Journal Prompts

Do you ever wake up in the morning and you make a cup of tea or coffee, and you sit there and you just think? I’ve been making it a daily habit to sit there with the silence that I do have and to create a few journal prompts. I wanted to share these with you because journaling can be a tedious task but I don’t like to think of it as tedious. More so, it should be a habit that we slowly develop over time. I used to journal a lot when I was younger and I would journal on and off throughout the years. I never stopped writing down my thoughts and/or feelings as I feel that this is crucial for a healthier mindset and growth. We cannot keep our thoughts and/or feelings in for too long or else we will explode at some point in our lives. Luckily, I’ve never exploded at anyone in real life and I would never do that. I do know that journaling is not for some people and that is okay — That’s what other professional supports and outlets are for; we just have to find those supports and/or outlets for those people, and this takes time. Time and patience is what matters. Being there for someone and listening to what someone needs and wants makes the difference. Everything takes time.

A few journal prompts I felt that I needed to share include the following and I will talk about these prompts in greater detail:

• Gratitude: What makes you grateful to wake up every morning? What are the small things that you have at this very moment? (make a list of these). What are three improvements/changes that you wish you can make (long or short term are okay)?
• Vision Board: Create a vision board of your goals and keep in mind the S.M.A.R.T principles. S.M.A.R.T stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. These goals can either be long or short term. Also, these goals must have a purpose, be specific, have a set deadline, and must be attainable to achieve the goal(s) at some point. I will eventually talk about this in a broader context.
• Recovery: What does recovery personally mean for you? Please keep in mind that there are no wrong answers here. Everyone will have a different response to this and that is okay. Recovery can look like healing and healing can be quite messy if you really think about it. Keep in mind the saying, “progress is not linear” as this goes along with our own recovery and journey in this life.
• Sobriety: How do you feel mentally and physically to rid your body of all substances? How do you feel mentally and physically to abstain your body from just alcohol? Do you have clearer thinking? Are you able to make reasonable and rationale decisions? Sobriety can be defined very differently and I will eventually talk about this soon as well.
• Change: What does change ultimately mean to you? Please keep in mind that change can look and be different for all of us. It takes time for someone to make subtle changes in their life. It is not easy to implement particular changes and to be self aware of the changes that we need to make. However, change comes with growth and this can be related to our own recovery and healing. Again, progress is not linear.
• Self Awareness: Are you self aware of your own toxic behaviors or you’re not? I’m self aware of a few of my own personal toxic behaviors. We can all be toxic to a certain extent. It is about developing that self awareness of those behaviors and self reflecting to make necessary changes. This process can be challenging especially if one has auditory processing difficulties as I post a lot on the alternative universe (X and/or Twitter — I personally still call the platform Twitter but that’s me).
• Accountability: What does holding yourself accountable mean for you? A very good friend recently told me how I play the victim at times and I spoke to her about this in person and also self reflected on those words. I know what she means. I play the victim by constantly replaying the traumatic memories and living in the past which inhibits my personal growth and development. I play the victim by refusing to listen to constructive criticism and that is being in emotional mind to devalue my worth and self. These behaviors can be toxic and with the appropriate changes, we can step out of victim mode to become more resilient individuals who are capable to do and be anything. That is why self reflection and genuine connections are a must. We need real friends to be honest with us. Real friendships will be honest about our own behaviors and try to help us learn and grow. The fake ones will watch us wither away, destroy, and self sabotage our lives and interpersonal relationships; those are the toxic ones in my personal opinion and nobody needs those relationships.
• Kindness: What does being kind look like to you? What are some kind gestures you have practiced in your external and internal environments? I have a personal question to you — Have you ever bought a stranger a gift such as a meal or flowers even? I have and this gesture felt very nice. Please keep in mind that we are all on the same planet together and we should try to be there for one another.

We rise by lifting one another.

