Every year in January I set new resolutions, but I have yet to keep one. Go figure. When New Year’s rolled around, I decided to embark on a journey to find the self-love and confidence that eludes me whenever I set new goals. Since writing is one of my favorite activities, I planned to use my journal as a tool to keep me on track. I love writing poetry, diaries, short stories, and journaling about my day, because I’ve always seen it as a vehicle for self-reflection. During this last month, I experimented with journal prompts for discovery and acceptance, a practice that’s gained a lot of traction in recent years with the general rise of wellness and inner dialogue.
I took five days to write journal entries using various prompts to see if it led me to better self-assurance, because oftentimes I have no clue what’s going on inside my own head. As I wrote, the prompts even stumped me a little because I figured out that it was hard to write about myself positively. But below are some prompts that I absolutely loved writing on, now for you to try should you decide to start journaling with me.
- Pick your favorite thing about yourself and write about why you love it.
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It’s hard to look at myself as beautiful because I always find flaws when I compare myself to others. So I challenged myself to write on something I love about myself. Instead of an outward physical characteristic, I chose my strong and powerful brain. It’s my favorite body part because of my epilepsy: My brain manages to get past all the electrical impulses, and still found a way to get into college and keep going. When you choose your favorite thing about yourself, remember that it doesn’t matter what it is, just why it makes you happy. No matter what, this prompt will be a step to expand your inner dialogue and build self-love.
- Your life is being made into a movie. What actor do you pick to play you?
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This was a hard question for me because I wanted to choose someone philanthropic like Oprah, and also because I wanted someone freaking gorgeous like Gal Gadot. In the end, I chose Rebel Wilson. She represents someone who embraces her goofiness and intelligence, that somehow always comes out on top. When I see her, I see success.
- Write the words you wish someone would say to you.
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For me, I found it best to picture different people in my life and what I wanted them to say to me. I learned that what I most want to hear are more words of affirmation, and that made me think of how I can give that to myself.
- If you had to get a meaningful tattoo, what would it be and why?
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I have been thinking of getting a tattoo. But whenever I feel like I have the guts to go for it, I think it’s too superficial. I don’t think tattoos are always meant to have meaning, you can do as you please with your body, but for me, it’s a very hard choice to decide on. This prompt helped me pick one significant symbol and message that I realized was really important to me.
- What song brings tears to your eyes?
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Many of the songs on my current playlist are party songs, so none of those brought tears to my eyes while I was writing. When I thought about some of the songs that don’t put me in a party mood, my eyes misted hard. Because I get attached to music and what it represents, a lot of my harder times have a soundtrack. But, for my reflection, I wanted a song that brings on “warrior tears” or tears that make me want to fight for myself.
Self-discovery and realization is not a simple task. It may take a lifetime, but I will get there. And you can use these prompts to discover what is unique about you too! You are special and my wish for you is that you see in yourself all the qualities that make you, well, you, and that finally you can celebrate them.