

What is something you are looking forward to?Ģ5. When did you show emotional resilience in the past? What helped you be resilient?Ģ4. What do you need less of in your life? How could you take steps toward that?Ģ3. What do you need more of in your life? How could you take steps toward that?Ģ2.

What’s one thing you could do that will change your life now?Ģ1. What do you feel are consistent happiness activators in my life? (Things that always make you feel good)Ģ0. When in the past did you feel most alive, hopeful, and safe? What was happening then? What were you doing? Who was there for you?ġ9. What challenges are you facing right now and need to ask for help and support with?ġ8. Related: Do I Have Seasonal Depression Quiz (+Top 12 Natural Ways To Boost Your Mood) 3. If you were to give your depression a human name, what name would you choose and why?ġ5. What do you think about the statement: “depression is anger turned inward”?ġ4. If depression was an image, what would the image be?ġ3. If depression is a messenger, what is it trying to tell you in this moment? (If depression could talk, what would it say?)ġ2. When you feel depressed, how do you typically respond?ġ1. Is it helpful or harmful for your sleep?ġ0. Related: What is Concealed Depression? (Effective 3-Step Guide To Overcome High Functioning Depression)ĩ. What things or events activate or worsen your depression symptoms? Looking back, were some early signs that you were heading toward depression?Ĩ. What coping mechanisms did you practice today? (Or, what things did you do that made you feel better?) 2.
Journal prompts for depression how to#
Related: Top 10 Common Examples of Cognitive Distortions – How To Challenge Them (+Worksheets PDF)Ħ.

What are your negative thoughts at this moment? What are 3 positive thoughts for each of those negative thoughts you have? What specific emotions do you feel, underneath this depression? Where in my body do you feel it? What do you want to feel there instead?ĥ. What is making you feel hopeless today and why?Ĥ. What is something that made you feel sad today? Is there something or someone you’re grieving?ģ. Where do you feel most depressed in your body?Ģ. If you need ideas to use journaling to manage your depression, the following journal prompts for depression will help you with that: 1. The clarity you gain from journaling will reduce the intensity of your pain and help you figure out what needs to be done about your depressive symptoms. Journaling is about pouring your feelings and thoughts on a paper so you can reflect on them and understand them better. Related: Do I Have Seasonal Depression Quiz (+Top 12 Natural Ways To Boost Your Mood) What Is Journaling? Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.ĩ. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).Ĩ.

Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.ħ. (e.g., pacing around, talking rapidly, slowed speech, poor memory)Ħ. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.ĥ. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.Ĥ. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.ģ. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful).Ģ.
Journal prompts for depression manual#
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) sets the following symptoms as diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder:įive (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning: at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.ġ. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says that 7.1% of all adults have had at least one significant depressive episode in their lifetime. In the United States, depression is one of the most common mental health disorders among adults. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links.
