10 Journaling Depression Prompts For Better Mental Health
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash
It’s no secret that maintaining positive mental health is a constant battle. And, trust me I would know. On a daily basis, I face the demons of dealing with and managing my feelings of depression.
In my particular case, depression seeps into my everyday life - whether that be professionally, socially or personally - I’m playing a game of never ending tug of war with my mental processes, emotions and internal monologue. And, the cyclical wheel of trying to assess, analyze and process my depression is in short, exhausting.
Yet, despite the endurance it takes to live with depression - there are silver linings, glimmers of hope that I use to help myself better identify with how I’m feeling. So, if you’re someone who is also struggling, battling and attempting to overcome depression, my hope is that these techniques can help you too.
Today, I wanted to share my method of journaling and how I write down my internal thoughts and feelings as a form of self induced therapy. Journaling is quite a craze in the current mental health landscape and many are finding solace and comfort by returning to the days of “Dear Diary.”
While you may not be sitting in your teenage bedroom, blasting pop-rock and writing about the cute boy/girl that doesn’t notice you - the dumping of emotions onto paper still holds the same value in adulthood. The only difference is that the problems you face now, make those middle school woes seem pretty insignificant.
So, if you’re ready to instill a technique that will help you work through your depression, journaling will definitely put you on the path to better mental health and control over your thoughts. Let’s go through 10 journaling depression prompts you can use to achieve better mental health.
10 Journaling Depression Prompts For Better Mental Health:
Write Down Everything You Did Today
The first journaling prompt for depression is to write down everything you did today.
Start with how you woke up: did you sleep well the night before, are you energized to start the day, dragging a bit? By assessing at the start of your day, you’ll understand how your mental state changed and altered as the hours passed. Put pen to paper and recount your entire day from start to finish.
The importance of writing down your daily movements is to help you target anything that may have caused your depression to flare up more than usual. As we know, depression is truly about management and aiming to compartmentalize your emotions, so that they don’t interfere with your life completely.
Therefore, by writing down each step of your day - you can quickly identify which actions were positive, neutral and ultimately negative, resulting in intense depressive feelings or thoughts.
Make a List of The Things In Your Life You Are Grateful For
At its core, depression is an overwhelming feeling of sadness and disinterest in one’s life. Such heavy emotional stakes can easily take space in your brain, allowing you to forget everything that makes your life worth living. So, when you suffer from depression - you need to constantly remind yourself of what you have in your life that is good, special and worthwhile.
In your journal, make an exhaustive list of the things in your life that you are grateful for. Start with the people who act as your support system. Move onto interests and hobbies that help you get out of bed and get moving. If your job brings you happiness, which I hope it does, then write down the best part of your professional life.
And, don’t forget the little things that glue everything together: watching your favorite film, reading a good book, your afternoon cup of coffee, taking a long walk, listening to a good album or waking up for sunrise.
When you list all the people, places and things that you’re grateful for, you’ll be able to better visualize your life as one that has purpose, meaning and interest.
Identify Triggers for Your Depression & Coping Mechanisms For Each
One of the tougher journal prompts for your depression is to write about your triggers and coping mechanisms. When I speak of triggers, I essentially want you to think deeply about what causes your depression to flare and feel worse. Don’t get me wrong, depression is always going to be in the back of your mind, but there are moments that feel worse than others.
Find what emotions, events or even people cause your depression to heighten. Are the feelings more intense when you’re stressed about work? Do things seem harder in the morning, afternoon or night? Is there someone in your professional or personal life that is making it difficult for you to cope and stay positive?
Once you’ve identified what triggers your depression, create a list of coping mechanisms. This is how you will deal with each situation as they come your way. For example, if your depression triggers when you’re interacting with a specific individual - it may be time to reevaluate their role in your life and how much time you spend interacting with them. Or, if your trigger is work related - think of ways to structure your day that reduce the amount of stress you feel.
While this isn’t a magical fix, writing down your triggers and ways to cope can effectively help you frame your life, so that depression flare ups happen less often.
Jot Down Goals You Want To Achieve (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly)
As I mentioned above, depression is marked by a general disinterest in one’s life. Therefore, one of the best ways to bring light back, in what seems like a dark room, is to spark excitement into your own life. You’re the only one who can show up and be eager to live your life and in order to get yourself moving in the right direction, you’ll need to jot down the goals you want to achieve.
Pick a time frame for this prompt - what are some goals you want to achieve today, this week, this month, this year? Be concrete and specific, as that will make the process more tangible and achievable. For example, today I want to write a blog post about my business. This week, I want to land 1 new client. This month, I want to attend 3 networking events. This year, I want to grow my business by 3% and make $50,000.
These goals definitely don’t have to be business or money orientated, but you understand the concept. Think deeply about what you want to achieve in your life and write them down with purpose.
Create a Manifestation Of Your Ideal Life
Now that you know what you want to achieve, this next prompt should come easy. This is where you focus on creating a manifestation of your ideal life. Whether or not you believe in concepts such as the law of attraction, writing down your ideal life into your journal will put you on the path toward building the life you ultimately want.
Subconsciously, our brains respond well to repetition. Therefore, by writing down your ideal life and reading it back to yourself every single day - you’ll quickly find that the things you put out into the universe, will come back to you in time.
