If you know me, you know that I am an avid journal-keeper. For the past four years, I’ve written down pretty much everything that’s happened in my life. Journaling is a great way to process your emotions, capture memories, and reflect on your life. Feel free to check out an article I wrote titled How Journaling Changed My Life to learn more about the value and benefits of journaling. Today, I want to share some journaling prompts (or just questions to think about!) that are applicable to us freshman after our first month of college.
Journaling Prompts:
How have I grown in my independence since living away from home?
What subjects or classes are most exciting to me?
How have I been working to build meaningful relationships?
How can I manage stress or other challenging emotions?
How can I better take care of myself and establish a healthy lifestyle and routine?
What have I learned about myself since starting college?
How have I been doing academically?
What has been my favorite memory or experience of the first month of college?
What has been the hardest part of the first month of college?
How have I seen myself grow in the past month?
What have I enjoyed most about being at a school like Vanderbilt?
What is something I want to contribute to the Vanderbilt community?
Quotes About Journaling & Self-Reflection
I hope these prompts can inspire your journal-entries or just be questions to reflect on! Finally, I want to share some quotes about the importance of journaling and personal reflection.
“Journal writing gives us insights into who we are, who we were, and who we can become.” – Sandra Marinella
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank
“Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not.” – Martina Navratilova
“Without deep reflection, one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.” – Albert Einstein
“Self-reflection is the secret of introspection, and introspection is the gateway to wisdom.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” – Christina Baldwin
“Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.” – Baltasar Gracián
“A breed apart from the diarists who write simply to collect the days or preserve impressions of foreign places are those who set out in their books to discover who they really are. These are generally very serious people, more in the way of pilgrims, with inward destinations, than mere travelers. Some of them are after the sight of God; others are out to realize their full ‘potential,’ spiritual and otherwise; and some of them are carrying burdens of suffering they are unsure they can shoulder—they want to use their diaries to test, and add to, their strength.” – Thomas Mallon
Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great week!