52 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts

Journaling is a great way to focus on your goals for your dream life, your authentic self, and how you see your past self and future. And these self-reflection journal prompts are a great way to get started.

Expressive writing is a wonderful way to embark on your self discovery journey. From your earliest childhood memory to how you define success for your future, you can gain clarity on all aspects of your life. You can use your journal to reflect on a recent challenge or big decisions that you might need to make, you can use it as a gratitude practice, or you can dive deeper into who you are and what your feelings truly are.

We've put together 52 self discovery journaling exercises to get you started!

Month 1 Journal Prompts

1. What relationship that you've built with someone in your life are you proud of?

2. What is your favorite holiday tradition and why? It can be from any holiday.

3. What is a decision you made that changed your life, and how did it?

4. Take some time writing about a mistake you've made in your life. If you could change one thing, what would it be?

Month 2 Journal Prompts

5. What is the creative project that you've done that you are the most proud of?

6. What did you want to do with your life when you were growing up? How did your ideas evolve over time into what you do now?

7. How have you and your life changed over the past year?

8. What do you use to distract yourself when you are experiencing stress and need to feel calm?

Month 3 Journaling Prompts

9. What media from your childhood (book, movie, television show, etc.) had the biggest impact on you?

10. What is your favorite creative outlet? What is your go-to creative outlet?

11. What are your strengths when it comes to interpersonal relationships? What could you improve on?

12. What are some questions you have about the future?

13. Reflect on five things that make you happy.

Month 4 Journal Prompts

14. Describe a time (or times) when you really felt like you. Where were you? What were you doing? What was it like to be comfortable in your own skin?

15. Think of a recent accomplishment that you are proud of. What did it take to get it done?

16. What life advice would you give yourself, if you weren't afraid?

17. Describe an experience you've had that you're thankful for now, but didn't enjoy at the time.

Month 5 Writing Prompts

18. What is your self-talk first thing in the morning, as you are waking up? How does it affect your mental health and emotional health for the rest of the day? How do you show self love?

19. Free write about how you started one of your habits.

20. What is a food that people might be surprised to find out you like? What about it do you like?

21. How have you experienced spiritual growth over your life?

Month 6 Journaling Prompts

22. If you had the time and resources to learn a lot about something new, what would it be?

23. Do some expressive writing about a time you chose your principles.

24. Describe a time you had a delightful surprise.

25. If you could change one thing about your body or physical health, what would it be?

26. Think about how you spend your time on an average day. How does your time allocation support what you value?

Month 7 Journal Prompts

27. Would you rather be a respected leader or able to make anyone laugh? Would you rather feel powerful or regular joy?

28. What are some questions you have about your past?

29. Reflect on what are you willing to work the hardest for and overcome challenges for.

30. What is the best vacation you've ever taken? What made it the best? What do you remember about it that brings you joy?

Month 8 Writing Prompts

31. What are three things you tend to worry about? Are there any patterns in the stressful events or other things you stress about?

32. How have you grown over the course of your career? What would you tell yourself at your first job, if you had a time machine? (Your first real job, not child job!)

33. What animal is most like you? How is it? What of its traits do you wish you had?

34. What patterns do you notice in your relationships (romantic or otherwise) with other people? How do you set boundaries when you need to?

Month 9 Journal Prompts

35. What are your favorite books to read? Why do they bring you happiness?

36. If you had an extra day in the week, what would you spend it on? What if it were an extra six hours?

37. What are your creative goals for the next few months (writing or otherwise!)?

38. Tell the story of a dream you've had that has been memorable for you. What about it did you connect with?

39. What is your evening routine? How does it support your daily life?

Month 10 Journal Prompts

40. What is an upcoming milestone you will be reaching? How do you hope to celebrate or observe it?

41. Describe something that routinely contributes to your success or brings you new opportunities.

42. How do you spend time in nature? Whether you're a beach person, a hiker, or you glance out the window from time to time, how do you find inspiration and peace in the natural world?

43. What song best represents you? Or, what song would you like people to associate with you? What is your theme song?

Month 11 Journal Prompts

44. What is something you're not always honest with yourself about?

45. Think of a difficult decision that you made recently. Describe how you made it.

46. What are your current personal finance goals? How do they support your life and who you want to be as a person? How will you achieve them?

47. How does your current career support your values? How are you making a difference in the world?

Month 12 Journaling Prompts

48. Try writing about your appearance. Stay focused on what you love and admire in this moment. For now, skip the aspects that give you anxiety.

49. Write about a relationship you've seen other people in your life have that you admire.

50. How do you calm down, when you need to calm yourself on a bad day or when experiencing stress?

51. What are you grateful that you have learned?

52. What is something right outside your comfort zone or boundaries that you would like to experience? How do you expect it will go?

How to Start Your Self Reflection Journal

Fortunately, you don't need much in terms of materials. You need something to write with and something to write on (and of course these prompts for self reflection), and at journaling's most basic, that's it. Choose a journal that you like, because if it makes you happy, it will be easier to pick it up.

If at all possible, try to hold your journal in person before you buy it. Here are some things to consider.

• Determine if the journal will lay flat. That is, can you open it to start writing and have it stay open? This will go a long way toward a more pleasant experience for you.

• Is the journal's binding sturdy? Try to get a sense of whether the cover is going to get detached from the block of pages as you write.

• Careful with spiral bindings, too. They lay flat really well, but sometimes they're too loose and pages start to fall out. Look for a sturdy one or steer clear.

• Think about whether your journal's size suits you. If you're going to leave it on your desk and write there, maybe you want a bigger trim size. If you're going to take it to the coffee shop, does it fit in your purse?

• Consider the paper texture. If it's too glossy, that limits your pen options. A standard ballpoint will probably work, but if you want to use pencil or other type of pen, it might not make a mark or it might smear easily.

• A ribbon marker is a nice touch on a journal.

• If this is going to be a portable journal, an elastic closure keeps it from splaying open inside your bag. Other clasps can be bulkier, so make sure the journal still lays open comfortably if you look at those.

• Consider a digital journal. What digital journals lack in book-nerd cache, they make up for in portability and convenience. They're especially handy if you're journaling about ideas you might want to use later—don't underestimate a good search feature. You also have plenty of free and very inexpensive options, from Google docs to specialized apps like Penzu.

Tips for Establishing a Journaling Habit

Establishing a habit can take time, and that amount of time varies. So while you are starting out on your self reflection journey, it's worth it to focus on intentionally creating space and time for your new practice and exploring some journaling ideas that you might like to incorporate.

Make a journaling spot. Think about what will invite you in. Create an irresistibly comfortable place to write. Stock it with your favorite pens and journal. Will you drink tea (or coffee or water) while you write? How else can journaling itself be self care for you? While you're at it, practice self awareness and remove any obstacles that will keep you from journaling.

Set an alarm. Pick a time of day to write and set up a recurring calendar appointment to remind you. Intentionally make space to write at that exact time for the next few weeks, until you're comfortable enough with the habit to vary it.

Set a timer. If it feels overwhelming to sit down and write for an indeterminate amount of time, try setting a timer for 10 minutes and telling yourself to write that long. Too long? Try writing 5 minutes. Still too long? Try just taking a moment and writing one line a day.

Try a habit tracker! Add journaling to your favorite habit tracker, be it standalone or in your planner. There's nothing as satisfying as filling in another habit tracker box! You'll be on your way to supporting the important self-care habit you want to establish. (We have a few downloadable habit trackers if you need one!)

Please feel free to try and discard—or try and keep—any of these journaling ideas. Personalize your practice and create something that works for you long term. Happy journaling!

What Next?

Finished with these self-reflection journal prompts but want to keep going? We've got plenty of journal prompts for adults for all areas of your life.