Journal Prompts for Depression: 70 Questions for Difficult Days

How Journaling Helps Depression

Depression often creates a fog—a sense that your thoughts are too heavy, too tangled, or too overwhelming to face. Journaling cuts through that fog by externalizing what's inside. When you write, you create distance between yourself and your thoughts. They become words on a page rather than an endless loop in your mind.

Research supports this: expressive writing has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms, improve emotional processing, and help people gain insight into their patterns. But the key is approach. Rumination (writing the same painful thoughts over and over) can make things worse. Structured prompts help you process without spiraling.

These 60+ prompts are organized from gentle to deep, so you can start where you are today.

Gentle Prompts (Start Here)

These prompts are designed for difficult days when even small steps feel hard. No deep diving required—just noticing.

1. What's one small thing I did today, no matter how simple?
2. What does my body need right now? (Rest, movement, water, food, warmth?)
3. What's one thing I can see, hear, and feel in this moment?
4. If I could describe today in one word, what would it be?
5. What's something that brought me even a tiny moment of comfort recently?
6. What would I say to a friend feeling exactly what I'm feeling right now?
7. What's one thing I don't have to figure out today?
8. What did I manage to do despite not feeling like it?
9. What's one kind thing I could do for myself in the next hour?
10. What am I grateful for, even if it feels hard to access gratitude right now?

Understanding Your Depression

These prompts help you observe and understand your depression without judgment—like a curious scientist studying your own experience.

11. What does my depression feel like today? Where do I feel it in my body?
12. If my depression had a color, texture, or shape, what would it be?
13. When did I first notice feeling this way? What was happening in my life?
14. What time of day does my depression feel heaviest? Lightest?
15. What thoughts repeat most often when I'm in a depressive episode?
16. What triggers seem to make my depression worse?
17. What helps, even a little, when I'm feeling low?
18. How does my depression affect my sleep, appetite, and energy?
19. What does my inner critic say most often? What would a compassionate voice say instead?
20. If my depression could speak, what would it be trying to protect me from?

Challenging Negative Thoughts

Depression distorts thinking. These prompts, inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), help you examine thoughts rather than accept them as truth.

21. What negative thought keeps coming up? Is it a fact or an interpretation?
22. What evidence supports this thought? What evidence contradicts it?
23. If a friend told me they were thinking this about themselves, what would I say?
24. Am I using "always" or "never" thinking? What's a more balanced view?
25. Am I predicting the future or mind-reading? What do I actually know for certain?
26. What's the worst that could happen? The best? The most likely?
27. Am I taking responsibility for something outside my control?
28. What would I think about this situation if I weren't depressed?
29. Is this thought helping me or hurting me? What thought would serve me better?
30. What would I tell my younger self about this situation?

Processing Sadness and Grief

Sometimes depression carries unprocessed sadness or loss. These prompts create space to acknowledge what hurts.

31. What am I grieving right now, even if it's not a traditional loss?
32. What have I lost that I haven't fully acknowledged?
33. What do I miss most about a time when I felt better?
34. What emotions am I avoiding? What happens when I let myself feel them?
35. What would it mean to let myself be sad without trying to fix it?
36. What do I need to say goodbye to in order to move forward?
37. What parts of my old self do I miss? Are any of them still accessible?
38. If I could cry about anything right now without judgment, what would it be?

Building Hope and Meaning

Depression steals hope. These prompts gently reconnect you with what matters and what's possible.

39. What gives me even a small sense of hope, meaning, or connection?
40. What's one thing I'm looking forward to, even if it's small?
41. What values matter most to me, even when I can't live them fully right now?
42. What would I want my life to look like if depression wasn't a factor?
43. Who or what makes me feel less alone?
44. What's one tiny step I could take toward something that matters to me?
45. What have I survived before that I didn't think I could?
46. What would future me, looking back on this time, want present me to know?
47. What's one thing depression hasn't taken from me?
48. If I imagine a day when I feel better, what does it look like?

Self-Compassion Prompts

Depression often comes with harsh self-judgment. These prompts practice treating yourself with kindness.

49. What would I say to comfort a loved one going through what I'm experiencing?
50. What do I need to hear right now that I'm not telling myself?
51. How can I acknowledge my pain without drowning in it?
52. What's one way I've been hard on myself that isn't fair?
53. What would self-compassion look like in this moment?
54. What permission do I need to give myself right now?
55. How would I treat myself if I believed I deserved kindness?
56. What's one thing I can forgive myself for today?

Relationships and Connection

Depression often leads to isolation. These prompts explore your relationships and need for connection.

57. Who do I feel safe talking to about how I'm really doing?
58. What's stopping me from reaching out to someone who cares about me?
59. How has depression affected my relationships?
60. What do I wish the people in my life understood about my depression?
61. What kind of support would actually help me right now?
62. When did I last feel genuinely connected to someone? What made it possible?
63. What's one small way I could reach out or connect this week?

Tracking Progress and Patterns

Over time, journaling helps you see patterns and recognize progress you might otherwise miss.

64. Compared to last week/month, how am I doing? What's changed?
65. What coping strategies have I tried? What's worked, even a little?
66. What patterns do I notice in when my depression is better or worse?
67. What's one small sign of progress I can acknowledge?
68. What have I learned about myself through this difficult time?
69. What would I want to remember about this period when I'm feeling better?
70. What am I proud of myself for, even if it seems small?

How to Use These Prompts

Getting Started

• Start gentle: Begin with prompts from the first section, especially on hard days
• Write for 10-15 minutes: Set a timer and write without stopping to edit
• No pressure: Skip any prompt that feels too heavy—come back to it later or never
• Consistency over intensity: 5 minutes daily beats 60 minutes once a month

Tips for Difficult Days

• Use prompts 1-10 when getting out of bed feels hard
• Write in bullet points if full sentences feel like too much
• Voice-to-text works if writing feels exhausting
• Even one sentence counts

When to Seek Professional Help

Journaling is a powerful complement to treatment, but it's not a replacement for professional help. Please reach out to a therapist or doctor if:

• Depression is interfering with daily functioning (work, relationships, self-care)
• You're having thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Symptoms have lasted more than two weeks
• You're using substances to cope
• Journaling alone isn't providing relief

Related Resources

• Journaling Prompts for Mental Health: 100+ Questions
• Anxiety Journal Prompts
• IFS Journal Prompts: Internal Family Systems Guide
• Shadow Work Prompts: 100+ Questions
• Self-Love Journal Prompts: 110+ Questions

Start Journaling with Support

If you find journaling helpful but want more guidance, Life Note offers AI-powered journaling that responds to what you write with thoughtful questions and reflections—like having a supportive companion for your mental health journey.