30 Journal Ideas/Prompts For Good Mental Health

To some people journaling may just mean writing something about yourself or your favourite topic on a piece of paper, but there is way more to journaling than that. Many therapists as well as other people who do it on regular bases suggest journaling as a way for relieving anxiety, developing positive thought patterns, and giving your life a structure. Here are 30 best journaling tips to help you make the most out of it, whether you’re a complete beginner or have a bit of prior experience.

1. Don’t start big

Habits are built slowly and progressively. Start by setting realistic goals, journaling for 5-10 minutes initially is a good way to begin, and then you can progressively increase the time when you feel much confident.

2. How to Pick the Right Journal

Brainstorm and think about the things which interest you, this could be anything from “my goals for this year” to “my “plans for this weekend. Remember this is your world, explore!

3. Let the thoughts flow

We have a natural habit of getting things done perfectly, but worrying too much about the grammar and small mistakes here and there may demotivate you. Let your thoughts come out naturally, mistakes can be fixed with time once you get going with it.

4. Create a Comfortable Space

This is an important one, it is important to journal in a space that brings comfort to you, only then the thoughts come out. I personally like to sit in my living area on my favourite grey couch.

5. When you are stuck

If you’re struggling with what to write, you could use prompts such as “How am I feeling today”, this should initiate thought patterns.

6. Be Honest

Again, this is your world, be true to yourself and write what is on your mind. No one here can judge you for anything. Only this way you will be able to effectively relieve your stress and benefit from journaling in a true sense.

7. Experiment with Formats

Experiment, try different things. Some people like to get creative and stick some photos in there too. There are many ways you can do this, bullet points, paragraphs, essay-like structure, or even make visually attractive by pasting images in it. See what works for you!

8. Set an Intention

Make sure each journaling session has an intention before you start. For example, when you are feeling anxious, write on self-reflection to help you understand the cause better and eventually make you feel better. Another example could be “creativity” where you write only about this subject.

9. Make it colourful

Make it visually interesting by using different colours for pens and highlighters. It makes it more engaging and fun!

10. Reflection

A very important aspect about my journaling is writing about “my day”, where talk about how everything went for me today, what have I learned and what did not go so well. This is a good way to let out any bad feelings I developed during the day.

11. Track Your Moods

This one can be magical in the long-term if used properly. If you keep an accurate track of the things which tend to make you upset or feel bad, overtime you could work on those triggers to eliminate them. This would lead to the development of a strong positive mind overtime. This perhaps is the most powerful thing you can achieve.

12. Keep It Private

This is your world, no one has to know about it. However, if there is someone you trust or would like to share with, that is up to you too.

13. Morning journalling

Mornings are the most important part of the day, if your day begins on a good note then the rets of your day goes well too. Journaling is an effective tool to begin your day in a good way.

14. Evening Reflection

There is no set time for when you should journal. You could do it in the middle of the day as things are fresh in your mind, or end of the day to summarise everything. It is completely up to you when you decide to journal.

15. Gratitude Task

List 5 things which you are grateful for everyday when journaling. This transforms your mind and makes it positive.

16. Journal Your Goals

Our goals play a vital role in keeping us motivated, so write about them to keep you reminding yourself.

17. Breaking Down Emotions

When you are feeling a negative emotion, try to break it down in-depth when journaling. It is a great way of understanding yourself, getting rid of the bad emotion, and developing a stable mind in the long term.

18. Keep a Dream Journal

Human mind is probably the most researched and yet least understood, it can do magical things. The subconscious mind reflects our hidden emotions through dreams when we are asleep, write it down in your dream journal.

19. Comparing To Past Entries

This is the most beautiful thing about journalling, you can track how you were in the past, in the present and compare to see if you have grown. Keep yourself on track by doing this.

20. Write Letters To Self

You could get creative and even write letters to past, present or future self and share your thoughts on how you were in those phases of your life.

21. Sketching

Develop your art skills by sketching when journaling. It is a good way of making it visually better, fun and developing a new skill on the go!

22. Self-Improvement

Majority of people start journaling because they want to self-improve in all aspects. A great tip for that is to write about the habits you want to develop that will help you achieve your goals. And write about specific areas you want to improve.

23. Write About Nature

Spending time in nature brings us peace as we are part of it. Spend time outdoors in nature and talk about it, this will help you be peaceful.

24. Healthy Affirmations

Write your healthy affirmations to boost your mindset. Because what we believe we achieve.

25. Celebrate

The path of self-discovery never ends, it is very important to celebrate and writ about your victories along the way.

26. Ask Questions

If you are stuck another good way to initiate your thinking is by asking questions such as “what am I proud of today”, “why am I feeling like this”.

27. Creative Writing

Remember no one has access to this world of yours. Experiment by writing poetry, this another way of developing a new skill. Or you could write lyrics, poems or poetry from your favourite artists and have your favourite collection in there.

28. Inspirational Quotes

Write quotes every now and then which resonate with you in that moment.

29. Make It a Habit

Make journaling a habit that you love to do daily, weekly or even monthly, to fully benefit from it.

30. Consistency

Consistency is key, if you journal for only a week or two it won’t really make a difference. It is a life changing tool, do it as much as it suits you but remain consistent.

These 30 best journalling tips have helped me not only to re-ignite my love for it but also helped escape multiple dark phases in my life. It has been absolutely life changing for me and I wish the same for you, take advantage of it. Goodluck!