Therapeutic journal prompts are predefined questions that help you express your thoughts, emotions and experiences. Writing in your journal with or without journal prompts is a skillful way to process and review solutions to life’s dilemmas. You can also use this to manifest the desired thoughts, emotions and experiences you would like to attract into your life. But don’t feel pressured to come up with solutions in your journaling. Sometimes you benefit just by getting the emotions out – and this is fine too.
Do you feel you can benefit from journal therapy? Then keep reading!
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What is Therapeutic Journaling?
While there are many, many forms of therapy ,journaling entails writing out your thoughts and feelings around a certain thing in your life. This is an affordable, easy and flexible method of therapy anyone can do almost anywhere. This form of therapy can help us feel empowered, in control, while encouraging self expression. Below are a few other benefits therapeutic journaling can give you.
Benefits of Therapeutic Journaling
Having a sacred place where you can express your feeling and thoughts without repercussions is truly liberating and cathartic. Its provides comfort to a heavy heart and peace to a crowded mind. You may think journaling is a thing that only teenagers do but actually its a tool to help you supercharge your personal development if you learn how. Below I share some more critical benefits of therapeutic journaling.
Helps You With Introspection And Insight
Writing provides a simple way for an individual to take stock of their actions, feelings and behaviors that they may not have had time to do during the day. Life often requires quick responses from us, writing can be a useful tool that assists us in introspection and finding relevant insight.
Therapeutic writing provides a sacred space for you to reflect and ponder on the issues at hand in your life. It also gives you time to access whether another course of action should be considered when addressing a personal dilemma. If you have already made a decision, it can be a time to process the decision made without regret, knowing you can take another avenue should this same issue arise in the future.
Gives You Mental Space – Release The Overwhelm
Ditch the overwhelm and reclaim your mental space through therapeutic journaling. Noone likes walking around feeling like the weight of the world is on their shoulders. I know I don’t. This can lead to anxiety and depression. Overwhelm can also lead to feeling confused and unsure of what direction to take.
Writing in your journal is a way to put your thoughts somewhere for you to review and to come to later. Its a release of your thoughts so that you can make room for other things. As a result you gain the ability to compartmentalize your personal dilemmas especially if its something you don’t feel comfortable expressing to family or friends.
Therapeutic Journal For Emotional Processing
Some emotions are so big that we need time to process them. Sometimes this may simply be the way you’re wired to handle big feelings. Using journaling as an emotional processing tool is a safe and healthy way to slowly come to terms and accept your emotions around a personal crisis or success in your life.
Doing this can help you prioritize your concerns, identify when its necessary for positive self talk and track any triggers so you can learn how to control them.
Who Can Benefit from Therapeutic Journaling?
Anyone can benefit from this form of therapy. Journaling can help you show up in the world more confident and focused by giving you a clean emotional slate day to day. The act of unloading your dreams and nightmares to your journal is beneficial to anyone’s mental health and can be a safe place to vent without judgement.
You may be thrilled to know that if you want to start a journal you’d be in great company. Some of the greatest people in history used journals to reflect and process their thoughts and feelings. People such as Leonardo da Vinci, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie all famously journaled. Not only that, they openly confessed to journaling, perhaps it even contributed to their brilliance – food for thought.
When to use Therapeutic Journaling.
Anytime you want to! Writing is so convenient that you can use it anytime you are free and have a little time to yourself. Many people choose to journal first thing in the morning in order to set their intentions for the day. Others journal before bedtime in order to reflect on their day and wind down. You can choose your time based on your personal schedule and preference.
How to Journal Using Writing Prompts?
Journal Prompts are meant to guide you throughout your journaling. While you can write your thoughts and feelings without guidance, many people find it helpful to have thoughtful questions heading each page of their journal. Take a specific prompt and express your emotions around that as a way to relax and unpack your day in a safe and healthy way.
Where to buy a Therapeutic Journal?
Journals are easy to purchase. You can find them at a local store in your area. Journals can be ordinary blank books found in the stationary aisle in any food store or market. However, if you want to purchase journals with therapeutic prompts, feel free to browse amazon. I have found some beautiful journals there. Also, you can take a look at your local book store for therapeutic journal prompts.
While you can use journal prompts for many reasons, in this article I will give you five.
- Journal when you’re having a bad day
- Journal when you’re going through healing
- Journal to help fight anxiety.
- Journal when you’re exploring self discovery.
- Journal for self-care
Below are the prompts associated with the above scenarios.
Therapeutic Journal Prompts for A Bad Day.
- Describe the events of the day and express what’s upsetting you.
- What emotions are you feeling now that your day has ended, and how can you reframe then to be more constructive.
