Journaling Ideas for Beginners: Tips, Prompts, and Daily Practices

How many times have you overthought it, swearing you’d start journaling, only to open your notebook and stare at a blank page? You promise yourself that tomorrow will be a different day, but the question, “What on earth do I write?” still pops up in your head.

Here are simple, beginner-friendly journaling ideas and prompts to help you start journaling and take care of your mental health today.

Key Learnings

• Journaling can reduce stress, boost focus, and help regulate emotions.
• Different journaling styles — written, digital, voice, or video — offer flexibility to suit various preferences.
• Journaling feels more natural when connected to everyday routines.
• Digital tools such as the Liven app can simplify mood tracking and personal growth.

How Can One Benefit from a Journaling Habit? 

You can benefit from consistent journaling practices in many ways.

Better Self-Regulation 

In one of the studies, 152 people were asked to fill in digital journaling prompts that heavily focused on positive things for 28 days. The findings showed that participants felt more balanced and could control their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors better. 

Reduced Stress Levels

You can pour your worries onto the page, unpack what happened during the day, and feel your mind start to quiet down. Once your thoughts are out instead of swirling in your head, you might even fall asleep easier and wake up with a lighter mind.

Improved Focus and Motivation 

Journaling helps you sort out your priorities and stay laser-focused on things that really matter. You no longer have to spread yourself thin and can dedicate your time and energy to goals that truly move you forward.

Find Your Flow with the Right Journaling Practice 

There are plenty of journaling activities to choose from beyond traditional "Dear diary" entries. Perhaps you’ve got drawing or painting skills, or you love recording voice messages. So why not choose the format that feels cozier and more convenient?

#1: Create an Art Journal 

Art journaling helps you turn emotions into images and to let your feelings breathe on paper. Perfect for a rainy day when you want to express your mood, find inspiration, and turn feelings into visuals.

🎨 Ideas for Art Journal Prompts (and How to Begin)

• Mix short reflections with doodles, sketches, or cutouts to capture your mood
• Collect magazine clippings, nature sketches, or color swatches that spark ideas
• Create a page dedicated to “What gives me hope right now?”
• Illustrate a point in your day that felt meaningful and add a caption

#2: Try a Video Recording Journal 

When you record your life, you let your camera capture what happened in real time, all in all preserving tone, facial expressions, and emotions.

🎬 Ideas for Video Journal Prompts

• Record a 2-minute reflection on the best thing that happened today
• Document a small win or accomplishment each day
• You can use dedicated video journaling tools like Talkbook or Happyfeed.

#3: Explore a Voice Recording Journal

Log your thoughts and feelings as short voice journal entries throughout the day.

🎧 Voice Recording Journal Ideas 

• Start each entry with: “Today, this is what happened…”
• Describe one thought that’s causing stress and then reframe it with hope.
• End with: “Tomorrow, I want to focus on/accomplish/decide…”

#4: Digital Journaling

Digital journaling is like the good old diary entry, but this time on a device such as a phone, tablet, or laptop. It’s a perfect alternative if you dislike carrying a notebook with a pen everywhere you go. 

You can go paperless with a mental health app like Liven, your digital companion for tracking moods, understanding emotions, and finding balance in daily life. And when things feel heavy, Livie, your personal AI companion inside Liven, is always there to listen. You can vent, reflect, or ask for guidance anytime, and Livie will gently help you process what you’re feeling in the moment.

Even better, Liven doesn’t stop at awareness. It helps you move forward. With tools like the dopamine management plan, you can build healthier habits, boost motivation, and reconnect with what truly energizes you.

Examples of Digital Journal Prompts 

• What one word best sums up your day?
• What’s the biggest worry on your mind right now?
• What are three things you’d like to focus on at the beginning of tomorrow?

#5: Gratitude Journaling

This practice helps you soften self-criticism and work through patterns of devaluation and perfectionism. Gratitude is key to happiness: not only does it boost happiness by 10% and reduces depressive symptoms by 35%, but it also increases your chances to live longer by 9%.

Journal Prompts for Daily Gratitude 

• List three things that happened today that make you grateful.
• Describe a moment that gives you hope
• Write down what you loved about your job today

#6: Morning Pages 

Morning pages is a practice where you let your spontaneous thoughts flow on paper and write about anything that comes to your mind. It’s a great tool to clear your mind and process thoughts, helping you realize patterns, decide priorities, and prepare to accomplish your day’s goals. 

📚 Did you know? The idea of Morning Pages comes from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way, where she shares creative tools for getting “unstuck” and tapping into everyday inspiration.

Examples of Morning Pages: Journal Prompts

• Reflect on recurring thoughts, feelings, and fears
• Note any ideas or inspirations that come to mind

By the way, you can add a bit of diary journaling to your morning pages practice to make it even more effective. Over time, that intentional self-reflection can help you deal with unhealthy behaviors like perfectionism, over-thinking and rumination, and others. 

