If you struggle to get your days off to a good start, these journal prompts for the morning can help.
A daily journaling practice is an excellent way to begin each day with clarity and focus. It might help you work through any thoughts and emotions that are clouding your head and realign your to-do list with your values and goals.
With these prompts, you’ll be able to make the most of your writing session, whether you’re new to journaling (or just looking for new ideas). They can be especially useful if you have a difficult time waking up in the morning!
Prepare a steaming cup of coffee and continue reading to learn about some of my favorite morning journals prompts and how you can use them to alter your day.
6 Morning Journals Prompts That Will Transform Your Day in 2023– Spiritual Change
Why Should I Journal In the Morning?
Morning activities set the tone for the entire day. Even when you have a lot on your plate, taking the time to be purposeful by slowing down and reflecting can help you feel more in control and at ease.
This is because one of the several benefits of writing is that it facilitates emotional processing. Putting one’s thoughts on paper provides perspective. When you have a holistic perspective, you are less likely to behave out of fear and uncertainty and more likely to be guided by your beliefs.
You feel less overwhelmed by life because you can choose the pace instead of reacting impulsively to all the demands on your time. Knowing the purpose of your to-do list will help you concentrate while understanding your wants and emotions can assist you in setting priorities.
Journaling in the morning provides a time to pause at the start of the day. It allows you to detect and plan for obstacles so they don’t derail you, as well as focus on your blessings so you may approach the day with a grateful heart.
You are also welcome to feel less grateful today if that is what you prefer. When you write in the morning, you can show yourself compassion and remind yourself to be gracious.
6 Morning Journal Prompts and Ideas
Here are some of my favorite journaling prompts for the morning, along with suggestions for when and how to utilize them.
1. When I go to sleep tonight, how would I like to feel?
Use when: Confused, unsure, or even a little lost.
Whenever you’re in a rut, a morning journaling investigation of how you want to feel (rather than what you want to achieve) is an excellent first step toward improving your mood. I find this particularly beneficial when I awaken feeling restless, dissatisfied, or aimless.
To accomplish this, visualize yourself in bed at the end of the day, about to close your eyes. Inhale deeply and then exhale. How do you desire to feel at that time?
This works best when your feelings are as specific as possible. Thus, instead of writing “glad,” you may write “accomplished” or “connected.”
I’ve discovered that simply identifying the emotion I desire can dramatically alter the mood of my day, but you can take it a step further by contemplating simple acts to assist you.
Even if you don’t have time for much else, doing a tiny bit bothersome chore on your to-do list may be enough to make you feel productive. Or, arranging to have lunch with a friend may be the perfect way to change a day filled with emails into a day of meaningful engagement.
2. What season of life am I in?
Apply when: You feel burdened by your list of tasks.
There are moments when we all feel burdened by our obligations. There are so many things we want to do and be, but never enough time to do all.
If you can relate, try journaling in the morning using this prompt. Take a minute to visualize a tree going through seasonal changes before you open your agenda or to-do list.
Imagine small green buds in the spring, lush foliage on a warm summer day, vibrant colors in the fall, and the stark silhouette of naked branches on a freezing winter night.
When you are finished, consider your own life and ask, “What season am I in?”
- Do you feel the need to care for others at the moment?
- After a physical or emotional trauma, do you need a season of rest?
- Have you experienced a period of professional growth?
There are no correct or incorrect responses, but understanding your season might help you feel more at peace.
To achieve balance in life, it is not necessary to work at everything and attempt to do everything. Instead, it is quite the contrary.
In accordance with the current season, living a balanced life entails understanding when to let certain things go and when to take on others. It offers you permission to prioritize your needs and the clarity to let go of a few things (for a while, at least).
This is not always simple (many things in the modern world disregard the seasonality of life), but you should concentrate on what you can influence. For instance, this may be the season to decline social invitations and spend less time cleaning.
Acknowledging the seasons and rhythm of life can, with practice, liberate you from the guilt associated with striving to achieve everything.
3. Today I am excited to…
Use when: You need a boost.
This appreciation prompt is ideal for mornings that lack enthusiasm. Whether it’s your first day back at work after a vacation or you’re just feeling a little down in the dumps, this diary prompt for the morning will help improve your mood.
It is effective because people have a negative bias. We are hardwired to focus more on the negative than the positive aspects of life. How can we, therefore, overcome this?
By placing additional emphasis on the positive in the morning and throughout the day.
