Why Keep a Positive Journal and 10 Journal Prompts

When life gets too hard, we all struggle with keeping a positive outlook and staying optimistic. Accordingly, we somehow gain a negative mindset. However, you can improve this by keeping a positive journal, especially if you're often too busy for self-care and mental health breaks.

In this article, we'll tell you why you should keep a positive journal and give you 10 journal prompts to help you get ideas for writing. You just have to read on!

What Is a Positive Journal?

Before getting into the details, you should first know what a positive journal is. For starters, it's the same as any standard journal you keep. However, in this case, you'll keep your writing on the optimistic side. For example, you'll only write about the happy events that took place this month in your life, or you'll write down the positive thoughts that came to your mind during the day.

What matters the most is that you should be consistent with your writing. To elaborate, you should write a positive thought in it every day, just like you write your plans in your daily planner.

Why Keep a Positive Journal

First of all, journaling is beneficial in many fields of life. It benefits your mental health, keeps track of your progress, and motivates you to reach the goals you set for yourself, to name a few. However, keeping a positive journal has more specific benefits. Here's a brief of some benefits you'll enjoy if you keep one.

Helps You Keep an Optimistic Mindset

Naturally, when you focus on positive thoughts and write them down, they'll be cemented in your head. Over time, they'll come to your mind before negative thoughts do. As a result, you'll have an optimistic mindset.

In addition, it gives you a break from the tumbling chaos of life, as, instead of distracting yourself with unnecessary details, you'll make an effort to remember positive aspects. This will do wonders to change your perspective in life.

Increases Your Feeling of Gratitude

Gratitude is an essential human feeling. It gives us the motivation to live, work, exercise, and more. However, some people find it hard to feel grateful. They keep thinking about the negative aspects of life and forget about what they should be thankful for.

The positive journal comes as a knight in shining armor in this case, as it gives you a space to only think positively. When you sit down and squeeze your mind trying to find things you're grateful for, you'll increase your feeling of gratitude. 

As time passes, you'll be able to think of the flickers of joy you have in your life during hard times instead of only focusing on the negatives.

Helps You Self-Reflect

It's no secret that life is a hectic storm. So if you don't stop every once in a while and reflect on your behaviors and emotions, you'll lose the connection you have with yourself. Self-reflection helps you take a break from the fast pace of life. Additionally, it improves your self-honesty and gives you a deeper connection with your feelings and thoughts.

It also gives you room for improvement, as when you self-reflect and determine what you're doing wrong, you get compelled to fix it.

Improves Your Creativity

Keeping a journal is known to improve creativity because you get to think of many writing possibilities. Moreover, some people like to add an artistic touch to their positivity journals and draw instead of writing. This gives you a boost of creativity, and, as a result, you'll feel more content with your abilities.

In the long run, this can increase your confidence and self-esteem. Not to mention, journaling clears up the mind of the clutter that's filling it, leaving more room for inspiration and positive thinking.

Motivates You to Achieve Goals

Since this journal is supposed to have positive content, you should write the goals you want to achieve. Then, when you reach them, make sure to reward yourself and write them in the journal. This acts as a superb motivation method because, first, it'll increase your confidence in your abilities to achieve whatever you set for yourself.

Second, it'll motivate you to work on even more goals and fill your journal with achieved purposes. Finally, those points will have a significant effect on your mindset, as you'll start thinking of your future and your plans instead of fretting over the past.

Helps You Process Your Feelings

Sometimes, we don't have time to process our own feelings. This negatively impacts our emotional intelligence, as we forget how to manage our emotions and control them. That said, keeping a positive planner can improve this by a mile.

When you constantly write your thoughts and feelings, your self-awareness and empathy improve. As a result, you will become aware of your strengths and weaknesses and know how to use them when needed. This benefits your personal development as a whole and makes you better at communicating your feelings with both yourself and other people.

10 Positive Journal Prompts

After knowing the benefits of keeping a positive journal, you should know how to write in it. Unfortunately, some people find it difficult to write what they think and feel. However, with our prompts, the process will be much easier.

1. Write Five Positive Thoughts That Came to Your Mind Today

The easiest entries to write in your journal are your positive thoughts. And you don't have to write sincerely; you can simply note that you felt happy when lunchtime came around. Just write without overthinking to avoid overwhelming yourself.

