Journaling is one of the most therapeutic activities you can do to stay mentally healthy. Though this is not an alternative to receiving mental healthcare from a licensed mental health provider, journaling has many mental health benefits. It can give you clarity, boost your mood, and generally help you feel happier and in control of your life.

The great thing about journaling is that you do not require any special equipment. Journaling can be done using a pen and notebook. You can also use a journalling app, a notetaking app, or even just a dedicated folder on your computer. 

There are no hard and fast rules. You can journal daily or weekly. What matters is that you are consistent. You can write your thoughts in the stream-of-consciousness style which is writing down your thoughts as they come to you without editing yourself. You can also use free journaling prompts for mental health like the ones we have below. 

25 Therapeutic Journaling Prompts for Mental Health

1. Write a love letter to yourself.
2. What acts of compassion and empathy do you do for others? How can you extend that same compassion and empathy to yourself?
3. Write a letter of forgiveness to yourself.
4. Did you experience any moments of joy today?
5. What causes you stress every day? How do you deal with it?
6. What negative emotions have you experienced lately? What happened?
7. Are you happy with your life right now? If not, what can you do to change that?
8. Write five negative things you are holding onto from the past. Tearup the pages after
9. How can you take care of your well-being better?
10. List three things you are proud of accomplishing in the last week.
11. Reflect on your favorite music and how they make you feel
12. Write about the best moment of your day and why
13. Write about the worst moment of your day and why
14. What are you grateful for in your life now?
15. Write a letter of forgiveness to someone who has offended you
16. Write a letter to a person who has influenced you positively.
17. Write about a difficult experience and how you coped at the time. How would you change the way you dealt with the situation?
18. Write down a list of ‘regrets’. Either throw them away or tear them up when you are done.
19. Write about the people in your life that you love spending time with. Why do you feel comfortable with them?
20. What are 3 things that make you angry? Why?
21. Write a list of 10 things you want to remember during difficult times.
22. Are you keeping any secrets? If yes, are these secrets affecting your life or mental health? Why or why not?
23. What are 3 things you would do if you were not afraid? How can you overcome this fear?
24. What are you worried about? Why?
25. What are you frustrated about? Why?

Not sure how to start journaling? Grab a pen and notebook and try these journaling prompts for mental health.

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