Note that this does not involve fake optimism or the suppression of negative feelings. (These emotions are also essential!) However, it is about leveling the playing field.
Due to the negative bias, we need to ‘boost’ our positive emotions, so take out a pen and paper and write down everything you’re happy about today.
4. Today I get to…
Apply when: A burden or resentment overwhelms you.
This is a little twist on the last prompt; it needs some mental gymnastics, but the effort is worthwhile. So take out your journal and consider the tasks you must complete today… and attempt to reframe your thinking around the circumstance.
For instance, it was my turn to take the children to daycare this morning, and my initial instinct was to grumble to myself. (They are moving so slowly, I have so much to accomplish, etc.)
A few minutes of brain chatter continued, but you know what? It did nothing but make me feel worse about something I had to do whether or not I wanted to.
So I took a big breath and wrote the following in response to this prompt:
- While walking to school today, I heard my daughter’s joy in saying hello to dogs.
- I’m going for a short walk in the sunshine to start my day.
- As a result, I get to spend an extra 10 minutes holding hands with my daughter today.
- As my daughter waves at her classmates today, I get to see how confident she’s becoming.
In truth, it altered everything. (I am actually shedding a few tears as I write this!) It may be a cliche, but I went from feeling burdened to feeling grateful with just a few minutes of focused contemplation.
5. I am challenged by…
Use when: You’re struggling.
‘Eat the frog’ is a productivity idiom that roughly refers to this journaling assignment. The implication is that you should do the most challenging task on your list first.
By making your obstacles the center of your morning journal prompt, you are mindfully “eating the frog.” When writing about what challenges you, it is good to discuss why and how you will overcome the issue;
however, you should also describe what it will imply for your life.
This can help you see the emotional aspect of overcoming your difficulty and put it into perspective. This is useful for chores that help you make progress toward a broader objective, as it serves as a reminder that you are facing this obstacle because you want to and that it is worthwhile.
If this is not the case, you may need to reconsider whether the problem aligns with your beliefs and objectives. In the end, you will either discover the all-important reason for the difficulty or realize that it may not serve you and begin to consider how to let it go.
6. Write it all out
Use When: You don’t know what to do next.
When your mind is cluttered with stress, worry, and endless duties, you may experience feelings of disorientation or suffocation. You are unable to concentrate, so you feel either paralyzed or frenetic, bouncing from one activity to another without a clear sense of direction.
When this occurs, I find that free-writing is helpful.
Freewriting is a favorite journaling prompt for the morning since it allows you to enter the day with greater clarity. The concept behind free writing is exactly as it sounds: you write all of your thoughts without editing until nothing remains.
Some individuals refer to this activity as “Morning Pages” or “stream of consciousness writing” and limit it to a certain number of pages or a timer, but the concept is the same. You simply write as you think without regard to the substance, coherence, or language.
I find it to be potent because it helps your brain to empty itself of expectations. Similar to venting to a friend at the end of a difficult day, sometimes you simply need to get things off your chest before moving on.
I find that free writing can also unearth emotions or strange thoughts that my conscious mind has been neglecting. In fact, the majority of the knowledge contained in this piece regarding the true root of my clutter was derived from lengthy free-writing sessions.
How To Create a Morning Journaling Routine
Even if you are not a morning person, you can still benefit from morning notebook practice. In fact, writing in a journal in the morning may make the early hours more delightful. You need only grab a pen and a notebook to begin writing.
Here are a few suggestions that may help the habit stick:
- Integrate a journaling practice into your morning routine. For instance, if you begin your day by brewing a hot beverage, sit down with your journal while your beverage cools or steeps.
- Another cool idea is to put out your diary the night before so that it is ready to use when you get up. Check out my friend Melissa’s home meditation station’ for her journaling and mindfulness activities.
- Prepare a list of journal prompts in advance. Often, determining what to write about is the most difficult aspect of getting started, therefore preparation is crucial. Continue reading for a list of further journal prompts.
- Add a ritual to your daily regimen. Things that stimulate the senses, such as a candle, a soft lamp, and a warm beverage, will make the practice more enjoyable so that you anticipate practicing it.
- Perform imperfect actions. It is acceptable if you cannot devote 20 minutes to your journal every morning. According to the proverb, begin where you are with what you have. Do not let the word “perfect” prevent you from taking the initial step.
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Conclusion- Morning Journals Prompts
It is essential to keep this in mind. To maintain a sustained practice of journal writing, you must discover ways to customize these prompts and advice to suit your own needs.