• Resiliency: What does resilience mean to you? I can talk about resiliency many times and this definition will look different for each of us. We are all at different wavelengths in this journey called life. Resiliency for someone may look like ‘getting up out of bed’ and that’s it. Resiliency for myself at this very moment is to just get out of bed, get my laundry done, make myself breakfast, and to have a coffee. My own personal resiliency may change in a day or a week from now. Resiliency will change in time especially depending on someone’s life circumstances and what they are going through.
• Self Care: What does practicing self care look like to you? Do you believe that having and implementing daily and occasional boundaries is practicing self care?
• Boundaries: What do your own personal boundaries look like for you? Please describe and make a list of your own practices to keep yourself safe (when the need arises)? Has someone ever been upset and/or angry because you set a boundary? If so, this is okay and the emotion(s) are normal.
• Hope: What is hope to you? I know that, often, we may think that all hope is gone; this isn’t true though. Having hope can look like ‘continuing to go on’ even in the midst of challenges, obstacles, and setbacks. Which type of setbacks and/or challenges have you recently came across and how did you overcome those challenges and/or setbacks? How do you overcome particular challenges and/or setbacks? These are all questions to possibly think about, to journal, and to self reflect on.
• Higher Power: From attending previous and recent recovery meetings (Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine's Anonymous, and Alcoholics Anonymous) — I have learned the core essentials and basics of ‘what having a higher power’ is. I used to attend a bunch of these meetings from 2016–2017 and then I stopped. I stopped because I did not understand the meetings/readings and I attempted to understand everything on my own. I have processing difficulties and going with friend(s) to these meetings do help. These meetings are beneficial for connections and further learning. Recovery meetings are great for everyone to attend.
• Self Diagnosis: Some people say, “self diagnosis is not valid and that you must obtain a thorough assessment.” This is not necessarily true as self diagnosis can be very accurate; as individuals, we know ourselves very well and more so than other people know us. I have been assessed and diagnosed for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in early 2023, which is a start to getting a better and more thorough assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder as I know and am aware that there is something more going on than just the ADHD. I have Central Auditory Processing Disorder, and I try to advocate and talk about this openly as much as I can. What does self diagnosis look like to you? Have you self diagnosed your own autism? Do your workplaces and/or friends know that you are autistic? Do your workplaces and/or friends know about your own personal struggles and diagnosis's? Have you openly asked for the necessary accommodations for your diagnoses?
• Autism: I’ve read recently that the majority of individuals are being assessed and diagnosed with autism. Understandably, Autism Spectrum Disorder can be very complex and it is still very much so misunderstood. I’ve gone my whole life misdiagnosed and the autistic traits are more prevalent over the borderline traits. I was only diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as a result of my prior sexual assault from 2016 and my neglect, abuse, and abandonment issues from childhood and today. However, I was diagnosed very quickly by a psychiatrist who lacked the proficiency and skillset to diagnose myself with BPD. To this day, I do not have contact with that psychiatrist as I felt unsupported by her. It’s an inappropriate diagnosis and that is why from last to this year, I have been very transparent with my own autistic traits and auditory processing challenges in which I will continue to talk about in depth.
• Misdiagnosis's: How many of you have been incorrectly and misdiagnosed by the wrong diagnosis? I know I have! Just because someone has severe abandonment wounds does not imply that they have borderline personality disorder. The majority of those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are actually misdiagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and I have friends who are examples of this, myself included too. Do you notice how I do not really talk about BPD as much as I used to but I talk more about my own autistic traits?
• Communication: What are your communication styles? Do you feel that when you communicate to people, people understand what you are saying? Are you able to fully read social cues or do you struggle with reading social cues? For myself, I struggle with social cues and to further express my needs and wants. For the most part, I am a listener in Twitter/X spaces because I am very socially awkward and I always get my words twisted and so that is why I keep quiet. At times, it is better to enforce silence and to just listen.

I hope these journal prompts do help to a certain extent. Please stay tuned for additional entries and I cannot guaranteed when I will be posting soon. My life is incredibly busy and I try to make time as much as I can. I will post when I post!

Stay safe and happy 2024!!

Thank you for reading.

• Mystic