Journaling is a therapeutic exercise for many, especially in the morning. It can help you set an optimistic tone for your day and work towards your future goals. But sometimes, it can be hard to know where to begin. Even starting one entry can be overwhelming! Thankfully, a short list of journal prompts takes away the uncertainty of what to write about.
A good journal prompt helps you reflect on your current situation and figure out how to improve. It highlights highs and lows in your life to fill it with gratitude and positive change. Journal prompts for mental health, anxiety, and encouragement are all great places to start.
Here, we’ve compiled five journal prompts to start your day on the right foot.
- Daily Affirmation, Prayer, or Verse
- Write Something You're Looking Forward To
- Set 3 Goals for the Day
- Write Someone’s Name to Reach Out To or Pray For
- Write 5 Things You're Grateful For
Respond as briefly as you wish to each question each day. Doing this will give yourself the emotional upper hand no matter what comes your way. Quiet reflection in the morning fills your mind with a peace to draw from throughout the day. It shifts your perspective from stress to strength. And remember—your answers to these prompts don’t have to be long, just enough to refocus your brain and recenter your heart.
1. Daily Affirmation, Prayer, or Verse
First, begin your daily journal entry with a daily affirmation or prayer and verse. The meaning of affirmation is “the assertion that something is true.” Affirmations for confidence like “I am loved and worthy” and “I am growing at my own pace” help tune our minds to a positive self-image, boosting our sense of accomplishment. They can help combat insecurity or impostor syndrome, a feeling of insignificance compared to others.
Faith plays a part here. For example, Christians view affirmations from a spiritual perspective, rooting these affirmations in the Bible. Affirmations in Scripture—or encouraging verses—remind them of God's love and compassion. Writing a brief daily prayer can help believers speak honestly with God and hear from Him.
For this prompt, try focusing on a different word each week or month, like trust, hope, or forgiveness. Gather short quotes or verses related to these topics that bolster your mood, and write them down to remember throughout the day.
2. Write Something You're Looking Forward To
Remember how you felt as a child the night before Christmas, on your birthday, or before a vacation? There’s no need to dismiss that feeling as an adult. On the contrary, it’s important to embrace in order to have fulfillment and avoid being consumed by life’s pressures. Reminding yourself of things to look forward to motivates your brain in a fun, stress-free way. It increases hopefulness and patience, and it wards off pessimism. Even when things are hectic at work or beyond, healthy anticipation tells your mind there are still positive circumstances to find joy in and reasons to push through the chaos. As L. M. Montgomery once wrote in Anne of Green Gables, “Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them!”
For the second prompt in your daily journal entry, write down something you’re excited about for the day (or a few things, if more than one come to mind). Perhaps it’s a celebration this weekend, catching up with an old friend, or just lighting a new candle when winding down for bed at the end of the night. It could be writing a nightly journal entry, if you’re the type to add to yours twice a day! When frustrations occur throughout the afternoon, you’ll still have that good thing in the back of your mind keeping you going.
3. Set 3 Goals for the Day
Next, make sure you don’t pass the day without accomplishing something—even if that’s some intentional time set aside for rest! When we accomplish something we hoped we would, our brains release a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is essentially a reward and a feeling of happiness. This dopamine release feels just like how we feel playing with a pet, taking a walk through the park, or eating a delicious meal.
Science also backs up the benefits of writing down your goals, not just thinking about them, which is why journaling is so important! Writing them down helps you remember them throughout the day and view even small tasks as deserving of your time. Even more so, it helps you visualize your goals, a key step in accomplishing them. Visualizing your goals actually rewires your brain to prepare your mind and body to achieve them!
For this prompt, write down three goals for your day: perhaps one bigger and two smaller ones. For instance, it could be to apply for a new job you’re intimidated about, exercise for forty-five minutes, and write a friend a thank-you note. Think of this prompt as a mini goal checklist! Even checking off the smaller boxes alleviates stress and creates that feeling of happiness.
4. Write Someone’s Name to Reach Out to or Pray For
Acts of kindness are proven to increase our own happiness levels, too. They move us from dwelling on our problems to remembering other people and how they could use a helping hand.
For this part of your daily entry, write down someone’s name to think of or pray for throughout the day. Maybe it’s a close friend or someone you’ve lost touch with. You don’t have to perform a grand gesture. Just sending them a brief text message that you’re thinking of them and hope they’re doing well could be enough. Perhaps you could schedule a coffee date with an acquaintance or call your mother-in-law who could use a refreshing conversation. Try stretching yourself to think of people you haven’t in a while. And don’t be afraid to repeat people’s names throughout the month or year. Prayers or any quick point of contact can encourage them.
5. Write 5 Things You're Grateful For
To wrap up your daily journal entry, write down five (or more) things you’re grateful for. They could be things that happened yesterday or constant features of your life you don’t often think about, like running water or sturdy shoes. Gratitude is the cure for countless emotional ills—despair, selfishness, envy, and so many others. Push yourself to come up with different things every day of the year. There are endless things to be thankful for when you really think about it! Additionally, look up gratitude quotes or verses and write one down. Write down a friend, coworker or family member you can thank for their part in your life and the ways they’ve encouraged you. Then follow up and actually thank them! Stay intentionally grateful that you have the good things that you have.
Journaling is full of benefits waiting to improve the quality of your life—all you have to do is start. With these five daily journal prompts for your morning entries, we know you’ll be equipped not only to face the day ahead, but also to embark on a journey of lifelong encouragement and delight.
Of course, a Leatherpress journal will not only help your thoughts last, it will give them a beautiful home to reside in. Get yours today and start each day on a positive note—literally and figuratively!