Here are some examples of what you can write:
I want to own a business that allows me the freedom to work whenever I want
I want to find a partner who accepts me as I am and shares my values for life
I will own my own house and be financially stable
I will bring children into the world and teach them how to be compassionate human beings
Pretty simple, right? You can word your manifestation in any way you choose. Be broad or highly specific, it’s your life and you can envision it any way you want.
Note The Growth & Differences in Yourself Over The Last Year
For this prompt, you want to focus on the steps you have made to improve your feelings of depression over the last year. If you’re just starting off on this journey to better mental health, use whichever time period is suitable for you. This is less about quantifiable time and more about the changes you can identify and how you are continually healing.
For example, let’s say 6 months ago the stress of work caused you to spiral into a state of turmoil for days. But now, when you’re stressed about work - you’ve found a coping mechanism that allows you to readjust your perspective, keep your emotions in check and continue to effectively live your life. Maybe you’ve added a workout routine, started waking up earlier or made mental lists that help you prioritize your daily tasks.
By writing this down, you can blatantly see that the work you are putting into your progress is giving you positive, healthy results. Just think, if you’re seeing major progress in 1 year or even several months, imagine how much better you will feel in the years to come. Now that’s positive mental health.
List the Current Emotions You Are Feeling
If you need a prompt for when you’re in a heightened state of depression, this is the one I’d recommend. Essentially, when your depression is flaring, you can help ground yourself by identifying and understanding your current emotional state.
In the heat of the moment, write down every emotion you are currently feeling. Are you angry, sad, hurt, disappointed? Do you feel hopeless or apathetic?
By writing down your feelings as they are happening, you’ll be able to better assess your situations in the future and how they mirror your depressive thought processes. And, if that doesn’t do the trick, the highly therapeutic nature of writing will help you dig through your emotions - you may even realize that what you’re feeling is not as bad as it may seem. Hey, we’ve all been there - sometimes feelings just need help working themselves out.
Write Yourself a Letter To Read When You’re Having a Bad Day
If there is any prompt on this list that you’re going to try for your depression, it better be this one. A letter to yourself, the holy grail of your internal monologue put into tangible form. This is where you get to give yourself a healthy reminder, a much needed wake up call, a dose of tough love. This is the letter you write to yourself when you’re having a bad day and need someone to pull you out of the fogginess that’s clouding your perspective.
Write this letter in the tone of voice that works for you. Some people respond better to criticism and hearing things the hard way. Others seek compassion, understanding and empathy when they’re at their lowest. Only you know how to console you. So, write the letter with the voice that you need to hear when your depression is taking over.
Some examples to get you started include:
You’re going to get through this
You’re tougher than you believe
Enough is enough, we’ve worked too hard to give up now
I know how you’re feeling and I’m here for you
These phrases have a wide range of emotional capability, so pick and choose how you will craft your personal letter to pull you up from under the weight of depression.
Make a List of Your Achievements & Successes
Since we know that depression can put us in a place where we feel as if the life we have is lackluster and devoid of meaning - how do we reintroduce the positive aspects of living to our mind? Answer - by making a list of the things you’ve done right, what you have achieved and what has brought you success in your life.
No matter your age, profession or personal circumstances, everyone has achieved and found success with at least one thing. And, before you argue with me on this - remember, any success is positive - no matter if it’s small or large. In essence, it’s the feeling of accomplishment and pride that adds impact to our life.
Here are a few examples to try out:
I graduated from high school and found a job
I volunteered my time to people who need help and support
I helped my siblings by listening to their problems and making them feel loved
I landed my dream job
I was accepted into college
I lost 2 pounds this week and already have more energy
It’s been 3 days since I’ve felt feelings of depression
I turned my life around and have been sober for 6 months
As you can see, successes and achievements look different to each person. The things you accomplish in your life are some of the most important lessons you will learn. And, they will lead you on a path to feeling better about yourself and the place you hold in this world. Think less about what you have yet to do and more about the big steps you’ve already taken to becoming the person you are today.
Craft a Statement of Intent
Your statement of intent is essentially a promise you make to yourself. This will be the way you decide to move forward with your life, actively knowing that your feelings of depression will always be present. With these prompts, we’re not trying to get rid of your depression forever. In fact, that seems to be almost impossible.
But, while that may seem to lack hope - it’s in fact the opposite. Yes, you may have depressive feelings for the remainder of your life. Yet, you’ve already assessed them, learned ways to identify the triggers and constructed coping mechanisms to get you back on track to feeling better.
This statement of intent can say something like:
I’m aware and in tune with my depressive feelings, I will work hard every day to continue to battle and overcome my negative thoughts.
My depression does not control me, the goal for the rest of my life is to live a life where depression takes a back seat to my overall happiness
Depression is a state of mind that with enough work, I can aim to turn off. It won’t be easy and it may take time, but I vow to live a life that keeps me fulfilled, interested and happy.
Like every prompt on this list, your statement of intent is uniquely yours. It represents your frame of mind and how you will actively show up, put in the work and attempt to obliterate your feelings of depression.
Did you find these journaling prompts for depression helpful? Leave me a comment below if you ended up using any of these prompts to start the conversation with yourself and your mind about battling and fighting depression.
Stay positive, safe and well, rooting for you in your journey to better mental health.