Journaling Prompts
Finding Your Ground
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Name three things you can see, touch, or hear right now that remind you that you are safe in this moment.
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What is one small thing that happened today that was okay, even if everything else felt hard?
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If your body could talk, what would it say it needs most right now?
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What does "home" feel like to you, even if it is not a place?
Processing Feelings
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What emotion has been following you around lately? If it had a color and a shape, what would it look like?
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Write about something that hurt you without blaming yourself for it. What really happened?
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Is there something you have been carrying that was never yours to carry? What would it feel like to put it down?
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What do you wish someone would ask you about how you are really doing?
Your Inner Strength
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Write down five words that describe who you are.
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What is something about you that people might not notice, but that you know is true?
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Think of one hard thing you have already survived. How did you get through it? What does that say about you?
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What is something you do, even a small thing, that you are actually good at?
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Who in your life, past or present, believed in you? What did they see?
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Write a letter to a younger version of yourself. What do you want them to know?
Finding Purpose
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What makes you feel most like yourself, even if just for a moment?
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If nothing in your life could hold you back, what would you want to do or be?
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What kind of person do you want to become? What is one tiny thing you could do this week that moves in that direction?
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What would you tell a friend who is going through exactly what you are going through?
When Your Mind Won't Quiet Down
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
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Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste. It pulls your mind out of the spiral and back into right now.
Box Breathing
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Breathe in for 4 counts. Hold for 4. Breathe out for 4. Hold for 4. Repeat four times. This tells your nervous system you are safe.
Cold Water Reset
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Run cold water over your wrists or splash your face. It interrupts the stress response almost instantly.
The Body Scan
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Close your eyes. Start at the top of your head and slowly move your attention down to your toes. Notice where you feel tight, heavy, or numb. You do not have to fix it. Just notice.
Shake It Out
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Stand up and shake your hands, arms, and body for 30 seconds. Animals do this after stress to release it. So can you.
One Thing at a Time
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Pick one small task. Wash one dish. Make your bed. Listen to a whole song. Finishing one small thing reminds your brain that you have control over something.
Speak It Into Existence
Okay, we know. Reading words out loud to yourself in the mirror sounds a little silly. Do it anyway. Sometimes you speak truth into the universe, sometimes you fake it until you make it, and sometimes you just need a good laugh at yourself. Either way, you win.
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I am worthy of good things, not because of what I do, but because of who I am.
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I do not have to earn rest, love, or care.
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I have survived every hard day so far. I will survive this one too.
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I am not what happened to me.
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I am not where I was born.
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I am not the things I have or don't have.
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My starting point is not my ending point.
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I am allowed to want more and to go get it.
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I do not need to have everything figured out right now.
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I carry light that no circumstance can take from me.
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I was made with purpose, and that purpose is still unfolding.
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There is something only I can bring into the world, and that is my superpower.
