Meredith Lane - 412 Journaling Exercises and Prompts for Personal Growth

1. The Why and How of Journaling

T HINK ABOUT HOW YOU would answer these questions:

What do you believe?

What do you value?

What are your interests and talents?

What hidden pains still affect you?

How can you improve your relationships?

What is the purpose of your life?

Few of us know the answers to all of these questions, but many people who keep a personal journal will tell you that their journaling practice has been a key component in their journey towards self-discovery, fulfillment, and peace. Journaling helps us to reduce stress, to solve problems, to make sense of our emotions, to clarify our thoughts, to pinpoint patterns (both healthy and unhealthy) in our lives, and get to know ourselves in a way we never thought possible. Amazingly enough, research shows that journaling can also actually improve our physical health. A University of Texas at Austin study indicates that regular journaling strengthens our immune cells, and other research shows that journaling can decrease asthma and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

One of the great things about journaling is that there arent really any rules. You can record your entries in a spiral-bound notebook, a legal pad, a beautiful, leather-bound journal, a word processor, or even a personal blog with privacy settings. You can write about your feelings, your goals, you regrets, your health, the significant events in your life. Your entries can be pages long or mere sentences long and can consist of words or images or whatever content you choose. It is important to remember, though, that in order to get maximum benefit from journaling, its important to write frequently. Daily writing is ideal. Of course, there will be some days where you can only manage to squeeze out five minutes for journaling, and thats OK. What is important is that you write regularly enough that your journal doesnt become just an emotional crutch that you rely on when you are feeling very upset or very happy.

When using the prompts or exercises contained in the following chapters of this book, try not to treat your writing as a chore or task to check off your list, but, rather, as a way to nurture and heal yourself. If you can, I would recommend spending a few minutes meditating or doing some other relaxation practice before you begin writing. This will help you move into a reflective, relaxed state of mind so that you can get maximum benefit from your journaling.

As you begin to write, be sure to record the date of your entry so that youll have an easy reference point later on. If you want, you can also add a title to the entry. Then begin, using the exercise or prompt as a starting point. And remember, this is not a grade school assignment. Dont just answer the exercise or fill in the blank and move on. Spend as much time as you need to really reflect on the prompt or exercise. Allow your mind to explore details, imagery, and feelings. As you begin writing, dont worry about grammar, spelling, or semantics. Dont feel like you have to write for a certain length of time or a certain number of words. Dont limit yourself to using the prompts or exercises in order or just once. Sometimes, the answer to a certain prompt just wont come to you. Allow yourself to move on to the next. Sometimes, youll be blessed with an idea related to a prompt you finished the week before. Its totally fine to add to that entry or to write a new entry based on that prompt. This is your journal, so do what you need to do to best take advantage of your practice.

Enjoy!

2. Journal Prompts 1 to 30

1. Describe the goals and objectives you have for your journaling practice.
2. Write about yourself as a friend, parent, child, partner, and/or co-worker, focusing only on your positive qualities.
3. Draw a timeline of your life history.
4. Write about a person you admire and describe why you admire that person.
5. Describe the scariest dream that you can remember.
6. Describe your most cherished childhood memory.
7. What does forgiveness mean to you?
8. Who was a person that you idolized when you were growing up? Why did you look up to that person? Do you still revere him or her?
9. Finish this thought: My favorite place in the whole world is ____________.
10. Describe your idea of the perfect day.
11. Write about what you look for or appreciate in a friend.
12. Write about what you look for or appreciate in a romantic partner.
13. Describe something that has happened to you recently that you consider to be unfair.
14. Describe something that has happened to you recently that you consider to be a blessing.
15. Describe how you spend your Sundays.
16. Whats your favorite season, and why?
17. How would you define real success in life? Why do you define success in that way?
18. Which five websites do you visit most often, and why?
19. Write a letter to your future self.
20. Confess something that no one knows about except yourself.
21. When was your last food craving, and what did you crave?
22. How do rainy days make you feel?
23. What are the three things for which you are most grateful today?
24. Write about how your life would be different if you felt comfortable being yourself at all times.
25. Which relationship of yours would you like to improve? Why?
26. If you were born as an animal, which animal would you choose to be?
27. Finish this thought: I plan to grow spiritually by ____________.
28. If you suddenly were unable to work at your present job for a month and had no savings, spouse, or other support system, how would you survive?
29. Describe a fictional character that youd like to meet and explain why you would like to meet that character.
30. Name a totally useless possession of yours and describe how you came to acquire it.
31. Describe something that you do just for you.