2 - Describing Yourself

Todays prompt is about describing how you see yourself. This can include positive, neutral and uncomfortable views but please remember to include at least some of each.

What are some things you like about yourself?

Are you always able to remember them? Is there a way to remind yourself of them more often?

What things are neutral about you? (Basically things that are possibly common about you and make up a lot of who we are. For example, I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pretty neutral but definitely true about me.)

What things about you make you feel uncomfortable or frustrated?

Can you be kind to yourself when you think about them or are you judgmental?

Do you notice when you make progress in areas that used to be frustrating and now you do better at?

-Once you have finished writing about these topics please pause and have a look around your space. Notice the shapes of things. Notice the colors and textures. These things are usually pretty neutral but can still have a calming effect on us. Now write a bit about how it feels to be relaxed and calm (even if you aren’t feeling that right this moment).

1 - Preferred Wording

Going through any type of emotional experience can be very difficult. At times we might get a diagnosis and then people start to use that wording much more often. In our prompt today please write about labels and terms that you have had associated with you and your opinion of them.

Labels you have been given.

Do you agree with them?

Do you feel they are accurate?

Do they change the way you feel about yourself?

Are there other terms you would like people to use when they refer to your experience?

Can you ask them to do that or does that feel impossible?

Have there been times that others did use wording you prefered and how did that feel?

-After you have written as much as you want then please write about something you are grateful for or proud of yourself about. You deserve to shift the focus after thinking about more difficult topics. Take care.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Journaling section of our website. Our interest is to offer journaling prompts for you that allow you to gain insight into your past, where you want your future to go, and things that are sometimes difficult to share with other people.

Please allow yourself a comfortable space to think about the prompt and then write whatever comes to mind. You do not have to share your writing with anyone. If you have someone you consider safe and want to share it with them that is your choice. Reading it to your therapist can also be very helpful. Please remember though that you may have to help the therapist understand how you are feeling about it now since sometimes journaling can bring up emotions that may sound more intense than we feel at a later point.

After you finish with the prompt please spend a bit of time changing the topic and either writing about or thinking about something you are proud of, something that makes you happy or something you are grateful for. This allows you the chance to shift your focus back to your daily life and more ease.

Some people keep their journaling entries and others delete them or shred the paper. You can do whichever you prefer. The goal is for you to have an outlet for your thoughts and then be able to move onto other things after the journaling. If you find yourself getting upset after journaling or have difficulty changing your focus back to your surroundings please consider if it is not a helpful activity right now in life and choose something else that is less uncomfortable. You can always try journaling again at a later point to see if it goes better at that time.

Sending you caring.