Self-Care Writing Prompts for 2023

Self-Care. Whether journaling has been a part of your regular routine or not, studies show the incredibly positive effect it can have on your mental health, especially if you’ve been going through a lot. 

Every one of us goes through our own struggles and bears our own cross, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tools that can help us cope. Journaling is one of them. As you put your words to paper, they become a sort of salvation, resolution, or even a sanctuary to go back to and reflect. 

Sometimes they might help you de-stress by literally dumping whatever is occupying your mind, and other times they might serve as a point of reflection, helping you dissect a situation and gain some clarity. That’s why I believe you should give it a go. Five minutes or 20, one sentence or a full-blown page, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that while you’re writing it out, you start feeling lighter, better, and relaxed. Tap into self-care this year and let these prompts help you out if you don’t know where to start. 

This Year I Will Focus On…

You. Let 2023 be the year when you dive deeper into self-care and choose to put yourself first. Your needs, your wants, your dreams, your wishes. If you don’t take of yourself first, it’s almost impossible to be at your best for anyone else. 

We’re all guilty of putting ourselves far behind anyone else in our lives, burning ourselves to the ground, and not allowing our needs to even be acknowledged. Let this year be the year of change for you. Focus on you, on everything that will help you achieve your goals, and on all the ways you can invest in self-care. Start from the ground up. 

Every time you do this journaling exercise, focus on another want, need, goal, desire, or dream. And sooner or later, you’ll begin to realize how much more fulfilled and happier you’ll be once you choose yourself first. From cooking a healthy meal for one to choosing sleep over yet another Netflix binge marathon. Focus on you. This Year I Choose to Let Go…

This Year I Choose to Be Grateful For…

Another great writing prompt for 2023 is expressing gratitude for not only what you already have, but for everything new you’ll acquire throughout the year. Be selfishly grateful for every walk in the park, every sweaty workout, every bedtime prayer, every delicious meal, every late-night conversation, and every checked item on your to-do list. 

Be grateful for the small things, but also be grateful for the big ones. And go ahead, repeat yourself. Just because you wrote it on Monday doesn’t mean you aren’t grateful for it on Thursday. By expressing gratitude, you’re being more present in your everyday actions, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. They all add up. 

This Year I Choose to Let Go of…

The constant need to control.

Negativity, whether in the form of people or habits.

Things that don’t serve you. People too. 

Anything that goes against your integrity and peace.

Every prompt might be a little bit different each time you sit down and grab your pen. You might be driven by something that happened that day, or you might realize something about yourself that helps you let go of a long-held belief or habit. Be patient with yourself but also stay consistent with your actions. Letting go only works if you truly let go.

This Year I Will Let My Intuition Help Me…

Figure out who you are by listening to your own intuition. There is nothing more genuine than your own gut feeling, and as soon as you begin to tap into it, you’ll be able to fully understand its power. Whether that means listening to your body and choosing to skip a workout because you need rest or fueling up with healthy fats because it’s that time of the month, it all works out in your favor in the end. 

Going against yourself rarely proved to be a good thing, and the more you begin to listen closely, the more you’ll be able to rely on it. Trust yourself that your intuition knows the best for you, and take a bet on it this year. 

 

This Year I Will Walk Instead of Run…

Where are we constantly running to? It seems like we never slow down. The world is spinning at a really fast pace, but that doesn’t mean we have to be caught up in the hamster wheel. Let this year be the turning point for you when you stop and realize that not everything has to be done right now. 

There are plenty of positives from slowing down, taking a walk instead of increasing your pace, and absorbing everything you manage to collect along the way. Smells, sounds, views, memories. 

This Year I Will Learn to Love Myself…

Probably the hardest of all writing prompts for 2023, but also the most important. If you really get into the habit of writing often, maybe even daily, you’ll quickly understand how your thought process won’t be linear. You’ll have ups, downs, doubts, setbacks, and questions. A ton of questions. But they will all lead to a better understanding of your relationship with yourself. 

And you will learn to understand yourself better, know what triggers you and what makes you tick, learn how to let go of whatever doesn’t serve you and provide yourself with tools and routines that will only feed into self-love. This might mean a thousand different things, as the way we show love doesn’t have to be in the form of affection. It can be a warm meal on a cold day, choosing to stay in instead of going out to dinner, or sitting in a quiet room while reading a book. 

But what it comes down to is accepting yourself in every possible situation, working on your traits and behavior, choosing yourself first, and practicing what you preach. 

Final Thoughts

Journaling is a wonderful way of learning more about yourself, finding a way to cope with difficult situations, and allowing yourself to say whatever is on your mind without the fear of judgment. Try it out this year and notice its positive effect on your mental health.