You’ve got your journal, a pen, a hot cup of coffee, some time, and a quiet place. You open your journal to a fresh page and your mind goes blank. What do I write about? What do I want to say?
It’s not always easy to know what to write about and self-reflection can be really hard. But that’s okay! We all need a little inspiration sometimes. Luckily for us, the stoics were masters of asking themselves thought-provoking questions. The most well-known stoics – Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius – they all asked themselves questions. That’s the only way to really examine your thoughts and understand just exactly who you are.
Inspired by these stoics, I’ve compiled a list of questions to help you get the most from your journaling routine when you’re not exactly sure what to write about. The goal behind each of these prompts is to provoke reflection about your mental state, your goals, and your interactions, not just between you and others, but between your thoughts and actions, as well.
Try asking yourself:
- What are three things I’m grateful for?
- Am I being a good friend to myself? Do I speak to myself the way I’d speak to a friend or loved one?
- What are three things that are truly under my control?
- What are three things that are not under my control?
- When someone upsets me, do I allow myself time to pause and think before I react?
- Am I happy with how I spent my time today? Did I waste any of it?
- What are three things that I don’t need to have an opinion on?
- Are my opinions of myself shaped by me or by others?
- What are three things that trigger my anger? Did getting mad fix them?
- If I could design my day from start to finish, what would it look like?
Journaling is not always so easy, but it’s also not as hard as you’d think. Even if you only write for one minute once a week, that’s a start. It doesn’t matter. Just keep writing.
Hopefully these prompts get your creative juices flowing and give you a little jumpstart in analyzing your own thoughts and actions. Refer back to this list whenever you need a little help and you’ll be filling the pages of your journal in no time!