30 Journal Prompts To Help Get Us Through Tough Times

We’re sort of living a new “normal” right now, dealing with it in a lot of different ways. However, one thing that’s helping me process it all is keeping a journal.

In this post, I’ll be sharing 30 journal prompts to help you get started as well. I will also be using them in my own journal so I’m excited! But I’ve broken them up into categories to help you navigate the list a little better:

• Help Ease Anxious Feelings
• Practicing Gratitude
• Getting Inspired

But these are tough times and not everyone is at home starting up a business or inventing the next “sliced bread” right now. It’s times of worry and uncertainty for so many people around the world and we should acknowledge all the feelings and thoughts that come with that. However, we should also remember that things are always changing and what’s happening now is not an exception.

Things will change.

During such uncertain times, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious and fearful. I speak from experience. But I’ve started an evening routine for myself and added journaling to it. As a result, I’ve used that time to be with myself and process the day and my thoughts through all of this. I’ve noticed I sleep better through the night and feel more relieved in the morning. Ready for a new day. In short, it’s helping me figure out exactly what I’m thinking and how I really felt throughout the day, both physically and emotionally.

It’s also perfectly ok to not feel like doing much right now. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just be gentle with yourself as much as you can.

If you’re feeling uninspired to even write in a journal, you’re not alone. I just recently wrote about exactly that in my post 5 Things I Do When I’m Feeling Uninspired.

Journaling Has Many Benefits

Even though I’m staying home and not doing much outside my apartment (besides picking up groceries and checking the mail), plenty of things are still happening.

When something out of our control happens, the one thing we can control is how we react to it. Click To Tweet

Adding journaling to your daily routine his its benefits. For instance, when you extract your thoughts onto paper, they become more “real” now that they’re outside your head. By writing them down, you’re allowing your thoughts to be noticed.

The mind seems to be running 100 miles an hour and the simple act of writing what you’re thinking can slow it down. You can learn more about yourself and your thinking process when you acknowledge them and experience them through writing them down.

Imagine 16 years from now you stumble upon your journal and read these prompts and answers to yourself. Think of everything that will happen between right now and 16 years from now. Meanwhile, it’s important that we acknowledge our feelings and emotions, especially when a huge change in our lives occurs. It’s all about perspective and how we deal with things internally.

Journal Prompts To Get Started

So let’s get to it! To avoid going out to the store, you can safely order a cute journal or notebook online right from your couch and get to writing!

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Help Ease Anxious Feelings

1. What’s one thing I’m grateful for in my life right now?
2. What hasn’t gone the way I expected this week?
3. What control do I have to prevent those things from happening again?
4. What good things have happened this week?
5. What can I do to continue having good things happen?
6. What am I feeling physically when I’m feeling anxious?
7. What can I do to ease my physical irritations?
8. Who are the most important people in my life?
9. Who can I reach out to that I haven’t in a while?
10. Why do I think I’m feeling anxious right now?

Practicing Gratitude

1. What made me smile today?
2. If I could express my appreciation for someone in my life, who would it be and how?
3. What’s something I love about myself?
4. What are 3 things I’m grateful for today?
5. What’s one thing I can physically hold that sparks joy inside me? Why does it bring me so much joy?
6. What physical body part or characteristic am I grateful for today?
7. What’s something I have that someone else may not?
8. What’s something in my life that I’m taking for granted? Why?
9. Who in my life am I taking for granted and how could I change that?
10. What can I do to up my gratitude game?

Get Inspired

The following could pertain to work, career, health, business, relationships and/or life in general:

1. What are my goals?
2. What am I doing to make those goals happen for me?
3. What’s one thing that could add value to my life? How would it add value?
4. How do I want to feel one year from now?
5. What steps do I need to take to feel that way in a year?
6. What’s something I can work on to be more productive?
7. What do I want people to remember be by?
8. How do I feel about all the things I’ve already accomplished?
9. What kind of skill do I have that others may not?
10. How can I challenge myself?

Now It’s Your Turn To Journal

So there you have it, 30 journal prompts to help us get through these tough times. But remember, nothing is permanent and things are always changing. As soon as we become more comfortable with change, we can allow ourselves to carry on and adapt more easily. I hope these prompts can help you slow down and ease some of the frustrations and anxieties you may be experiencing.

If you’d rather print this out or save it on your phone, you can download this free printable!

Happy writing! Can’t wait to have you back here soon!

-Karina