Thinking of using journaling as a way to heal your inner self from past trauma? You need these 100 journal prompts for healing.

First of all, well done you. You’ve taken the first step towards healing by even considering using your journal as a way to let go.

There are so many benefits of journaling for healing, the main one being the ability to ease your suffering, and create room for positive emotions in your life, whilst ridding yourself of negative ones, such as shame, guilt, anger, hurt, and fear.

It would be fantastic if we could just click our fingers and either forget our past trauma, or be immediately healed from the pain it’s caused, but it doesn’t quite work that way.

So roll your sleeves up, because becoming your true self after experiencing inner pain takes a little work, but the results are worth every moment of discomfort.

How To Use Journal Prompts For Healing

Some of these journal prompts can feel heavy at times, due to their nature. After all, you will have to root around inside yourself and pull out situations you’d rather forget, and emotions you’d rather ignore.

But that’s all part of the healing process, after all, healing isn’t linear

It’s necessary to analyze these situations and feelings in order to move forward with your life, as your happiest and most authentic self.

As these journal prompts for healing can be tough to work through, we recommend picking one or two every time you open your journal and spend some time working through your thoughts and writing down all of the thoughts that start circling in your mind. 

By writing everything down, you can release the energy that is pent up inside of you, to make room for new, positive energy in your life.

If you haven’t already, bookmark this page so that you can revisit it anytime you need an emotional outburst.

📖 Need a journal? Click here to browse journals on Amazon.

Journal Prompts For Healing

Enough talking about it, let’s dive into these 100 self-healing journal prompts and help you to release the emotional weight you’re carrying.

  1. What is the worst emotion you’ve experienced today?
  2. What are you ready to let go of?
  3. What situation from the past has been causing you inner turmoil, and why?
  4. What do you wish other people understood about you?
  5. When was the last time you felt down? Do you often feel negative emotions?
  6. Do you think your relationships impact you positively or negatively?
  7. Do you set healthy boundaries with the people around you?
  8. Do you feel in alignment with your true self?
  9. How does holding onto negative emotions impact your everyday life?
  10. Do you have a childhood memory that has impacted your adult life?
  11. Describe yourself in 5 positive words.
  12. What advice would you give a friend in the same position as you?
  13. What are 3 small things you can do today to bring you peace?
  14. What are you grateful for? Write down everything you feel gratitude towards, be it a person, an object, or simply the sun shining.
  15.  How do you feel about yourself today?
  16. What has been taking up a lot of space in your mind lately?
  17. When was the last time you went out of your comfort zone, and what was the result?
  18. Do you need to forgive someone for a past hurt, in order to heal yourself?
  19. What would you love to do, that the fear of failure stops you from doing?
  20. Write about the last time you felt uncomfortable in a situation. Who made you feel this way, and why did it bother you so much?
  21. If you had the chance to redo one situation in your past, which would you choose and why?
  22. List 5 steps you can take to make this week more positive than last week.
  23. What is your definition of failure?
  24. When do you feel the most like yourself?
  25. If you could offer your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? 
  26. What kind of person do you not want to be?
  27. Do you have any toxic relationships that you know you need to let go of?
  28. When was the last time you cried? What were you upset about?
  29. What makes you feel the most fulfilled in life?
  30. What are 3 emotions you’d like to experience more of in your life?
  31. What does happiness look like to you?
  32. Is there anyone that can help you move forward in your life?
  33. What is a personality trait you have that others have criticized?
  34. What triggers envy for you? Why do you feel jealous? 
  35. Write about someone you looked up to that let you down. 
  36. What is your biggest fear?
  37. Are you holding onto any secrets? Would letting them go release you from negative emotions?
  38. Do you have the same core values as your parents?
  39. Are you an overthinker? Write down the first 10 thoughts that pop into your head.
  40. Do you think you’ve failed yourself? If so, how?
  41. What do you think your younger self would be proud of you for?
  42. What have you done today to help you move closer to your goals?
  43. Who appears to have life figured out? In what way do they seem to have it together?
  44. Name the things that make you feel the most relaxed.
  45. Is there a past version of yourself that you’re embarrassed of? Why do you think that is?
  46. What is the biggest risk you ever took, and did it pay off? 
  47. Is there anything you long for?
  48. Do you believe there is a happy and fulfilled life in your future?
  49. Do you have a gut feeling about what you should do with your life?
  50. Do you feel content with where you are right now?
  51. Do you self-sabotage? If so, how?
  52. What values are the most important to you?
  53. Who do you have an influence on?
  54. What is one personality trait you admire in others?
  55. Who or what inspires you?
  56. When are you the most critical of yourself? 
  57. What do you do for self-care?
  58. What is holding you back from your desires?
  59. What are key moments in your past that caused you lasting trauma?
  60. What do you wish you had discovered earlier in life?
  61. What are some habits you need to break?
  62. Is there a time you ruined a great situation for yourself? How did you feel afterward?
  63. Do you have any unfinished projects? If so, why haven’t you finished them?
  64. What objects in your home do you feel attached to? Why do you feel sentimental about them?
  65. What do you daydream about?
  66. What did you want to become when you were young? How has that changed? 
  67. When was the last time you felt disrespected? Explain the situation.
  68. How do you quieten your inner critic?
  69. What is your first instinct when faced with conflict? Do you think you choose the healthiest way of dealing with the issue?
  70. Do you find it hard to trust others? Where do you think this stems from?
  71. What were you like as a child?
  72. What are your coping mechanisms?
  73. What are the first signs that your mental health is on a downward spiral?
  74. In what ways are you like your parents?
  75. In what ways do you feel better than others around you?
  76. Do you feel as though you are holding on to stress?
  77. In what ways do you feel like others exceed you?
  78. Do you feel like a burden to your loved ones?
  79. How would you respond to a friend who betrayed you?
  80. What emotions do you try and bury, rather than experience? 
  81.  How do you act when you’re angry?
  82. Which quote do you love when you’re feeling down?
  83. How can you be more compassionate towards yourself?
  84. Do you feel supported by your loved ones?
  85. Do you enjoy alone time, or do you prefer to be surrounded by others?
  86. What is the greatest obstacle in your life right now?
  87. What is your biggest regret? Knowing you cannot change the outcome, how can you let go of regret?
  88. Who feels like home to you? Describe what they do to make you feel safe and loved.
  89. What lessons have you learned in the past year?
  90. What are 5 things you do really well?
  91. In which areas of your life do you feel overwhelmed? 
  92. Write down 3 affirmations that you can refer to in times of emotional stress, to bring you back to feeling peaceful. 
  93. What is going right in your life?
  94. If you met the higher version of yourself, how would they act? How can you embody that person more in your daily life?
  95. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
  96.  Are you good at making decisions? Is there anything that could help you become better?
  97. Think of the last time you had a really great day. What made it so fantastic? How can you incorporate more of that into your life? 
  98. How could today have been better?
  99.  Do you believe that all of your struggles are a step forward?
  100. How would you be a different person today if you hadn’t experienced any of the troubles or trauma from your past?

Final Thoughts On Journal Prompts For Healing

These journal prompts for emotional healing will have you digging deep into your thoughts, memories, and feelings you might be burying.

It might feel uncomfortable to follow these journal prompts for healing, but taking the opportunity to let out everything you’ve been holding in, will help you to experience a huge emotional release that will be the first step in your healing journey.

If you are further along on your road to emotional healing, check out the following lists: