31 Journal Prompts for Teens

Getting to know yourself

1. 1.What are three things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with how you look?
2. 2.What is something you are really into right now, and why does it pull you in?
3. 3.When do you feel most like yourself?
4. 4.What is one thing people often get wrong about you?
5. 5.What are you better at now than you were a year ago?
6. 6.If you could describe your personality as a playlist, what would be on it?
7. 7.What do you want to be known for, apart from grades or achievements?

Friends and fitting in

1. 8.Who is a friend you can be completely yourself around? What makes that friendship feel safe?
2. 9.Have you ever changed how you act to fit in with a group? How did that feel afterward?
3. 10.What makes someone a good friend, in your opinion?
4. 11.Is there a friendship that has started to feel different lately? What changed?
5. 12.How do you feel after scrolling social media for a while? Be honest.
6. 13.What is one thing you wish your friends knew about you?

Family and home

1. 14.What is something your family does that makes you feel loved, even if you do not say so?
2. 15.What is one thing you wish your parents or caregivers understood about your life right now?
3. 16.When you disagree with an adult at home, how do you usually handle it?
4. 17.What family tradition or habit do you want to keep when you are older?
5. 18.Where at home do you go when you need a break?

Big feelings

1. 19.What has been stressing you out lately, and how big does it feel on a scale of 1 to 10?
2. 20.When you get really angry, what do you usually do next? Does it help?
3. 21.What is a feeling you find hard to talk about with anyone?
4. 22.What helps you calm down when everything feels like too much?
5. 23.Write about a time you felt embarrassed. Does it still feel as big as it did then?
6. 24.Who is a trusted adult you could talk to if something felt too heavy to handle alone?
7. 25.What does a really good day feel like in your body?

Dreams and the future

1. 26.What is something you want to try before you finish school?
2. 27.If you did not have to worry about money or what anyone thinks, what would you do with your life?
3. 28.What kind of adult do you hope to become?
4. 29.What is a goal you have that you have not told anyone about?
5. 30.What is one thing you are worried about for the future, and what is one thing you are excited about?
6. 31.Write a short note to yourself to read in five years.

Tips that make it stick

• •There is no right way to journal. Lists, doodles, and messy sentences all count.
• •When you write about a feeling, try to get specific. 'Left out' or 'nervous' tells you more than 'bad.' Something like the free Feels Wheel can help you find the right word.
• •If you ever write something that scares you, like thoughts of hurting yourself, please talk to a trusted adult or a helpline right away.

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