- Think back on the last time you had a difficult day, what were some positive things you did that helped you overcome that day?
- How could you have reacted in a better way to todays the challenges?
- Will it benefit you to hold on to any mistakes you feel you made today?
- Should this situation arise again in the future write down three things you can do to get through this day in a positive manner.
- Make a list of self-care ideas you can do when struggling after a long day and do at least one of them.
- What are three things you are grateful for when you struggle with negative emotions?
- What have past experiences taught you about your resiliency? And what can this experience teach you moving forward?
- Write down ten reasons you deserve to have a good evening even though you may have had a bad day.
Therapeutic Journal Prompts for Healing.
- Describe what you need healing from. And express how much happier you will feel WHEN you are healed.
- Describe the things you will do when you are healthy.
- List healthy habits you can implement to change your physical, emotional or mental health around.
- Make a list of things that make you laugh from your belly. Commit to doing at least one of these things three times a week.
- Write down three reasons you are grateful for perfect health, do this even if you are sick.
- Express why you deserve to be healthy and believe them.
- Write a letter of encouragement to your mind.
- Write a letter of encouragement to your body.
- When do you feel most alive and free?
- Where do you want to be on your healing journey in 1 month? 1 year?
Therapeutic Journal Prompts for Anxiety
- What are the emotions that you are feeling in this moment and list a reason if any that is making you feeling this way.
- Is your anxiety trying to tell you something? What is it?
- What does your anxiety feel like to you?
- What are some self-care ideas for when I’m feeling overwhelmed?
- How has anxiety controlled your life recently, what can you do to prevent this.
- When you have felt anxious, where you in any actual danger?
- List 5 reasons its okay for your body to relax
- list 5 reasons why you are safe in this moment
- List down your anxiety triggers.
Therapeutic Journal Prompts for Self -Discovery.
- When was the last time you did something you loved and why?
- List all the great things you would like to accomplish?
- What makes you feel confident?
- What makes you feel attractive?
- What makes you feel in control?
- What are things you genuinely enjoy?
- What makes you feel calm?
- Does your work drain or overwhelm you? Why? Is this something you can change?
- What do you fear most? Have your fears changed throughout life?
- What are three things that can instantly disrupt a good mood and bring you down? What strategies do you use to counter these effects?
Therapeutic Journal Prompts for Self-Care.
- Make a list of physical self-care activities that you do to take care of your body (walking, stretching, yoga, cardio, etc.).
- Write down the ways you would like to show up for yourself this week.
- Write down your goals for the week, month or year.
- List 10 affirmations for peace, calm, and tranquility.
- When do you feel most at ease?
- List 5 opportunities to treat yourself with compassion.
- In what ways are you prioritizing the needs of others ahead of my own.
- List boundaries that you would like to implement in your life
- List ten healthy food items you enjoy.
- List three uplifting podcasts you like and commit to listening to it often.
FAQ’s
Who Started Therapeutic Journaling?
While history recognizes that people journaled for thousands of years. Journal therapy originated in the 1960s with psychologist Dr. Ira Progoff’s Intensive Journal method. With his developments, the therapeutic potential of journal writing became publicaly recognized.
What Are Limitations in Journaling?
-Writing that focuses on negativity can make matters worse.
-An unhealthy attachment to the journal may form for those with addictive personalities.
– If you express sensitive information in your journal, keep in mind it may fall into the wrong hands and your private thoughts may be exposed.
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What if Journaling Doesn’t Work For Me?
Therapeutic journaling is most helpful with the assistance of a mental health professional. Remember self directed journaling is not a substitute for a tailored treatment by a doctor. If you feel you need more help or you feel you may harm yourself or others please see a licensed professional to guide you with the appropriate mental health plan for you.
Takeaway
With being intentional with your therapeutic journaling, you can quickly find areas in your life where you can improve. Many people also express that journaling can help in manifesting their dream life. To do this, simply write out what you want to accomplish and work toward these goals daily. I’ll be sure to write a post later on explaining more on the power of using manifestation through journaling.
This blog only listed a few journal prompts, but feel free to use the prompts in this post to make your journaling even more simple and straightforward. And remember you can journal with or without guidance as long as your getting your thoughts and emotions out in a healthy way.
About the Author
De’Shante’ Grant – Parris
De ’Shante’ is a Lifestyle and Wellness blogger with a degree in Psychology. De’Shante’s love for living a life in balance was heightened through her experiences watching people in her life lose themselves to the rat race of life. De ‘Shante believes unbearable stress and neglect can lead to many preventable illnesses. She is an advocate for a life of wellness and self-care as top priority in our human experience.
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