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Journaling has saved my life again and again.

That might sound like a bold statement, but I stand by it. I am a person who feels deeply—arguably, to a fault. On top of carrying the weight of my own sea of emotions, I tend to feel and grip tightly onto other people’s experiences as if they’re my own. And (as many of you already know), it’s f*cking heavy.

I never truly realized how much weight I was lugging around until I felt the lightness from turning my thoughts and emotions into something tangible. Journaling did this for me. For years now, the first thing I do in the morning is turn to pen and paper—my safe place to word-vomit and process all the messy, beautiful, traumatic, complicated, and exciting bits of life.

But for me, the most beneficial aspect of my journaling practice has been its ability to turn my inner experience into an outer experience. Suddenly, the unorganized mess of feelings and ideas within me becomes real—they become something I can physically see. And oh, baby, this is the magic.

Now, journaling is not only used for processing tough emotions (free therapy, anyone?), but it’s also an incredible place to go when we feel foggy, lost, or in need of direction. For me, it has also become a place where I can turn dreams into reality, embody gratitude, and cultivate profound self-love.

I cannot stress enough the importance of bringing our inner world into physical existence when it comes to healing ourselves, actually following through on our goals, and celebrating the badass beings that we all are.

And because I believe in the power of journaling (and I believe in the power of you!), I have created this list of 17 journaling prompts to help guide you into cultivating mental clarity, gratitude, self-acceptance, and radical self-love:

Important note: before you start writing, I highly recommend dropping into your body and heart by closing down the outer eyes and sitting with the breath for a few minutes. Once you are grounded, blink your eyes open, set a 15-minute timer, and write. This is a flow of consciousness practice, so do your best to keep your pen to the paper for the entire 15 minutes. No one is going to read it. It doesn’t have to make sense. Write everything you are thinking and let it flow. Spend 15 minutes on one prompt. You got this. 

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1. At this moment, I am most grateful for…

2. A change I want to make in my life is…

3. Something I am struggling with right now is… 

4. I would feel lighter if I let go of…

5. The emotion that is the hardest for me to express is…

6. I avoid feeling my feelings by…

7. Something I am learning about myself right now is…

8. I deserve a medal for…

9. I feel purposeful when I…

10. A past wound that feels present for me right now is…

11. A change I want to see in the world is…

12. A dream I want to manifest is…

13. Something I want to incorporate into my life more often is… 

14. An area of my life that feels messy right now is…(then, create an action plan to clear what feels messy)

15. A relationship I want to invite harmony in is…

16. To bring balance back into my life, I need…

17. My deepest longing is…

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