YA Journal Prompts

JUNE 2023:
Journal prompts for when you're feeling sad

How long have you been feeling this sadness? Does it come and go in waves, or is it constant? Describe if there are any patterns of triggers and/or timing of your sad feelings.
Are you experiencing any other emotions outside of your sadness? How do they feel paired with your blues?
Write about a time when you overcame a hard emotion—it doesn’t have to be sadness. How did you get through it, and how can you apply that here?
If you took a break from your sadness, what would you want that break to look like?
What are some goals that you have for yourself now or for the future? What are some small steps you can take towards those goals even while you feel this way?
Is your sadness causing you pain? How so, and how would you describe it?
What’s one good thing that happened today? (It can be super small. Like, super small.)

MAY 2023:

What aspects of your personality do you dislike and wish weren’t part of your everyday life?
Have you ever failed to live by your own standards? How did it affect you?
What has been the toughest choice you have ever made? How did you handle it?
Choose one word to represent the best part of your character: integrity, loyalty, honesty, etc.
In what area of life are you the best or worst?
If you could ask anyone anything about themselves, whose question would you choose? What did he say?
What do you think will always remain unchanged?
Who were your role models growing up? Did you draw any inspiration from them?
What is the first thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up?
What is the most valuable lesson you've learned from someone else?

APRIL 2023:

What are the five things that I currently accept about myself?
What do I want to change most about myself? How can I first accept that part of myself and love it?
Where am I letting myself play small?
Do I allow myself to accept compliments from others?
What do I struggle to love most about myself? What can I do to begin to love that part of myself?
Where in my life do I have feelings of unworthiness for my own love?
Where am I blocking my own love from myself?

MARCH 2023:

What is the number one thing you need to forgive yourself for?
What are three ways you can be gentler with yourself when you’ve made a mistake?
How can you ground yourself in the present without fixating on the past?
What are three ways you can move forward from your past mistakes?
How can you separate yourself and your identity from your mistakes?
How have you grown and changed from a really negative past mistake?
What sort of freedom would forgiving yourself give you?
What about self forgiveness is so difficult for you?
Think of a time where you felt regret for something you said or did. How did you deal with the feeling of regret?
Did you grow up being reprimanded for your mistakes and learning that mistakes weren’t okay to make? How can you overcome this now?

FEBRUARY 2023:

What difficult thoughts or emotions come up most frequently for you?
Which emotions do you find hardest to accept (guilt, anger, disappointment, etc.)? How do you handle these emotions?
Describe a choice you regret. What did you learn from it?
What parts of daily life cause stress, frustration, or sadness? What can you do to change those experiences?
What are three things that can instantly disrupt a good mood and bring you down? What strategies do you use to counter these effects?
What are three self-defeating thoughts that show up in your self-talk? How can you reframe them to encourage yourself instead?
What go-to coping strategies help you get through moments of emotional or physical pain?
Who do you trust with your most painful and upsetting feelings? How can you connect with them when feeling low?
What do you fear most? Have your fears changed throughout life?

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