8 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts for Daily Soul Care
Ever feel scattered? Icky in your skin? Try using daily self-reflection journal prompts for some serious soul care.
Sometimes it seems like you can’t quite squeeze in the soul love you need until you’re about to crash into bed.
Friend, you are God’s beloved!
Your life matters (in a huge, He designed YOU to make an impact kind of way)!!
You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.
I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to intentionally self-reflect about your day, thoughts, and feelings.
In this post, you’ll find out what self-reflection is, why it matters for God’s beloved, ways to self-reflect, the importance of giving yourself grace to pivot, and a few prompts to inspire you to take care of your soul.
Let’s dive in!
- What is self-reflection?
- Living as God's beloved: Where self-reflection comes in
- You've got so many ways to self-reflect!
- Give yourself grace about self-reflection
- Daily self-reflection journal prompts
- Truth or encouragement to dwell on
- Some truths to dwell on
- The scripture you're focusing on + thoughts
- Heart Dump or Brain Dump
- Prayer Focus
- A few areas of life you might want to pray over
- Gratitude / Wonders / Wins
- Challenges and Pivots
- Things you're letting go of and giving to God now
- Set your priorities for the next day
- Three resources to help you start incorporating these tips in your life
- Articles related to self-reflection journal prompts for soul-care
- Wrapping up self-reflection journal prompts for soul-care
What is self-reflection?
Let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what self-reflection is.
Here’s one take that I particularly appreciate:
Self-reflection is deliberate time set aside to slow down in the busyness of your life to look back on your day, month or year in an attempt to learn from your experiences, desires, and feelings
Seattle Christian Counseling
Merriam-Webster lists these synonyms for self-reflection
- Introspection
- Self-contemplation
- Self-examination
- Self-observation
- Self-questioning
- Self-scrutiny
- Self-searching
- Soul-searching
Whoa!
On one hand, you might see these terms as super exciting (“Soul-searching? Count me in!”). Yet on the other hand, some terms might be more intimidating (“Self-scrutiny? Yikes!”).
Basically, self-reflection is a great way to intentionally ponder your experience, thoughts, and feelings.
Living as God’s beloved: Where self-reflection comes in
As God’s beloved, your life matters SO MUCH. God calls us to intentionally love Him with our hearts, souls, bodies, and mind.
Jesus also commanded us to examine ourselves for our own sins first.
Paul writes about how important it is for our minds to be transformed by God. I love how the Amplified Bible translation puts it.
By focusing your mind on godly values and ethical attitudes, you can become more like Christ!
That, my friends, is what self-reflection is truly all about – leaning into our God-given identity as his beloved so we can become more like Him!
You’ve got so many ways to self-reflect!
While journaling digitally is my go-to approach for self-reflection, it may not be your style. Here are a few ways you can self-reflect:
- Journaling with pen and paper and/or digitally
- Meditation
- Walking or exercising (Hello, healthy happy movement!)
- Speaking aloud and recording your thoughts
- Dialoguing about these questions with a caring companion
More ideas can be found in this article: 15 Essential Ways to Practice Self-Reflection.
Give yourself grace about self-reflection
Your self-reflection doesn’t always have to happen in the same way at the same time.
Sure, being consistent is key to developing great habits.
But it’s also okay to pivot when you need to.
Maybe you’ve got some physical distractions that make it hard to be present – overtired, achy body, hungry, etc.
Perhaps you’ve got just too much going on to slow down your brain. (Hint: That might be a clue you actually need to take a 5-minute pause!)
Please, please don’t let guilt or shame be your driver. This ought to be a life-giving practice, not a soul-sucking yet-another-to-do-list item.
Whatever it is – give yourself grace to pivot. To pause.
It’s okay to be human.
Need a little more grace in your life? Here are 6 Practical Ideas to Focus on Grace in 2021.
Daily self-reflection journal prompts
Below are several self-reflection prompts that I come back to over and over again to evaluate my day, thoughts, and emotions.
They are just soul-good!
Truth or encouragement to dwell on
After several days of feeling just not right in my skin, I chatted about it with my dearest and cutest friend, my husband.
Since I already review my priorities for the next day the evening before, he suggested I also pick a truth or Scripture to dwell on, too.
That way I could start my day with a simple truth or encouraging statement just waiting for me.
Less decision fatigue! A simple, soul-good start to the day! Yay!
Isn’t he the coolest guy?!
When you take time for self-reflection, it can be soul-good to dwell on a short Scripture or mantra to focus your thoughts and emotions.
And… if you don’t have the time to really sit down for a deep dive study, this can also be really user-friendly. Put your focus statement somewhere prominent so you can be reminded of it multiple times a day.
Some truths to dwell on
- Specific scriptures
- I have God-given gifts to share with the world
- Take a pause – less input. More output.
- What my people need most from me is my presence
- Be present. Be at rest. Play.
- He is all I need.
- Do the hard work.
- Be still first. One thing at a time.
- Reset each moment if you need to. That’s okay.
- Holy Spirit, you are here.
- His grace is enough.
The scripture you’re focusing on + thoughts
If you’re pursuing your own deeper Scripture study, then writing out your thoughts and observations may help you gain a deeper grasp of God’s message.
This can help you not just read the text but also think about the text.
Here’s some information about the power of journaling.
Heart Dump or Brain Dump
Things weighing on your heart? Too much busy in your brain? Dump it out.
Don’t overthink it or try to say it perfectly. Just spill it out.
Along the way, you might actually discover how to deal with what’s nagging you!
Here’s some more information about brain dumps:
Unfortunately, there’s not much out there about heart dumps. Perhaps I need to write that post!
Prayer Focus
As God’s beloved, we’re called to pray unceasingly.
Let’s be honest – we’ve been given this crazy awesome gift to talk with our Creator all the time, anywhere. Talk about incredible!
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to forget to consciously connect with God about people on my heart.
In my own prayer life, it’s been life-giving to have a rhythm of being more intentional in my conversations with God about the people and passions I love.
For instance, I tend to pray specifically for my husband and son in the mornings, for church and Coffee Chats and Yoga Mats during naptime, and for people on my heart and just praising God in the evenings.
This is NOT about being legalistic in your prayer life. A prayer rhythm has helped me more intentionally connect with God. If you find this helpful, awesome! If you don’t, that’s okay!
It may help you to zoom in on particular relationships, concerns, or passions to intentionally and thoughtfully pray about them.
A few areas of life you might want to pray over
- Connecting with God
- Spouse or significant other
- Children
- Extended family and friends
- God’s body of believers, the church
- Your career/passions
- People on your heart
- Praise
Gratitude / Wonders / Wins
Gratitude: What are you thankful for? Curious to learn more? How to Make a Gratitude List.
Personally, I just don’t get excited about writing gratitude lists. I’ve done it for months at a time and just don’t look forward to it.
So, instead, I focus on my wonders and wins.
Wonders: What’s filled you with wonder or delight?
Wonder – a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
For me, that may include cuddling with my husband, singing loudly with my son, and watching my creamer swirl into my coffee.
Wins: What big and small victories did you have?
Sometimes this has been about how I leaned into my priorities that day, kept my cool when Little Man threw his dishes on the floor for the 10th time during a meal, got in the groove with Coffee Chats and Yoga Mats, or a day without head pain. (Huzzah!!)
(Let’s be honest: This could just be me using different terms for gratitude. I’m okay with that. It gets me to show up!)
Challenges and Pivots
Some days are more challenging than others. Perhaps you lost your temper that day. Maybe you over-stacked yourself.
Brain-dumping my challenges helps me troubleshoot how I could pivot for future times OR celebrate the pivots I made.
For instance, back in April, my son wasn’t eating breakfast. It was totally demoralizing and I was internally freaking out, “He’s going to starve! What am I doing wrong?! How do I nourish my child??”
(Let’s be real: doesn’t this happen on the regular with kids? If you also struggle with getting your child to eat food, 14 Easy Mealtime Hacks for Parents of Toddlers may help. I’m not an eating expert – other than I like eating – so these are some things I’ve picked up while trying to nourish my child.)
Later that evening during my spiritual pause and self-reflection time, I jotted down my challenges and pivots:
- Little Man wasn’t digging breakfast – have an alternative in mind &/ sweeten the cereal with honey or fruit
It’s not complicated, but stepping back for a bit and thinking proactively helped clarify what the challenge was and how I could pivot to potentially alleviate frustration.
Things you’re letting go of and giving to God now
Sometimes things just nag at you and make it hard to be present, to sleep, or other such things.
It might help you to write down what you’re letting go of and giving to God.
Will you need to do this over and over again?
Sometimes.
Does that mean something is WRONG with you?
No.
Though Peter wasn’t writing about repeat prayer concerns, he was pretty clear about casting ALL your anxieties on God.
This simple practice has been helping me to let go of what I’m gripping onto so tightly.
Frequently, I keep coming back to it over and over again each day – like my head hurting. That’s okay. God knows my heart.
And He knows your heart, too!
Set your priorities for the next day
Most evenings during my spiritual pause and self-reflection time, I start a new daily reflection entry for the next day and sketch out my priorities for the day. Rather than deciding the day of, I’m starting with a clean slate and a clear focus for the day.
Not sure what that might look like?
Here’s the way I organize my priorities – maybe it’ll inspire you to figure out YOUR priorities!
- Truth or encouragement to dwell on
- Focused quality time with God (such as reading Scripture, prayer, praise, journaling, etc.)
- Being present with those you love
- Cup fillers or joy boosters
- Scheduled events or activities (especially those beyond the norm – the things you’ll need help remembering or make space for)
- Tasks (career, education, household, etc.)
- Passion projects
- Healthy happy movement
Three resources to help you start incorporating these tips in your life
Buy the Intentional Life Planning Toolkit
The Intentional Life Planning Toolkit is the perfect resource to help you move from being overwhelmed by your distractions and demands to living life on purpose.
You’ll determine what an intentional life would look like for you and learn how to leverage your God-given personality, so you can thrive in your life, including your faith, priorities, schedule, responsibilities, meals, relationships, adventures, and more.
The Intentional Life Planning Toolkit may be just what you’re looking for!
P.S. Coffee Chats and Yoga Mats email subscribers get a discounted price!
Articles related to self-reflection journal prompts for soul-care
- Pep Talk: Healthy Happy Movement + Self-Reflection
- Pep Talk: Yoga + Weekly Planning
- 4 Tips to Take a Spiritual Pause with God
- Why filling your cup is so important (and how to actually do it!)
- 51 Simple Joy Boosting Ideas for Your Day to Day
- How a Weekly Planning Routine Can Improve Your Life
- 6 Practical Ideas to Focus on Grace in 2021
Wrapping up self-reflection journal prompts for soul-care
I hope these ideas inspired you to create more space in your life to self-reflect for some solid soul care.
As a quick recap, the self-reflection journal prompts discussed in this post are:
- Truth or encouragement to dwell on
- Scripture you’re focusing on + thoughts
- Heart Dump or Brain Dump
- Prayer Focus
- Gratitude / Wonders / Wins
- Challenges and Pivots
- Things you’re letting go of and giving to God now
- Set your priorities for the next day
You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.
Live intentionally by creating space for soul care. Start today!
P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.
I’m Cortney, a recovering over-achiever and God’s beloved who loves helping fellow Christian women like you embrace your God-given gifts so you have the confidence to live authentically.
I’m also a full-time mama to two sweet little boys, wife to my best friend, motivational speaker, and part-time Christian life coach. Chai lattes, strong coffee, podcasts, yoga, dance, and fairy tales nourish my soul and add sweetness to life.
Discovering the joy of embracing my God-given gifts and who He created me to be was a game-changer—a journey that brought freedom, unexpected delights, and relief from guilt. Finally, I felt free to be myself and ditch the pressure of being someone I wasn’t.
Incorporating those gifts into my day—from weekly planning to deciding on commitments, nurturing my marriage, and parenting—transformed everything. Now, I can’t imagine life without the perspective of fully embracing who God created me to be. I was missing so much without it!
