter to someone who had/has a positive impact on your life.
34. The hardest decision I have ever made was…
35. What element is most like you? (Fire, Water, Air, or Water)
36. What makes you laugh?
37. Describe the perfect day.
38. When was the last time you apologized? Why?
39. Something that truly surprised you about yourself was..
40. If you were not afraid, what are 5 things you would do? What is holding you back?
41. What secrets are you keeping? Are they affecting your mental health?
42. Where are you today?
43. Talk about a time someone hurt you.
44. I took care of my mental health today by…
45. What objects do you find most comforting? Why?
46. List 5 songs that mean the most to you. Why do you think you connect with them?
47. List 5 traits I wish I had. How do you plan on working towards those things?
48. Who do you trust with your most painful/uncomfortable feelings?
49. What negative emotions come up most frequently for you? Why do you think that is?
50. Describe your happiest memory.

Tip for a new journalist: Try answering one of these questions twice a week. After 2-3 weeks, challenge yourself by adding one more daily question and eventually you will build up to journaling everyday. Remember, length is not important when journaling. The goal is to reflect and implement a new outlet for emotions. Write until you feel content. Some days you may write more while others may be a little light. Write however you feel most comfortable. Explore poetry, drawing, story writing, or whatever medium works for you.

Caring for your brain health and mental health 

At Omega 3 Nutrition, we aim to give people an avenue by which they can take care of their brains proactively. While nutrition is a very important aspect in brain health, how you care for your brain and mental health through other ways is just as important. Hopefully these self-care journal ideas encourage you to try journaling as a mental health outlet or inspire you to explore more avenues in which you can care for your mental health.