Self-Love Journaling
After completing daily Day One prompts for July, I was interested in finding another way to engage in regular writing, using prompts. Quickly, Day One rose to the occasion. On their blog, I found a post on Self Love journaling, suggesting a few sets of questions to help promote an internal conversation that inspires care toward yourself.
The idea of self-gratitude and appreciation is not foreign to me, but having specific questions can help to approach this concept from different angles. Being able to find qualities in yourself that you value and appreciate has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health and stress reduction. Self-compassion means treating ourselves with warmth, caring and kindness. Brené Brown describes self-compassion as “an ability to relate to yourself in a way that is forgiving, accepting and loving when situations may be less than optimal.” Creating this as a daily practice strengthens the ability to engage in the same skill when we are suffering and in need of this kind of love and support.
I chose to start with the following prompts specifically related to self-love:
What are five qualities I love about myself?
Today I will show my body love by doing this…
When was the last time I did something loving for myself, and how did that make me feel?
Write about someone who uplifts me each time I’m with them.
What words of love do I need to hear right now?
Who made me feel loved as a child, and how did they do it?
What are three accomplishments I’m proud of?
What have I accomplished in the last five years?
Write about a difficult situation I overcame.
What are three acts of kindness I’ve done for others recently? How did it make me feel to do those things?
The Day One blog offers sets of questions for other adjacent topics as well:
Self-Reflection & Personal Growth
Gratitude & Appreciation
Forgiveness & Letting Go
Personal Strengths & Achievements
Having the Day One app is not needed to access these prompts (though I definitely recommend this as a journaling platform.) They are all accessible via the blog on their website.