30 Journal Prompts for Processing Emotions

Naming the feeling

1. 1.What are you feeling right now? Try to find a word more specific than good, bad, or stressed.
2. 2.If there is more than one feeling, list them all, from strongest to faintest.
3. 3.Where do you feel this emotion in your body, and what does the sensation feel like?
4. 4.How intense is it from 1 to 10, and has it changed since you started writing?
5. 5.When did you first notice this feeling today?
6. 6.Does this feeling remind you of a time you felt the same way before?

Understanding where it came from

1. 7.What happened right before this feeling showed up?
2. 8.What story are you telling yourself about what happened?
3. 9.What need or value is this feeling pointing to?
4. 10.Is this emotion about right now, or is it carrying something from the past?
5. 11.What would this feeling say if it could talk?
6. 12.What is this emotion trying to protect you from?

Allowing it to be there

1. 13.What happens if you let yourself feel this fully for one minute without fixing it?
2. 14.What judgments do you have about feeling this way?
3. 15.Were you allowed to feel this emotion growing up? How does that affect you now?
4. 16.If this feeling were a visitor, what would it need from you before it could leave?
5. 17.Is there a feeling underneath this one?
6. 18.What do you need right now in order to feel safe while you feel this?

Finding what you need

1. 19.What would help this feeling soften: rest, movement, connection, expression, or action?
2. 20.Is there something you need to say to someone, or just to yourself?
3. 21.What is one small thing you can do in the next hour to take care of this feeling?
4. 22.Who could you share this with who would just listen?
5. 23.Does this feeling call for a change, a boundary, or simply acceptance?
6. 24.What would feel like closure for this emotion today?

Looking back after

1. 25.How do you feel now compared to when you started writing?
2. 26.What did this emotion teach you about yourself?
3. 27.What helped you process it, and what got in the way?
4. 28.What pattern do you notice when you compare this entry to past ones?
5. 29.What do you want to remember next time this feeling comes up?
6. 30.What is one kind thing you can say to yourself for sitting with this?

Tips that make it stick

• •Precise naming is the foundation of processing. A feelings wheel, like the free Feels Wheel, can help you move from 'upset' to something clearer, like disappointed, rejected, or anxious.
• •Emotions usually rise and fall like a wave. If you stay with a feeling, it often peaks and starts to ease within minutes.
• •If a feeling keeps coming back with the same intensity for weeks, it may be worth exploring with a therapist.
• •Processing is not the same as dwelling. If you notice yourself replaying the same thought, switch to the 'finding what you need' section.

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