For example, you can write about today's blue sky, air breeze, delicious food, and coffee, to name a few.

2. Write Five Things You're Grateful for This Week

Gratitude writing can be a weekly or monthly activity. You don't have to do it every day. When the week comes to an end, you can sit down and think of five events that made you grateful. For example, you can write about meeting an old friend, visiting your parents, eating a delicious meal, or watching a good TV show.

3. Write Something Nice That Someone Told You

When someone tells you something nice, you should make sure to record it because, one day, you may need to read it to lift your mood. Also, this can be a writing prompt for you if you're having difficulty coming up with a positive thought.

4. Write Something Nice That Someone Did for You

If someone gave you a lift this week, invited you for lunch, or got you a present, you should write it in your positive journal. This will cement those friendly acts in your head, and you'll be forever grateful to their doers. Moreover, it'll make you happier.

5. Write About Five People Who Inspire You

For starters, you don't have to write about real-life people. You can just write about your favorite fictional characters or anyone who has inspired you before. Also, make sure to report how they inspire you.

6. Write About Your Favorite Day This Month

This prompt can be a monthly entry. When the month comes to an end, you should think about your favorite day and what happened on it. Next, record all the details you can remember, including the people involved. Then, when you go back to those writings, you'll remember the many times when you felt happy, and your mood will improve.

7. Write About Your Life Goal

Some people dream about traveling, while some dream about getting a healthy body. No matter what your life goal is, it'd be best if you wrote in your positivity journal. In addition, you should write the action plan you put into achieving it and the steps you’ve taken till now.

This will help you keep track of your progress towards your goal. Moreover, it'll motivate you to work harder.

8. Write About Something You're Excited For

If you have a trip coming up, an upcoming birthday, or any happy event in your calendar, write about it in your positive journal. Then, when it comes, you can write about it in detail, and what made you happiest.

9. Write About Something You're Passionate About

Writing about your passions can significantly improve your mindset. For example, if you're passionate about art, music, or sports, you can write about them freely in your journal. Moreover, you can write the steps you're taking to practice your passion.

10. Write Something Nice You Did for Someone

Many people have the undeniable habit of undermining themselves. However, writing the good deeds that you do for people can help you think otherwise. For example, if you bought a gift for your friend, fixed your colleague's laptop, or made a surprise visit to an old friend, you should write it down. This will remind you of how good of a person you are and give you a positive mental attitude.

How to Start Positive Journaling

While many of us get excited about writing positive thoughts, some have a hard time starting. However, we'll give you a few tips on how you should begin positive journaling.

Buy a Journal

The first step you should take is to buy a new journal. We don't recommend that you use an old one because buying will excite you to start writing and give you a sense of a new beginning.

Just go to the nearest store and shop for an elegant-looking journal. You can also purchase a daily planner if you have trouble organizing your days.

Set a Timer for Journaling

Having no time is a very common excuse as to why people don't start journaling. However, since this step is essential for your mental health and overall happiness, you should make time for it. To do so, just set a timer before you start writing. You don't have to take too long; just 20 minutes will suffice.

Doing this will help you avoid wasting too much time thinking about what to write. Moreover, you won't be overwhelmed as you'll have just enough time to write about a few topics.

Make It a Habit

To fully benefit from positive journaling, you should make it a habit. You must set a time in your day to do it. If you randomly write in your journal whenever you remember, you won't enjoy the whole journaling experience.

That said, to do so, you should journal when you're calm and unbusy. For example, you can journal right before you go to bed. This way, you'll clear your mind before sleeping.

Don't Overthink About What You'll Write

Many people face a challenge trying to find something meaningful to write. As a result, they lose their excitement and never start journaling altogether. To avoid going through this, you should never overthink what you'll write.

The point of this journal is to write any positive thing that comes to your mind, even if it's as simple as a delicious meal. You don't have to register something deep and meaningful. Moreover, remember that this is your personal space, so no one will judge you about what you'll write.

To Wrap Up

Positive journaling is a beneficial hobby for many; it can shift your mindset to an optimistic one, improve your creativity, and help you self-reflect. However, it requires some consistency and will to get it right. Over time, you'll sense the significant difference in your mental health and overall happiness.

Now that you know enough about positive journaling, you can buy a journal and get going!