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Journaling For Mental Health: 45 Prompts You Need

Journaling For Mental Health: 45 Prompts You Need

 

There’s something about writing.  When you write your thoughts down with pen and paper, you have to slow your mind down to think about what to write.

Journaling for your mental health is one of many ways to work through common symptoms of depression, anxiety, baby blues, and more!

It’s ok to take some mental health time for yourself and use journal prompts or questions to help you generate thoughts and look deeper within yourself to get to the root of your mental health symptoms.

But thinking of questions to get the creative process going for journaling is difficult!

Thankfully, I’ve created 45 questions to help you dig deeper into the issues with mental health you would like to work through by journaling your thoughts!

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to bu*y something is completely up to you.

Journaling And Mental Health

We as human beings tend to stuff down our feelings and repress them so we can continue on with daily life.

Many times we continue to ignore the emotional pain inside because it’s uncomfortable to think about.

But repression only works for so long.

There’s a saying (and a book) that states “the body keeps the score.” 

When referring to the score, it’s referring to emotional trauma we’ve suffered and the urge to constantly repress it.

Over time, those repressed feelings will only build till were left with more serious health signs and symptoms manifesting into depression, anxiety, and more mental health issues.

In other words, you can only repress emotional hurt and trauma for so long! 

Journaling is a healthy way to positively affect your mental health and decrease the amount of past trauma you may be repressing.

While further research needs to be conducted for the affects and benefits of journaling and mental health, one research study found promising results.

The Pennsylvania State University conducted a study for 12-weeks to examine the affects of positive affect journaling (PAJ) on 70 individuals with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The research study found after 12-weeks the participants reported “decreased mental distress and increased well-being” from journaling daily.

The study recommended that individuals with mental health conditions should integrate journaling into their daily self-care routine.

So what are you waiting for?  Let’s start working through mental health issues by journaling with these 45 thought-provoking questions/prompts to get you started!

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Journaling And Mental Health Prompts

How is my mental health doing right now?

Has my mental health better or worse since the start of the year?

What am I doing currently to improve my mental health?

What is my mental health severity on a scale of 1 to 10?  (One being no symptoms, 10 having the most symptoms).

What instances of childhood trauma have impacted my current mental health?

What mental health symptoms do I struggle with the most?

How old was I when I realized I had mental health issues?

How has my mental health changed throughout the years?

What types of medical treatments have I tried that positively affected my mental health?

Would therapy or counseling benefit my current mental health situation?

What natural remedies could I try to lower symptoms? (May have to research natural remedies associated with your condition).

What lifestyle changes have I incorporated to help my mental state?

What are some daily habits or routines that could make me happier?

Describe your mental health morning routine.

Describe your mental health nighttime routine.

What are some things you wish people understood about those struggling with their mental health?

Name one thing you would like your loved ones to know on how to help you when you’re struggling with your mental health.

 

What is the biggest misconception about mental health you think there is?

How does stressful situations impact my mental health?

How has stress impacted my life overall?

What are some stress-relieving methods you have not tried yet?

What is your experience with anxiety?

Does anxiety interfere with my daily life?  How so?

What do I do daily to decrease my anxiety?

Make a list of your anxiety triggers.

Are there times where I’ve “given up” on helping my anxiety issues?

Who can I talk to about my anxiety?  Why?

Do I have depression symptoms?  Which ones affect me the most?

Have you been diagnosed with depression?

What is the severity of my depression right now? 1 being no depression and 10 being severe.

What are some things that make my depression worse?

Make a list of 5 things you’re thankful for in your life.

How am I adding journaling into my daily mental health routine?

Does writing about a specific topics help you?

Write a poem or short story describing your mental health struggle.

How am I feeling since waking up this morning?

What is something that recently brought me happiness?

What is something that’s saddened me lately?

Is there something new I have tried lately?

Who are the people I am grateful for in my life and why?

Does my mental health get worse or better when I spend time alone?

Do I reach out to people to talk about my struggles enough?  Why not?

What can I do to show myself self-love?

What can I do TODAY to stay positive throughout my day?

What are other things I am grateful for in my life and why?

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Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve just begun to journaling for mental health or have already worked journaling into your daily self-care routine, there’s always room for more questions to prompt your creativity.

Don’t worry if some of the questions are too difficult to answer right away or you find them hard to address.

It doesn’t matter when you journal, as long as you make it part of your daily routine! 

If you’re faced with a hard question you can’t answer right away.

Put your journal down and try to remember the question throughout the day to think about it more. 

Then by the evening you journal before bed.  Not every topic has to be conquered right away!

Have you tried journaling for your mental health yet?

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Friday 11th of February 2022

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