164 Free Mental Health Journaling Prompts

Mental Health Journaling Prompts

If there is any advice I could give my younger self it would be to journal more! Journaling is the best way and most powerful tool to organize your thoughts and emotions in a way that can help you understand yourself, your people and your world. If you want to skip all the benefits of mental health journaling, tips and tricks, then scroll to the bottom and you will find 164 mental health journaling prompts to use in your daily life.

Mental Health Benefits of Journaling

Mental health professionals all agree that starting a journaling journey is a great way to achieve personal growth. Journal prompts promote personal development because it practices deep self-reflection. Self reflection helps us to understand our thoughts feelings and actions in a way that will inform us of what we need, desire and areas of much needed personal growth. One of my favorite Proverbs indicates that only one with insight can navigate the deep waters of our heart. Writing is a good thing because it helps us process, learn and grow. All of which has a positive impact on our lives and relationships.

Journal Writing Action Plan

There are so many different ways to begin a daily routine of journaling practice. Think of mental health journaling prompts as a healthy way to create safe space to write your thoughts and feelings down. Additionally, consider it a time of self care. If you are anything like me, it’s easy to get caught up in the details and then wonder if your doing it right. Therefore, I want to give you some tips on best practices.

First thing, research has been based on the practice of 20 minute journaling sessions. However, I imagine that you don’t have to take that much time to enjoy some benefits. Also, it is recommended that you have a set time to engage in regular journal practice such as a morning routine. Again, if you are like me, I like to grab a new journal, a hot cup of coffee and journal short sentences here and there as time allows. Sometimes I pick up with where I left off last time or I start on a blank page with new thoughts. I recommend you just start- don’t feel pressured or overwhelmed to follow a schedule, create a routine or force a time limit. Just start!

Journal Entry Topics

The mental health journaling topics are endless! There are so many writing prompts in this blog post that cover all kinds of things from difficult emotions, anxious thoughts or feelings of anxiety. Consequently, when you are going through a difficult situation or having a hard time, writing it down can help you process your negative emotions. Maybe there is a deep wound left by someone who was supposed to love you well, but was unable. In that case, perhaps a letter of forgiveness would be appropriate.

Additionally, you can journal about positive experiences. Our propensity is to focus on the negative things, but we have the choice to retrain our brain to focus on the positive things. Below you will find mental health jounaling prompts that focus on gratitude and positive self talk. Both of those writing prompts help shift to the good things God is doing in our lives. However, if we miss those blessings, we will miss the joy and peace we can grab hold of regardless of our circumstances.

164 Mental Health Journaling Prompts

Below is a list of 164 mental health journaling prompts! These lists can be an effective tool to have handy when you unwrap that new journal and begin making journal entries. Don’t forget to sign up to get a downloadable PDF of each list to keep inside your journal when you need a starting point.

Gratitude Journaling Prompts

1. Where did you see God moving in your day?
2. Name a highlight in your day.
3. What made you smile today?
4. Who are you most grateful for and why?
5. Why are you grateful for your home?
6. What made you laugh today?
7. What are you learning about yourself?
8. What are you learning about God?
9. Recall a time you received encouragement.
10. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?
11. What prayers have you received an answer to recently.
12. What do you love about your spouse? Why?
13. What do you love about your children? Why?
14. What do you love about your parents? Why?
15. What friend are you thankful for and why?
16. What luxury are you thankful for?
17. Name a favorite childhood memory.
18. Name your favorite song and why?
19. Where is your favorite place and why?
20. What is your favorite food?
21. What is your favorite God-given strength you are thankful for?
22. What is your favorite season and why?
23. What attribute of God is most significant to you?
24. What is your favorite creation?
25. What is your favorite promise of God?
26. What is your favorite Bible story and why?
27. When have you experienced God’s comfort?
28. When have you experienced God’s presence?
29. What book most impacted you and why?
30. Name a time you felt the peace of God.
31. Reflect on God’s forgiveness in your life.

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50 Self Awareness Journaling Prompts

1. How do I deal with disappointment in relationships?
2. When do I pray the most/least?
3. How do I connect with God?
4. How well do I take responsibility?
5. What makes me feel defensive?
6. How/when do I compare myself to others?
7. What gets in the way of time with God?
8. What is God teaching me lately?
9. What area do I desire to grow in my life?
10. How would my friends describe me?
11. How do I want to be described?
12. What has been my greatest disappointment?
13. When is it hard to say no?
14. When do I tend to engage in pleasing people?
15. When do I make assumptions about others’ thoughts/feelings?
16. How do I react to others’ defensiveness?
17. When do I tend to hide from God?
18. When do I tend to hide from others?
19. How do I overcome fear?
20. How do I respond to storms in life?
21. How do I resolve conflict?
22. What do I avoid?
23. When am I most angry?
24. What do I attach my value/self worth to?
25. How easily do I forgive others?
26.  How do I deal with rejection?
27. How do I respond when someone is judgemental?
28. How do I respond to difficult relationships/people?
29. How do I respond when my plans are interrupted?
30. What is my attitude when hard things come my way?
31. What is my response/reaction when I am offended?
32. How do I handle a lack of appreciation from others?
33. How do I handle a lack of control?
34. How do I react/feel when I make a mistake?
35. How do I react when things don’t go my way?
36. How do I spend my time?
37. What do I need more of in my life?
38. What kind of things do I say to myself?
39. What do I need to do less of?
40. How do I manage stress?
41. How do I react to change?
42. What gets in the way of achieving my goals?
43. What’s missing from my life?
44. What expectations have I placed on myself?
45. Are my expectations of self/others reasonable?
46. What do I fear/worry/stress about?
47. How do I set boundaries?
48. How do I deal with overwhelm?
49. When do I tend to procrastinate?
50. How do I prioritize my time?

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52 Spiritual Journal Prompts

1. What do you want Jesus to do for you?
2. What area of your life would you like to grow?
3. Who in the Bible would you want to be like?
4. What fears do you need to give to God?
5. What would you like God to refine in you?
6. If you could ask Jesus anything, what would it be?
7. What are you thankful for?
8. What book of the Bible would you like to study?
9. What truth from Scripture do you wish you knew 10 years ago?
10. What do you want to praise God for right now?
11. When do you feel most loved by God?
12. How is God calling you to love your neighbor?
13. What area of you life do you need to ask God’s help with?
14. What would you like God to heal in your relationships?
15. What do you need to surrender to God?
16. What area of serving brings you joy?
17. What is God calling you to prioritize?
18. How do you engage in Sabbath rest?
19. Who has God brought into your life to strengthen you?
20. What do you look forward to in eternity?
21. Describe your identity in Christ.
22. What holds you back from sharing the gospel?
23. What wisdom has God recently given you?
24. What character traits would you like God to refine?
25. What do you need to surrender to God from the past?
26. What motivates your behavior?
27. How can you model grace to someone?
28. How do you bring God into your job/career?
29. Where is God calling you to serve?
30. What do you need to confess to God?
31. How do you depend on God for peace?
32. Who is God calling you to forgive?
33. With whom is God calling you to share the gospel?
34. How have you seen God’s activity this week?
35. How is God involved in your decision making?
36. What gets in the way of your quiet time with God?
37. When do you tend to avoid praying?
38. How is God involved in your life?
39. What is the hardest thing for you to obey in the Bible?
40. When do you most feel God’s presence?
41. How did you see God working today?
42. Who would you like to introduce to Jesus?
43. What area of your life do you tend to hide from God?
44. What are some of your spiritual gifts?
45. How do you depend on God?
46. What attribute of God causes you to praise Him?
47. What is your favorite verse?
48. What is your favorite promise?
49. What do you sense God is teaching you right now?
50. What are you praying for lately?
51. How is God speaking to you?
52. What gets in the way of quiet time with God?

50 Questions for Spiritual Growth

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31 Positive Self Talk Journaling Prompts

1. What did you do well today?
2. Name a compliment you recently received?
3. How were you helpful this week?
4. What is one of your strengths?
5. How were you a good friend recently?
6. What do you love to do?
7. What do you value?
8. What made you smile today?
9. Name a goal (big or small) you recently accomplished.
10. What goal would you like to set for yourself?
11. What advice would you give to someone younger?
12. What would a perfect day look like?
13. What are you grateful your body can do and why?
14. What is one of your favorite personality trait?
15. When have you been brave recently?
16. Name something hard you have done?
17. What makes you unique?
18. When do you feel like you can most be yourself?
19. What is one new thing you would do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?
20. Name something hard you have accomplished.
21. How can you be kinder to yourself?
22. Name a fear you have overcome?
23. When is the last time you laughed really hard?
24. Give yourself a compliment.
25. List a few things that makes your story unique?
26. When are you happiest?
27. How have you underestimated yourself?
28. When are you at most peace?
29. How do you make those around you feel loved, seen and heard?
30. I feel most excited when I’m learning about what?
31. What can you learn from a recent set back?

This list is an excerpt from the worksheet bundle, “Growing Your Confidence in Christ”. Learn more here.

Wrapping up 165 Mental Health Journal Prompts

I am so excited for you to have these resources as we embark on a journaling journey to take care of our mental health. It is a simple way to begin regular journaling practice in our day-to-day life. Download the prompts so you have a great tool to begin deep self reflection making you an expert on you!