What Should Be Included In Your Feelings Journal

One of the things that I get asked often about mood/feelings journaling is what should be included in a feelings journal. It would be easy to shrug the question off by saying that you record your feelings in a feelings journal. However, that can be a very intimidating prospect for a newbie – especially if you haven’t learned to connect with your inner feelings yet.

We record in a feelings journal how something that happened made us feel rather than just noting down what happened in our day. Things happen to us each day that stir up emotions within us. Recording those emotions in your journal is like having mini therapy sessions every day.

We react to those emotions rather than the thing that happened. Understanding those emotional responses gives us the power to change how we react to things that happen to us in the future.

Let’s delve deeper into what should be included/excluded when it comes to writing in your feelings journal. Keep reading for the list of prompts that will help you get started.

What Should Be Included In A Feelings Journal?

We’re starting with an easy-peasy question friends.

A feelings journal should be all about- you guessed it!- YOUR FEELINGS. (Love it when it’s right there in the title!)

It is a creativity tool for helping become more deeply attuned to yourself. For bringing mindfulness, attention, and even gratitude to your daily existence.

Whatever will fall into that category for you, whatever you think would be helpful, is fair game.

Simply dump or draw your heart out through your pen and onto the page.

What Should NOT Be Included In A Feelings Journal?

This is not a place to censor yourself or simply keep a record of your schedule.

This is where you jot down your struggles and fears without judging them.

Let’s say that again: FEELINGS. WITHOUT. JUDGEMENT.

Your feelings journal needs to be a safe, honest place.

Be raw. Be curious to know yourself better. Your feelings are justified and they deserve a welcoming place to be explored.

Also, be clear with yourself about whether it’s shareable. It’s always okay to be protective – these are your innermost feelings. Buy a locking bag on amazon if you want to. Or go in the opposite direction and share with a trusted friend. A good option would be to share with your therapist as a good starting point to analyze your feelings further during a therapy session.

If you are looking for a notebook to use as your journal, here is this cute Pink Femme notebook on Amazon. I’ll be adding more notebooks soon.

When To Use A Feelings Journal

Today. Right now. No matter what your feelings are- happy or sad.

All ages can find huge benefit in putting pen to paper, whether you call yourself a “writer” or not.

Try writing every morning when you wake up to begin each day in the present moment.

Or write every evening before you go to sleep to release the emotions of the day and give yourself a better night’s sleep.

Or don’t schedule it at all. Just carry a journal in your bag and write whenever you’re feeling the biggest feels.

Experiment to find what is easiest, most pleasurable, and most helpful to you.

Formatting Options To Consider

Phone, computer, scratch paper, sticky notes, notebook are all options. What works best for a feelings journal is the tactile sensation of putting a pen on paper.

If organizing is your jam, make a spreadsheet of emotion creators/influencers (diet, fitness, sleep, work, school, family, romance, friendships, etc.) then rank them daily. 1 = tragedy; 5 = magnificence.

Did you like activity books as a kid? Create an online or hard-copy template to fill out. (Ie: empty circles to draw an emoji on; a list of possible feelings to circle; check yes/no to water, sleep, exercise, meds, laughter, other self-care activities). You can also find free, pre-made ones with a little internet searching.

Or simply grab a journal and go to town. Write upside down or sideways. Free-form like a boss.

Draw. Feelings are not always concrete words.

Press a flower into your journal and write about it. Smells are more tied to emotion than any other sense. Use it.

If your feelings were a color, what color would they be today? Consider writing or coloring in your journal with that hue.

Journaling Prompts To Help Get You Started

Even with all of these formatting ideas you might still be facing a blank page and have no idea where to start. We have all been there at some stage. So, I’ve put together a short collection of journaling prompts that will help you get going.

These prompts are split up into different aspects of your emotional world.

Living Your Best Life

• Describe your favorite thing to do when you are feeling low.
• What are three ordinary things that bring you the most joy?
• List three strategies that help you to stay present in your daily routines.
• List three strategies to help boost mindfulness in your life.
• What are aspects of your life are you most grateful for?
• Describe in detail how you show yourself kindness and compassion each day?
• Write a short love letter to some object or place that makes you happy.
• What place makes you feel most peaceful? Describe that place in vivid detail using all five senses.

Personal Growth And Life Goals

For as long as you live, you can continue to pursue change and growth. Personal growth is a big part of what Pink Femme and the 40-Steps is all about.

• If you had the opportunity to sit down with your teenage self, what three things would you share with your teenage self? Conversely, what three questions would you want to ask an older version of yourself?
• Do your goals truly reflect your own desires? Or do they reflect what someone else (a parent, partner, friend, etc.) wants for you?
• What do you do that helps you stay focused and motivated when you feel discouraged?
• Identify one area of your life where you’d like to improve. Then, list three specific actions you can take today and this week to create that change.
• List three obstacles that are currently lying in the way of your contentment or happiness. Then, list two potential solutions to begin overcoming each obstacle.

Self-Reflection

Taking the time to explore your values, opinions, and personality traits in writing can teach you more about who you are as a person.

• What are the values that you consider most important in life (honesty, justice, altruism, loyalty, etc.)? How do your own daily actions align with those values?
• What three changes can you make now to enable you to live according to your personal values?
• As a way to show that you are capable of change and growth, explore an opinion or two that you held in the past but have since questioned or even already changed. What was it that led you to change that opinion?
• Describe in as much detail as you can (using all 5 senses) one or two significant life events that helped shape you into who you are today.
• When do you trust yourself most? When do you find it harder to have faith in your own instincts?

Uncomfortable Emotions

Journaling can be hugely helpful for navigating difficult and painful emotions.

• What are the difficult thoughts or emotions that come up most frequently for you? Be as detailed as you possibly can.
• Describe in detail a choice you regret. Reading through what you have just written, what can you learn from it? Is this different from what you may have learned from that choice at the time?
• Name three things that can instantly disrupt your good mood and bring you down? What strategies do you use to counter these effects? Are there other strategies that you can use in the future that will work better?
• What are three self-defeating thoughts that often show up in your inner self-talk? How can you reframe these same thoughts to encourage yourself instead?

It is possible that writing about painful emotions can make you feel even worse, at least in the short term. That is why I advise everyone to first establish a regular journaling habit before they turn to more challenging topics.

If you are looking for more lifestyle-related posts here on Pink Femme, you can find them all here.