31 Journal Prompts for Self-Esteem

Collecting evidence

1. 1.List ten things you have accomplished, big or small, that you are proud of.
2. 2.What is a challenge you handled better than you expected?
3. 3.What is a compliment you received that you secretly believed?
4. 4.When has someone relied on you, and you came through?
5. 5.What skills do you have that you take for granted because they come easily?
6. 6.What is a time you stood up for yourself or someone else?

Challenging negative beliefs

1. 7.What is the most common negative thing you believe about yourself?
2. 8.Where did that belief come from, and is the source someone you trust?
3. 9.What evidence do you have against that belief?
4. 10.What would it feel like to believe the opposite, even for a day?
5. 11.Who do you compare yourself to most, and what does the comparison leave out?
6. 12.What would you say to someone you love if they believed this about themselves?
7. 13.What label were you given growing up that you no longer want to carry?

Worth beyond achievement

1. 14.If you accomplished nothing this year, would you still be worthy of love? Why or why not?
2. 15.What do people value about you that has nothing to do with productivity?
3. 16.What are three qualities that make you a good friend?
4. 17.How do you feel about yourself on a day when nothing goes right?
5. 18.What makes you unique in a way that has nothing to do with being the best?
6. 19.What would it mean to like yourself without conditions?

Taking up space

1. 20.Where do you make yourself smaller to avoid being noticed?
2. 21.What opinion have you kept to yourself recently that deserved to be heard?
3. 22.What would you do differently if you were not afraid of being judged?
4. 23.How do you respond when someone treats you poorly, and how would a confident version of you respond?
5. 24.What is one request you could make this week that feels a little brave?
6. 25.What does it look like when you fully own a room?

Building it day by day

1. 26.What is one thing you did today that you can be proud of?
2. 27.What promise to yourself did you keep today?
3. 28.How did you speak to yourself today, and what would you like to change about it?
4. 29.What is one thing you want to try even though you might be bad at it at first?
5. 30.Who helps you feel good about yourself, and how can you spend more time with them?
6. 31.Write a short note of encouragement to yourself for tomorrow.

Tips that make it stick

• •Self-esteem grows from kept promises. Write down one small commitment each day and check it off.
• •When you feel low, name it precisely. Insecure, embarrassed, and rejected are different feelings with different roots.
• •Limit time with content or people that leave you comparing yourself constantly.
• •Be patient. Beliefs built over years take more than a week to shift.

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