You don’t have to know what you’re feeling to start writing. Some days a prompt will open something unexpected. Other days the words won’t come at all and that’s information too. Sometimes the writing is how you find out.
These prompts aren’t here to give you answers. They’re here to help you find the ones that were already yours. Start anywhere. Skip what doesn’t fit. Come back to the ones that made you pause as those are usually worth a second look.
- Where does anxiety live in my body? What does it feel like physically?
- What’s the worst-case scenario I keep replaying? What’s the most realistic one?
- What has worried me before that eventually turned out okay?
- What’s one thing I can do right now that’s within my control?
- If my anxiety were a character in a story, what would it look like, what would it want, and what would it be afraid of?
- What would it feel like to trust myself a little more?
- What do I need to hear right now that I’m struggling to believe?
- What do I wish my parents understood about being my age right now?
- Is there something I’ve wanted to say to a family member but haven’t found the words for?
- What’s one thing my family does that I hope I carry with me? What’s one thing I hope to do differently?
- When did I last feel truly seen by someone at home?
- What does “home” mean to me. Is it a place, a person, a feeling? How do I feel being at home?
- What’s a family story I’ve heard so many times it’s become part of how I understand myself?
- What would I want my family to know about who I’m becoming?
- Who am I when no one is watching?
- What parts of myself do I hide depending on who I’m with — and why?
- What labels have other people put on me that don’t quite fit?
- What would I do, wear, say, or pursue if I knew no one would judge me?
- What’s something about me that has quietly changed in the last year?
- Is there a version of myself I’ve been performing that I’m tired of?
- What do I actually value — not what I’m supposed to value, but what genuinely matters to me?
- If I had to describe my true self in three words that nobody else chose for me, what would they be?
- What’s happening in the world right now that I find genuinely hard to carry?
- Where do I find hope, even small amounts of it, when things feel bleak?
- What’s one thing I could do no matter how small which would make something slightly better for someone else?
- Who are the people or voices that help me make sense of things?
- What do I want to stand for, even if I’m still figuring out how?
- What gives me a sense that things can change?
- Which friendships leave me feeling full, and which ones leave me feeling empty?
- Is there someone in my life I keep making excuses for? What would I tell a friend in the same situation?
- What does loyalty mean to me and has anyone ever crossed that line?
- Is there a friendship I’ve been grieving without admitting it?
- What kind of friend am I when things get hard for others, and for myself?
- What’s something I’ve never told my closest friend but wish they knew?
- Who in my life has surprised me with their kindness when I least expected it?
- What’s going well right now that I haven’t stopped to appreciate?
- Who do I want to thank and have I told them?
- What does joy feel like in my body, in my day, in my life right now?
- What am I quietly excited about that I haven’t let myself fully feel yet?
- What am I becoming that I like?
- What moment from recently do I want to hold onto?
- What would I tell a new student about surviving this school, honestly?
- If my grades don’t define me, what does?
- What subject or topic genuinely lights something up in me; even if it’s not on the curriculum?
- What does “doing my best” actually look like on a hard day, not a good one?
- If I could redesign one thing about my school life, what would it be and why?
- What am I learning outside of school that nobody is grading me on?
- When did I last feel genuinely proud of something I worked hard at?
Sometimes one sentence is enough. These are for the days when the page feels too blank and too big:
- Today I felt…
- I’ve been avoiding…
- Something I noticed about myself this week…
- One thing I’m not saying out loud…
- Right now my body feels…
- The thought I keep coming back to is…
- What I actually need today is…
- I’m slowly learning that…
- Something I want to remember…
- If today had a colour, it would be…
- If my life were a book, what would this chapter be called?
- What’s a belief I inherited that I’m not sure is actually mine?
- What does success mean to me. Is it separate from what anyone else has told me it should mean?
- What am I most afraid people would find out about me?
- Is that fear protecting me or limiting me?
- What would I do with my life if money, expectation, and other people’s opinions were completely removed from the equation?
- What’s the most honest thing I’ve never written down?
- If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice from six months ago, what would it be?
- What does the truest, most rested, most at-home version of me actually look like?
- What am I grieving right now, even if it doesn’t look like grief from the outside?
- What did this chapter of my life teach me that I didn’t expect to learn?
- What am I holding onto that might be ready to be let go?
- Who was I at the beginning of this and who am I now that it’s over?
- What would I want to say to mark this ending properly, even if only to myself?
- What’s the kindest way I can close this door?
How parents can support
Teens don’t always come to us when they’re struggling. They come to us when they trust that we won’t make it worse. That trust is built in the ordinary moments. The car rides. The late-night kitchen conversations. The times you stayed curious instead of concerned.
You don’t need to understand everything they’re going through. You just need them to know that you’re trying to — and that you’re not going anywhere.
If your teen is using these prompts, the best thing you can do is give them privacy to do it. Let them know the journal is theirs. Don’t ask to read it. But do let them know without pressure that if anything comes up that they want to talk about, you’re there.
That’s it. That’s enough.
A note on the hard moments
Sometimes a teen will say something that frightens you. About how they’re feeling, about the future, about themselves. Try to stay calm on the outside even if you’re not calm on the inside as your steadiness in that moment tells them it’s safe to keep talking.
If you’re concerned about your teen’s mental health, trust your instinct. You know them. A conversation with their GP, a school counsellor, or a family therapist isn’t an overreaction but coming from the love you have for them and staying closer when the stakes are higher.
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