Journaling is often suggested as a way to cope with challenging life events, such as illness or grief. It offers many benefits for our mental, emotional and even physical well-being.
- Emotional expression: Documenting our thoughts and feelings is a healthy way to express emotions and reduce stress.
- Self-reflection: Journaling allows us to gain insight into our own thoughts and behaviours. When we reflect on our own experiences, we can better understand our responses to situations.
- Problem solving: Writing about our challenges or problems can help us brainstorm solutions and consider different perspectives.
- Gratitude: Identifying things we are grateful for can promote a positive outlook and feelings of happiness.
- Improved self-esteem: Taking the time to recognize our own accomplishments, strengths and positive experiences can boost self-confidence and self-esteem, since a journal is a tangible reminder of our achievements.
Over the past few months, the Upopolis Instagram page (@upopolis) has been sharing journal prompts for youth who are experiencing challenging life events, including youth with a medical illness, and youth with a parent or caregiver with a medical illness.
Today, we are sharing these journal prompts all in one place for easy access and BONUS, we have added journal prompts for youth who are grieving, and youth who have a brother or sister with a medical illness.
Check out the full list below, and be sure to save this article!
Journal Prompts for Youth with a Medical Illness
- Some coping strategies I can use during painful days or flare ups…
- Something that my medical illness has prevented me from doing is… Some ways I can try to make this happen are…
- Here are some goals I have despite my illness…
- How has this illness helped me become resilient?
- A time I felt proud of myself was when…
- Things in my life I can control…
Journal Prompts for Youth with a Parent/Caregiver with a Medical Illness
- Some coping strategies I can use during sad/frustrating days…
- If I could tell me parent/caregiver anything, I would tell them…
- What can I do to give myself more “me” time?
- How has this experience helped me become resilient?
- 5 good things about today…
- Things in my life I can control…
Journal Prompts for Youth who are Grieving
- A list of people I can go to for support, either in person or virtually…
- A memory of my person who has died that makes me cry is…
- A memory of my person who has died that makes me laugh…
- If you could tell the person who died about your day, what would you tell them?
- In my body, I feel grief… (where?) How does it make me feel?
Journal Prompts for Youth who have a Brother/Sister with a Medical Illness
- Today, I’m having a hard time with…
- Something I wish my support system could understand or help with is… Ways I could tell them about this are…
- Am I respecting my boundaries? Everything I want to say yes to is… and everything I want to say no to is…
- Sometimes I can’t control my sibling’s illness. However, some things I can control in my life are…
- What does a good day look like? What does a bad day look like? How can I add more good-day elements into my bad days?
Be sure to follow @upopolis on Instagram to get more coping tips and strategies like these journal prompts!