Take Christen Smith’s TEDx Talk, where she shares how journaling became her way to face perfectionism head-on and grow stronger through self-reflection.

#7: Keep a Bullet Journal 

Use a simple notebook to organize your daily routine, plan for tomorrow, and reflect on the past. 

You can actually divide your page into parts like "My mood," "Daily tasks," "Daily wins," "Thought of the day," etc. And because you don’t have to write in full sentences, you can quickly log your thoughts and easily capture ideas.

Bullet Journaling Ideas for Beginners

• Add comments about what you’ve learned during your day
• Keep a simple food journal to log meals or track habits
• Use prompts to describe emotions, note when you feel stressed, or record reflections after guided meditation

How to Start Journaling and Make It Stick 

You don’t always need a fancy notebook in the beginning of your journaling journey; a phone would suffice if you’ve installed an app like Liven. It acts as your personal digital friend, always there to help you track your emotions and listen to your worries. 

The best thing about journaling is its flexibility. So, here is the plan. 

#1: Choose Your Format 

Pick the medium that feels most convenient. You might prefer the tactile feeling of writing on a paper or, on the contrary, you’d love to keep your prompts voice-to-text. 

Don’t worry if the format you choose doesn’t suit you well — just try a few others and see what works best.

#2: Keep It Judgement-Free and Realistic 

Remove the pressure of perfectionism: your journal is a private space where words heal; there is no need to keep it polished. 

Remember: one messy page will do more for you than a “perfect” one you’ll never write.

#3: Pair a Journaling Session with Things You Already Love

You don’t have to turn journaling into another job. Just combine it with things you already enjoy, such as your morning coffee or a walk in nature. 

Your brain already associates these activities with "feeling good," so it will be easier to trick your brain into seeing journaling as a rewarding ritual, not a chore.

📚 Did you know? In one of the studies, middle-school students reported higher happiness and lower stress levels after a 75-minute nature journaling session. They also felt more grateful and connected to themselves. 

#4: Keep It Short and Sweet Once You Start Writing

There are multiple diary journaling ideas for beginners, and none of them says that you have to write full essays. A few sentences every day will suffice as well as a few minutes to check in with yourself during a coffee break or before going to bed. 

Describe what happened during your day, leave a few comments, and jot down a sentence or two about how you feel in the moment. 

#5: Use Ready-Made Journal Prompts 

Prompts make journaling automatic and stress-free as you no longer have to decide what to put on paper. 

The last thing you want is to stare at a blank notebook page. So, here are a few very simple prompts to try:

• “The thing that made me grateful today is…”
• “One surprising thing that happened this week is…”
• “If I could decide on one priority for tomorrow, it would be…”
• “The way I would describe my headspace right now is…”
• “One small step I can take to invite more money, joy, or energy into my life is…”

Top Three Things Journaling Beginners Struggle with

Everyone feels overwhelmed at the beginning of something new, and journaling is no exception. These simple tips can make journaling feel more natural and easy. 

1.You Don’t Know What to Write 

This is the first place where most people feel stuck. You open your notebook, see a blank page, and freeze. What's the solution? Try ready-made journal prompts or engage in practices that require no structure, such as morning pages. 

Your daily journal doesn’t have to be a masterpiece — it’s just a safe space to vent out, gain some mental clarity, and reflect on your life. 

2. You Don’t Have Time

A busy schedule is the most common excuse. Just keep a notebook close and jot down a few lines or combine journaling with things you already enjoy doing as a part of your schedule. 

3. Journaling Feels Silly

You don’t have to impress anyone with your journal prompts. So, no need to start a new journal every other week once you missed an entry or two because life got hectic. Just return, read your past entries, and continue where you left off with fresh prompts.

Final Thoughts: Grow Through Words, One Page at a Time

Keeping a journal is easier than you think. Choose your daily journal format that suits you best, use ready-made journal prompts, and mix it with activities that are already a part of your daily routine. 

Then, track the impact of journaling on your mood with the Liven app and spot areas where you can improve, such as anxiety, procrastination, and others. Start today, take small steps, and enjoy the journey of self-discovery and growth. 

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References

1. Arbor, R. N., & Matteson, K. (2024). Interdisciplinary nature journaling improves mood and helps build connection in middle school students. Environmental Education Research, 31(4), 748–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2405901
2. MacIsaac, A., Mushquash, A. R., & Wekerle, C. (2023). Writing yourself well: Dispositional self-reflection moderates the effect of a smartphone app-based journaling intervention on psychological wellbeing across time. Behaviour Change, 40(4), 297–313. https://doi.org/10.1017/bec.2022.24
3. Smith, C. (2023). Dear journal, you’re not perfect: A journey in self-acceptance [Video]. TEDx Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yqfnUlJa-E 

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