This post contains some of the best journal prompts to get to know yourself and increase self-awareness.
Why Use Journal Prompts?
Writing is a great way to release your thoughts and feelings and reduce the intensity of painful emotions.
Writing can also help you gain clarity as you reflect on your emotions and find patterns behind those emotions.
In fact, a 2018 study suggests that writing about positive experiences for just 15 minutes a day three times a week can help ease feelings of anxiety and stress.
Related: Top +100 Journal Prompts For Mental Health [+Free PDF Printable!
Journal Prompts To Get To Know Yourself
1. Describe yourself using the first 10 words that come to mind.
2. What do you appreciate most about your personality? What aspects do you find harder to accept?
3. Write down five aspects of your identity (personality, routines, interests) that have changed throughout the years.
4. Describe one significant life event that helped shape you into who you are today.
5. If you could go back and relive any moment in your life, what would it be?
6. What do you fear most about the future?
7. What excites you most about the future?
8. What is something you would love to do, but you’re not sure you can?
9. What does unconditional love mean to you? Who are some people that taught you about unconditional love?
10. What are your goals moving forward in life? How do they match up to your goals from 5 years ago?
11. Do your goals truly reflect your desires? Or do they reflect what someone else (a parent, partner, friend, etc.) wants for you?
Related: Self-Abandonment: What Is It & How To Get Back In Touch With Yourself
12. What values do you consider most important in life (honesty, altruism, loyalty, compassion, authenticity, etc.)?
13. What changes can you make to be more in line with your personal values?
14. What are your favorite hobbies? Why?
15. Describe a choice you regret. What did you learn from it?
16. What have you learned from the past?
17. How can your experiences help others?
18. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
19. What secrets are you holding onto? What harm are they causing?
20. What are some things that you like about yourself that others seem to criticize you about?
21. What inspires you now and helps you stay focused and motivated?
22. What does your dream life look like? Describe it in detail.
23. What limiting beliefs do you have that’s keeping you from reaching your dream life?
24. What does happiness mean to you?
25. What are the things that can instantly disrupt a good mood for you? What strategies do you use to counter these effects?
26. What self-defeating thoughts show up in your self-talk? How can you reframe them?
Related: How To Stop Self-Critical Thoughts Using These Top 10 Techniques
27. What ordinary things bring you the most joy?
28. How do you show yourself compassion each day?
29. How do you make time for yourself each day? How does making time for yourself feel?
30. When do you feel most in tune with yourself?
31. When do you feel most confident?
32. What’s one thing that happened last year that made you truly happy?
33. What’s one toxic thing (or person) in your life you need to let go of?
34. If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
35. If today was your last day, what would you do?
Journal Prompts To Get To Know Yourself PDF
How to Start Journaling?
- Commit to journal every day: journaling is most effective when it’s done daily. Set a few minutes every day to write, until it becomes a habit.
- Write freely: don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Let your thoughts spill out of you.
- Use prompts: this is especially helpful if you tend to get stuck.
References
- Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing | Advances in Psychiatric Treatment | Cambridge Core
- Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial
