Journal Prompts for Processing Emotions
What is going on inside your head right now?
What negative emotion keeps cropping up the most lately?
What has made you the happiest lately?
The last time you felt this way, what did you do?
What holds you back the most from moving on from negative emotions?
Do you have any traumas you have yet to unpack?
Which emotions are you trying to avoid right now? Why?
What is your inner critic telling you lately?
What prevents you from addressing your feelings?
Do you feel especially sensitive to negative experiences? Why or why not?
Do you tend to ruminate or dwell on negative experiences?
What can you do to accept a negative experience and move on from it?
Do you feel that your emotions are usually appropriate to situations?
What can you do to cope with something that isn’t in your control?
What is the most important thing for you to prioritize in your mental health right now?
Journal Prompts for When You Feel Lost
What do you need to accept right now?
What do you wish you could change?
What do you need to let go of?
{RELATED: Affirmations for Letting Go and Releasing Expectations}
What are you missing in your life right now?
I regret doing ____.
I regret not doing _____.
How can you accept any regrets you may face?
What is your greatest hope for yourself?
What are some of the little things that keep you going?
What is something that never fails to make your day a little brighter?
How can you gain self-acceptance toward where you’re at in life?
Write a letter to yourself about how far you’ve come in the last 1, 5, or 10 years.
Journal Prompts for Emotional Awareness
What are 3 things you can do to self-soothe your negative emotions?
I can tell I’m doing well mentally when I ______.
Life gets busy. How often do you check in on yourself and your emotions in spite of this?
What self care activities can you do when you’re overwhelmed?
What are some of the tell-tale signs you notice in yourself when you’re approaching the brink of
burnout?
What is your biggest pet peeve/something that always makes you angry?
What are some of your common triggers for anxiety/depression?
{RELATED: 50 Therapeutic Journal Prompts for Emotional Healing}
How can you boost your mood when you’re down in a slump?
What are your current stress levels looking like?
What has kept you up at night lately? Is it something recurring, or a one-time issue?
Which area of your life are you most concerned with and what is causing your fears?
Compare the best your mental health has ever been with the worst its ever been. What factors
influenced those differences?
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your overall emotional wellbeing right now?
Journal prompts to process past trauma
Do you think your trauma is holding you back from living a fulfilling life?
Are you able to honor yourself and what you’ve been through, recognizing that it does not define
you?
How can you show yourself more kindness, understanding, and compassion?
In which ways do you still have healing to do?
What is a negative core belief you hold? What evidence is there against it showing that it’s not true?
What are some ways you can express self love and be gentle to yourself through the healing
process?
What are 5 things, people, or places that make you feel safe?
How have you persevered despite the trauma you faced?
What is the number one trauma response you’re working on and what steps are you taking to work
on it?
What was your greatest fear as a child?
What was your greatest fear as a teenager?
What is/was your greatest fear as a young adult?
How would you describe your childhood?
Was your childhood home unstable? How so?
Describe your relationship with each of your parents. Has their influence impacted you in negative
ways?
Something I wish my family understood about me is ______.
What triggers my fight or flight response the most?
What support did you need growing up that you felt you didn’t receive?
Journal prompts for identifying trauma triggers
What are some of your common triggers?
How do you feel when triggered? Describe this in detail.
What can you do to better cope when something triggers you?
{RELATED: 60 Journal Prompts For Self Care When You’re Struggling}
Is there anything you grieve from your childhood?
How can you accommodate yourself in your adult life to make the effects of your trauma easier?
When do you feel most at peace?
What are you in control of in this moment?
What do you need to forgive yourself for?
Have you ever gone to therapy? What do you most need out of a therapy session?
