Questions to Get to Know Yourself Better
In this blog post, let's get a little personal and write about questions that help us get to know ourselves better. This could be diary entries or journal prompt ideas that I encourage you to try out. If you struggle with mental health or want to practice more mindfulness and introspection, there are benefits to keeping a journal. This is part of the resources I am including in my crochet collection, which focus on the mental health aspect of the artistic journey.
Benefits of Journaling
Keeping a journal has many benefits. Although it is not the only way of being in tune with our mental health, but it is one source of regulating our thoughts and emotions. If you're dealing with stressors or overwhelming emotions, journaling can help manage anxiety and is a good coping mechanism. You are able to identify any negative thoughts and behaviors while providing yourself the opportunity for positive self-talk. Keeping a journal can help identify what's causing you stress and help you figure out a solution. It can also help boost your mood and cognitive function. Having trouble remembering? Well, why not document that memory with a journal entry.
Journaling is also a great way of regulating your emotions. It creates self-awareness and self-discovery. It also tackles anxiety, depression, stress management, reflection, and recovery. When you write down your inner thoughts and emotions, you are more in tune to your wants and needs. You can identify and put into words what you desire and the type of emotions you're feeling. This helps form a clearer sense of self-identity and does help with confidence. You know who you are and what you want.
Journaling is personally tailored to you. It's meant to be a private and safe space for your thoughts without any judgement. You don't have to share it. If you do want to share it and be vulnerable, that's also fine. You can use a journal to develop or practice healthy habits, set goals, and improve your mental health. Even just a few minutes a day can make a huge difference to your mental wellbeing. You don't have to have structure with how you write. You can just dump all of your thoughts and it doesn't have to follow a prompt. However, if you want to try prompts out to get your mind thinking, then read the next section below.
To read more about the benefits of journaling:
An article by University of Rochester Medical Center here
An article by Intermountain Healthcare here
An article by Talkspace here
An article by WebMD here
An article by Positive Psychology here
An article by Reflection App here
An article by Psychcentral here
Journal Prompts To Try Out
Here are some questions you can start asking yourself to start being more introspective. In relation to my crochet designs, I made designs based on the four elements: water, fire, earth and air. This is also in relation to astrology. I like to think of these elements as focusing on aspects about ourselves. I organized questions under each element and I'll explain what each element focuses on.
The water element is introspective and emotional. Water focuses on our inner emotions and being in tune with how we are feeling. These journal prompt questions are going to focus on the emotional aspect of ourselves. Here are some questions I came up with that you can try using as a journal prompt:
Are you healed or just trying to not think about it?
Write about a time when you felt hurt. Is this a pain/hurt that you're holding onto to?
List your coping mechanism and how well they work for you.
Write a letter to your child-self, teen-self, present-self, and future-self
What are you grateful for?
Which emotions do you find hardest to accept (for ex. guilt, shame, disappointment)? How do you handle these emotions?
Describe a choice you regret. What did you learn from it?
How do you show yourself kindness and compassion?
Write a letter on forgiveness. It could be towards anyone or even yourself.
The fire element is driven and passionate. Fire focuses on our identity, what motives us, and our aspirations in life. These journal prompt questions are going to focus on the outer aspect of ourselves. Here are some questions I came up with that you can try using as a journal prompt:
What are you passionate about?
What do you desire most in life?
Write about an accomplishment you have.
Write about what you want to accomplish in the long-term.
Write about a failure. What lessons did you learn from this failure?
What is success to you?
Make a list of things that inspire or motivate you.
What are your goals? Short and long-term.
The earth element is grounded and stable. Earth focuses on what grounds us, how to remain humble and what matters to us. These journal prompt questions are going to focus on the practical aspect of ourselves. Here are some questions I came up with that you can try using as a journal prompt:
Who in your life can you rely on?
Who do you feel safe with?
Have you been taking care of your physical health?
How do you prioritize self-care?
What do you want to improve on daily?
What is a challenge in your life right now?
What challenges you managed to overcome so far?
Are you prioritizing peace?
The air element is intellectual and communicative. Air focuses on information, being open-minded, innovation, and ideas. These journal prompt questions are going to focus on the intellectual aspect of ourselves. Here are some questions I came up with that you can try using as a journal prompt:
What are your personal beliefs?
Have you ever felt spiritual?
What are some cultural beliefs that you follow?
What is purpose?
What values do you consider most important in life (for ex. honesty, justice, altruism, loyalty)? How do your actions align with those values?
What type of characteristics do you like about yourself?
What type of characteristics do you want to aspire to or improve on?
I hope these journal prompts help you on the journey of self-discovery. It's not easy to start facing aspects of ourselves we aren't used to perceiving. But this is a starting point. The self-journey is a fruitful one where you discover who you are and what you want to do with your life. Hope this gets you started on incorporating journaling into your life more.
You can read more journal prompt ideas here:
