Depending on what’s happening in our lives; it can sometimes be challenging to reflect on what we’re working through and remind ourselves about how far we’ve come. We all need moments where we get to pause and celebrate what has gone well and reflect on the progress made; especially if we’re in the middle of some kind of struggle.
Here are 8 Beneficial Mental Health Writing Prompts …
1. | Name one thing you are grateful for and how it improves your day-to-day.
2. | What have you overcome in the past that you thought you wouldn’t be able to? Reflect on what you did and how this helped you.
3. | What have you made progress with recently? Think about your next step and what you can do today to accomplish it.
4. | What coping mechanisms do you use that work really well for you? Is there anything new you can add to your mental health toolkit that helps with your nerves or anxiety?
5. | List 3 activities that help you support your mental, emotional and/or physical health. When was the last time you did them? If you can, do at least one of them today.
6. | If you were talking to yourself like you were one of your friends, what advice/support would you give? Are you as kind, forgiving and encouraging to yourself as you are to them? Make a point of using positive self-talk whenever you can.
7. | What self-care activities help with your mental, emotional and/or physical health? When was the last time you did them? When can you do them next?
8. | When were your fears about something proven wrong? What did you learn from this?
Even though these are listed as writing prompts, you don’t need to write anything down if you don’t want to. They’re just as effective when used for thoughtful contemplation. If undertaken regularly, these prompts could improve how we react to and tackle things that test us in the future.
Be sure to take the time you need to look after yourself. You’re worth it.
Which writing prompts will you try?
Further Info:
NAMI Helpline – a free, nationwide U.S. resource that offers experienced peer-support guidance and advice
CheckPoint – global (by country) resources for mental health support
transatlantic | notes 
I have liked your this question – when were your fears about something proven wrong? What did you learn from this?
The same thing happens to me, so I can realize this. I have learned that we should check things well before you judge yourself.
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You are 100% correct — sometimes our fears seem insurmountable until we realize we’ve overcome other fears and have managed well. Thanks for reading!
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I really like the prompt number 5 because it made me realize that I only had two activities (walking and meditating) that I do for my mental/emotional health and I need to add more to my list. Thank you for sharing xxx
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I found that one really useful as I realized I had only a few activities too and had kind of let other ones go without really meaning to. This list of prompts are a great reminder — thanks for reading!
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These are great prompts. I will definitely use these. Thanks so much for sharing!
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You’re welcome — thank you for reading!
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Hi very interesting post yes one should focus on self love and self care first.
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100% agree — we should all focus on self-care and self-love to help us support ourselves. Thanks for reading!
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I love this so much! My favourite writing prompt for mental health is saying 3 things I’m grateful for each day xx
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It’s a great way to remind ourselves that there is much in life that lifts us up — thanks for reading!
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Love no. 6. Yup definitely having some positive engagement give you a fresh air.
I practiced that a lot with my mom and my cats! Doing this is kind of like a coping mechanism for me or what i used to call as ‘self- distraction’.
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Exactly! SOmetimes we just need a distraction for a bit to help us process something or just have a break from things for a bit!
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These prompts remind me a lot of positive psychology. The fact that people are still here today means they can get through there struggles, even when they thought they couldn’t
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100% — sometimes a reminder is needed that we have doubted ourselves before but that we made it through. Thanks for reading!
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I really needed these prompts today. Thank you x
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I’m so happy they have been useful to you — thanks for stopping by!
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These are awesome! I’m always looking for different ways to think about my mental illness, so this is a great tool. I love the “What would you say to a friend?” sorts of questions in general.
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I love using these too, they really help me focus on taking care of (and monitoring) how I’m doing without being too critical. I like the idea of the friend’s advice as a way to make sure my inner dialogue isn’t overly harsh. So glad you like these!
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I love how some of them really force you to think positively, they are definitely the kind of prompts I need in my life. Thank you for sharing! 🧡
Anika |
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Yes, I agree! I wanted to create/share prompts that facilitate a positive thought process, especially when we can sometimes be overly critical of ourselves. Thanks so much for reading!
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These are great! I’m currently running a self discovery challenge and I have some similar type questions on there. Good stuff!
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That is so awesome! I will check out your challenge!
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This really spoke to me. I am going through so much in my life right now with health, relationship, finances, etc and as I was answering these questions out loud I realized I really am growing and healing. This is an article that I will need to read on a daily basis for sure. Thank you so much for writing this great piece.
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I wrote these because they help me to navigate what I’m currently going through so I’m so glad that you’ve found them useful and they have been a positive reminder for you about your progress. I wish you continued healing. Thank you for reading.
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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about mental health and how I can keep it healthy. These questions will surely make me look into mental health deeper!
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Me too — it’s been something I’ve been thinking about and hoped that the propmpts I’ve shared can help other people too. Thanks for stopping by!
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Loved reading through these prompts, definitely needed these prompts to self-reflect as my mental health felt like it was suffering this week. Thank you for sharing dear.
Tx.
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I’m really happy to hear they have proved useful to you. Thanks for reading!
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love this! journalling is so beneficial and underrated it’s so unfair!
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Journaling is great to sort out thoughts and focus on the things we need to work on but also all the good we can do/achieve. Very underrated tool to use for sure!
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It is interesting to think about a time when your fears were proven wrong. Very useful.
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It serves as a nice reminder that we can make it through tough times — thanks so much for reading!
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