25 morning journal prompts for an inspired day

Routines help us create positive daily habits that add to self-care. This can help with anxiety, stress and overwhelm. (which our world seems to be full of right now).  Adding a journaling practice to your morning can help start your day with clarity and purpose- streamlining your goals, to-do lists and thoughts.    Journaling is a way to get our thoughts and feelings out of our head and on to paper. A blank sheet of paper can be intimidating, so I created 25 morning journal prompts to help find a place to start.

25 morning journal prompts:

1. If today could go perfectly it would look like…

   • What are some actionable steps that could make that happen?

2. Describe what makes you feel peaceful…

   • Use all 5 senses. Are there ways to bring these to your daily life?

3. If something happens today that doesn’t go as planned, what are some things I can do to help me feel better?

   • Make a list and keep it somewhere you can reference when needed!

4. How do I want to feel today?

   • What are somethings that I can do to encourage those feelings?
     • For example if I want to feel calm I need to journal, meditate, go for a walk, take a hot bath
     • If I want to feel happy, I need to make time to talk to a friend, listen to a fun play list, get out in nature, treat myself to a cup of coffee

5. Name something you can take off your to-do list

   • Is there something that you have on your to-do list, that is not genuine to you? What is something that is always left at the end of the day and causes frustration? Maybe there is a task that you could delegate to someone else.

6. What is something you can do to help the day go smoother?

   • Take some time to brainstorm about things that are disruptive in your day, or things that you could do ahead of time. If there is a theme each day or week- try out a new tactic. It could be as easy as picking out your outfit the night before, or even on Sunday picking out your outfit for the entire week.

7. Today I get to…

   • It’s so easy to get caught up in the frustration of life. Sometimes just a quick mindset shift, can turn a frustration into an opportunity. Is your commute into work something that you dread? Find a podcast, audiobook or a fun playlist to listen to. You can turn a “I hate my drive into work” to “today I get to listen to my book on my way into work”.

8. List something you need to let go of?

   • Write it out and say out loud- I am releasing this… Do this as many times as you need to. Imagine handing this over to God or the universe. Ask for this worry to be taken away from you.

9. A challenge I am facing today is…

   • Sometimes just naming what you are stressing about is the first step in overcoming it. Once you have named it, try to think of someways to handle it. If is is something that you can’t change, how can you accept it? Is there something that you to change your perspective on it? Are there actions you can take that will make it easier?

10. One limiting belief that you have about yourself that is keeping you from reaching a goal? 

    • Are these beliefs absolutely true or are they just thoughts or feelings? How would you frame this if a friend was telling you this? Are there additional resources that would help?
      • If you want to learn to play the piano- your limiting belief may be “I am not smart enough to learn to play the piano at my age.” Is this true- NO, there are people of all ages that learn to do new things.
      • If your friend said this very thing to you, what encouraging words would you have for her? Say those to yourself.
      • Additional resources that would help- there are apps that can teach you the piano, lessons, you tube.

11. Write an affirmation for today.

    • Affirmations are a way to bring positive changes to your life, turn negative thought patterns into positive ones, and encourage an optimistic mindset. Here are some examples:
      • I will not criticize myself. I will love myself for who I am.
      • Everyone’s journey and experiences are different. I will not compare myself with anyone else.
      • I am safe, I am well, I am healthy
      • All feelings are valid, I am allowed to feel my feelings
      • My kindness makes others lives better

12. 3 great things that happened yesterday?

    • Great things do not have to be big, grand things. They can be simple. For example- getting a hug from your teenager, your partner bringing you a cup of coffee, going for a walk, etc

13. If failure was not possible, what would you do?

    • Allowing yourself to imagine what you would do in the most ideal situation, can give you insight to things that you would really love to do. Taking away that barrier can allow your imagination to take over. Then once you know what that thing is, you can apply it to reality. It’s amazing what we can make happen once we can dream it.

