Self-reflection journal prompts: 40 questions to get to know yourself

Prompts about how you feel

1. What emotion have I felt most often this week?
2. What feeling have I been avoiding lately?
3. When did I last feel truly calm? What was different then?
4. What am I carrying that I haven't told anyone?
5. What usually happens right before my mood drops?
6. What am I looking forward to, even a little?
7. What would I say to a friend who felt the way I feel now?
8. Which feeling is hardest for me to admit to myself?

Name the feeling first with the feelings wheel →

Prompts about what matters to you

1. What are three things I value most — and does my week reflect them?
2. When did I last feel proud of how I acted, not just what I achieved?
3. What would I keep doing even if nobody noticed?
4. What do I say yes to that I'd rather say no to?
5. Whose opinion matters to me more than it should?
6. What does a good day look like for me — specifically?
7. What did I want five years ago that I no longer want?
8. What am I putting up with that goes against what I believe?

Prompts about your patterns

1. What situation keeps repeating in my life?
2. How do I usually react when I'm criticized?
3. What do I do when I'm stressed — and does it help?
4. What story do I tell myself when things go wrong?
5. Which relationships leave me with more energy, and which with less?
6. What do I keep putting off, and what is it protecting me from?
7. When do I feel most like myself?
8. What habit would I like to break, and what does it give me right now?

Prompts about where you're going

1. If nothing changed in a year, how would I feel?
2. What's one thing I'd try if I weren't afraid of getting it wrong?
3. What does "enough" look like for me?
4. What do I want more of in my life? What do I want less of?
5. What small step could I take this week toward something that matters?
6. Who do I want to become — and what would that person do today?
7. What am I ready to let go of?
8. What would I like to remember about this time in my life?

Prompts for the end of the day

1. What took most of my energy today?
2. What was one good moment, however small?
3. What did I learn about myself today?
4. What would I do differently if I had today again?
5. What am I grateful for right now?
6. What's still on my mind as the day ends?
7. What do I need for tomorrow to go a little better?
8. What can I let go of before I sleep?

How to get more out of journal prompts

Write by hand or type — whatever you'll actually do. Answer honestly rather than nicely; nobody else will read it.

Come back to the same prompt a month later. The difference between the two answers often says more than either one.

More prompts: journal prompts for mental health →