After escaping my (most recent) abusive relationship, I drew on my personal experiences, history working in the justice system, and background in mental health education to begin healing my trauma wounds.
One exercise I’ve found helpful is creating journal prompts specific to my experiences. These have not only helped me reflect in new ways, but have also inspired several of my articles. Now, I’m sharing them with you!
Whether you’re healing from your past or working toward a brighter future, these prompts offer a safe space for self-reflection and reframing.
Healthy habits
What’s a healthy habit you tend to accomplish when you’re feeling well?
Could failing to keep up with this habit become an alert system for you in times of stress?
Self-advocacy
Reflect on a time when you recognized a red flag and took appropriate action.
How did it feel to advocate for what you knew was right? If others knew about this, did you feel supported? How did their reaction affect how you advocate for yourself now?
Self-esteem
Write a letter to yourself as though you’ve just met yourself and fallen in love. Make up a whole scenario about it if you’d like!
Reflect on your best features, include some hidden ones you’d love for someone to notice. Recognize just how lovable you truly are.
Rediscovering yourself
Write about a step you’ve taken to reclaim a part of your identity that was previously stifled.
This can be an interest, relationship, or anything that you felt you weren’t able to do as a result of your abuse.
Are we there yet?
What does the state of being “healed” mean to you?
Describe a time or situation when you felt closest to having achieved this. Do you feel like the goal post keeps moving?
Take a moment to consider and appreciate how far you’ve already come.
Now a silly one!
What’s a topic you could you give a 10-minute presentation on with no advance preparation?
It can be absolutely anything you want, as long as you’re super interested in/passionate about it.
For me the answer lately has been bats, because I’ve been reading The Secret Lives Of Bats: My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals by Merlin Tuttle.
That’s an affiliate link, but I promise that wasn’t why I included this question. I genuinely ask people this at any opportunity.
I truly won’t shut up about that book. If you like a first-person science experiment/adventure that’s also wildly well-researched, I highly recommend it; all I ask in return for my generosity are more reading recommendations.
I love learning about people’s little niche passions, so I’d be thrilled if you’d share your answer to this in the comments.
In fact, I’d love to hear any of your responses if you feel comfortable sharing! However you use these reflections, I hope they helped you learn a little more about yourself.