14. Journal about what you have learned about yourself in the last year? 

    • Have you heard that saying that we learn more from our failures then we do our successes? Take some time to think about what challenges you have had, how did you overcome these? How did you get through the hard times. We are often stronger than we believe. What are some of those things that you learned about yourself, give yourself credit for these things. Take some time to really appreciate yourself- you deserve it!

15. If you had one year left to live, what would you want to make sure you accomplished?

    • While this thought can bring some feelings of panic initially, if you really allow yourself to think about it, you can gain some clarity on what is a priority- what is truly important to you. If you are living your life where you are far from close to accomplishing or doing things that are really important to you, that can be a wake up call to switch things up.

16. What can I do in order to make my goals easier to accomplish? 

    • A lot of times we are own biggest obstacle. For example, if you have a goal to cook a meal every night for dinner for your family, but you fail to plan a meal or grocery shop, then you are setting yourself up for failure. So take that time to plan out a week of meals. Try doing an online pick up order at a grocery store for the things you need to make those dinners. Putting about 30 minutes into making a plan, can save so much daily time and frustration.

17. Steps I can do today to make myself feel healthy? 

    • The smallest changes are usually what have the biggest impact on our lives. Asking yourself this question can give you a place to brainstorm some simple changes to make. A lot of times those healthy changes will lead to another healthy change and so on. Maybe it is drinking 80 ounces of water each day, or eating an extra serving of veggies.

18. Habits that you would like to add to your day? How would they improve your life? How can you get started?

    • Just like in the previous question, these small daily changes, have the greatest impact. What if you got up 15 minutes earlier to have some quiet time before everyone woke up. Started taking a walk after dinner every night. Read a book instead of jumping on social media. The possibilities are endless. Take some time to think about what would be most beneficial to you.

19. Make a travel bucket list. Describe where you would go, what you would see and what you would experience.

    • Maybe traveling isn’t an option for you right now, but planning the “perfect” trip can be fun and exciting. And then when the opportunity arrises, you are ready with the plan. You could also plan an option of what a fun stay-cation would look like. Even a weekend getaway to a close by town.

20. How can you could spend more time with your friends, family, children and spouse/partner in the upcoming month. 

    • Time goes by fast, and life can surely get in the way of things we would like to do. Just write down some ways to spend time with the people in your life. Once you have them written down, find out where it could fit in your schedule. Make some room for the people that are the most important to you!

21. Where would you like to be in 5 years? What would you like to have accomplished? Where would you like to be living? 

    • Sometimes it is hard to think that far into the future, but 5 years goes by fast. Just allow yourself to dream a bit. What are the things that you really want to do. Are you living somewhere else in this dream. Write it all out- where is it, what does it look like? Are you in a different job? Is your relationship with your family or friends different. Allowing yourself some space to write out this “plan”, may surprise you. It might allow you to start getting some wheels in motion of some next steps.

22. When are you your truest self? Are there certain people in your life that you can be completely you without any fear?

    • Being able to be yourself is not only good for your soul, it is also good for your physical and mental health. If you are finding that you need to be someone else when you are around certain people, take some time to ask yourself why? What is holding you back from being exactly who you are?

23. Pretend you are given $1,000 and have to spend it on yourself only, what would you buy?

    • Especially for the moms, I think we are so used to grocery shopping, buying things for our kids or our homes, that we forget to treat ourselves. So what would you do with $1,000?

24. Write a letter to your teenage or childhood self, what do you want her to know, stop worrying about, or be aware of? Were there things that you really needed to hear, that you didn’t. Say them to her now…

    • This can be a really special and surprisingly emotional experience. Thinking back to that teenage girl and the things that she had to go through that were really hard. Be that person who is kind to her, what did she need to hear?

25. What is something that you need to make peace with? 

    • Is there a situation or a person that you feel regretful or resentful about? Writing it all out, including what you are frustrated about, why it is causing you stress, can help start the process of letting go. Allowing yourself to freely write about it can be healing in itself.

Do you already have a journaling practice? If you are new to it or just would like a refresher with journaling check out my post- “How to start journaling“. Routines are the things that we do on daily, on a regular basis.