When we think about mindfulness, we often think about meditation. But daily journaling prompts geared toward mindfulness are an incredible way to help us get grounded and stay present.
The great thing about mindfulness writing prompts is that they allow us to explore our emotions and thoughts in a way that meditation doesn't. When we're meditating, the goal is to observe our thoughts, negative or positive, and let them slowly drift away, ultimately clearing our minds of any thoughts at all.
While mindfulness prompts do help you observe your thoughts, they also give you the time and space to really dive into those thoughts, understand why they're patterns, and hopefully make a change. In other words, the journaling prompts below are yet another way to practice mindfulness — and you can think of them as the perfect complement to meditation.
40 Journaling Prompts for Mindfulness
1. When you worry, what do you tend to worry about most?
2. Think about the last time you had a mental spiral. What caused it, and how did you get out of it?
3. When do you feel most alive?
4. What made you smile today?
5. When you can't sleep at night, what are you thinking about?
6. What activities tend to anchor you in the present moment?
7. Life 5 things you're grateful for.
8. Close your eyes for three minutes and count your breaths. What thoughts came up while you did this?
9. Name an activity that makes you feel really, truly happy.
10. What were you worried about this time last year? Are you still worried about that now?
11. Write a letter to your younger self. What advice would you give him or her?
12. What does your best friend or partner feel anxious about? Is it the same things you feel anxious about?
13. If you moved to a new place — it can be anywhere in the world — do you think you would still experience anxiety? Why or why not?
14. Write through what would happen if the thing you worry about most often actually came true.
15. What's your biggest pet peeve?
16. How do you feel when you sit quietly for five or ten minutes?
17. What thoughts do you have that you think serve the least amount of purpose in your life?
18. Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful, calm place. Where is that place?
19. If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would you change?
20. What practices do you think benefit your overall wellbeing most?
21. Think about your life. How do you feel things are going, overall?
22. What does your current morning routine look like? How could you change it?
23. What's one practice, place, or person that helps reduce stress in your life?
24. Write about something you're looking forward to.
25. What does personal growth mean to you?
26. Where do you hope to be 10 years from now?
27. What goals do you have related to mindfulness and staying present?
28. Do you think there's a "point" to meditation? Why or why not?
29. Who do you most admire? Why?
30. What can you do differently tomorrow?
31. How often do you do things that get you outside your comfort zone?
32. When you actually do get outside your comfort zone, how do you typically feel?
33. Do you have a hobby? How do you feel when you're engaged with it?
34. Do you like your job? How do you typically feel during your workday?
35. What can you do today that your future self will thank you for?
36. How do you feel when you sit quietly, without the distraction of technology or TV?
37. How often do you tend to discover new things?
38. What's something you resisted today, or in the past week? Why do you think you resisted it?
39. What does "mindful living" mean to you?
40. Do you consider yourself an anxious person? Why or why not?
How to Use Mindfulness Journaling Prompts
These journaling prompts are best used when you have the time and space to really reflect. While certain types of journaling can be done when you don't have much time — writing out a gratitude list, for example, isn't usually time-consuming for people — mindfulness journaling should be done when you have a decent chunk of time to really unspool and observe your thoughts, whether this is once a week or once a month. Over time, you'll find that these journaling prompts help you become a less anxious, more grounded person who has an easier time staying in and enjoying the present moment.
Want more journaling prompts? Here are some great ones: