The Best Journaling Prompts to Get You Through This Back-to-School Season
While there are some things most of us look forward to when it comes to back-to-school season (seeing our friends again after a summer away, getting to show off our newest outfits and potentially finding a new classroom crush, to name a few), the idea of trading in lazy days lounging by the pool or going on trips with your friends for spending the majority of each day at a desk and nights hunched over homework is not exactly a fun one.
If there's one thing we've learned that can make all the difference in terms of how we look at challenging times in life, it's remaining mindful—and journaling can be an incredible tool for achieving and improving mindfulness, not to mention for your mental health overall.
But to just tell you to start journaling to get through back-to-school season this year just wouldn't be good enough. After all, the right prompt can take you from trailing off on thoughts that don't lead anywhere to actually organizing your ideas, gaining clarity on certain situations and even making your dreams a reality. Think of journaling prompts as a guide—something that helps you go deeper and enjoy the act of writing out your thoughts and dreams more than you would without them. Some prompts can help you get through the back-to-school season with ease, and they are:
Where Do I See Myself at the End of This Year?
It's easy to get caught up in the stress and excitement of the start of the school year, but visualizing where you want to be at the end of it is a great way to subconsciously map out how you want to spend the whole year and what you need to do to get to where you want to end up. Your answer could be long or short (whether it's "accepted at my dream university" or just "happy and surrounded by friends I love"), but think really hard before putting pen to paper.
(via Unsplash)
Who Do I Want to Be This School Year?
Now, think about yourself on a deeper level—less about who you are now and more about who you aspire to be. Is it someone who gets straight A's? Someone who works out after school every day? Someone who makes everyone from their teachers to their peers feel happier just by being around? Get into detail and write it all out.
Also read about: 5 Little Things You Can Do to Improve Mindfulness
What Accomplishments Do I Want to Achieve Before This Semester Ends?
This one goes hand in hand with the prompts above, but it helps you focus more on setting actual goals. That way, you can do more than just dream about who you want to be and how you want to end the year—you can actually start to work your way towards making it all happen. After all, you can't win the talent show if you don't practice, you can't get that internship you want if you don't complete your applications and you certainly can't get into your top choice college if you don't focus on your schoolwork.
What Habits Are Holding Me Back From Being My Best Self (in School or Otherwise)?
Think long and hard about your day-to-day habits: What do you do that's not quite so good for getting you to where you want to be, and what do you do that's straight up holding you back? Whether it's spending time with the wrong people or simply on the wrong things, there's a good chance that there are a few areas of your life that could do with some improvement. By journaling these habits out with this prompt, you can recognize what behaviors need to change and work towards cutting these bad habits out (and hopefully replacing them with better ones).
How Do I Enjoy Spending My Time Outside of Class and Why?
This is a question you likely don't stop to think about all that often, but taking the time to write it out in your journal is exceptionally effective for recognizing where your time is best spent. Do you get most of your enjoyment from spending time with friends? Do you like to go for long hot girl walks around your neighborhood? How about volunteering at a local animal shelter? Whatever your answer is, this can give some insight into where you might want to spend more of your free time and could even help you figure out a future career path.
What Am I Doing to Prioritize My Health and Happiness Now That School is Back?
Now for the finale: What are you doing right now that is helping you feel better about going back to school this season? Journaling is actually a great place to start, but think outside of the box and, if you can't think of anything, get going on doing whatever you can to prioritize your health (mental and physical) and well-being.
(via Unsplash)
Also read about: 5 Journaling Prompts to Try Out This Fall
The Best Journals to Get You Started
Sure, you could just pick out any old notebook and start jotting down your answers to all the back-to-school prompts listed above—but having the right journal can help you organize your thoughts even better and get clear about what it is you want to manifest, as well as what you want to remove from your path. A few of our favorite options include:
- The Maniscripting Life Design Journal: $60
- Journal 180's undated lifestyle self-care journal: $37.97
- This guided wellness journal: $38
- This personal growth planning journal: $32
(via Best Self)
All in all, having the right prompt can upgrade the way you see journaling and how effective it can be at helping you stay on track to manifest whatever you want out of this school year. Plus, it's just a great way to stay mindful and beat the back-to-school blues! For more ideas on how to keep the pain of going back to campus at bay, click HERE.