14 Morning Journal Prompts for Gratitude

Writing Templates to Set the Intention for Success Each Day

Morning journaling can be an excellent way to support your new commitment to your well-being throughout your recovery. It’s a reflective form of self-care that’s easy to implement and add to your morning routine. The hardest part of writing in a morning journal is often knowing how to get started.

Our morning journal prompts for gratitude and to start off a successful day can help you get the ball rolling or help you regain momentum if you hit a writing slump.

Changes Healing Center, a Joint-commission accredited addiction treatment and mental health facility in Phoenix, Arizona, acknowledges the value of keeping a morning journal. This daily ritual supports emotional health and helps you prepare for the day ahead.

Many past clients have told our team how much they absolutely love writing those morning pages and now find the habit very comforting.

We invite you to keep reading this blog post. You’ll learn more about how morning journaling helps you find more clarity in recovery and download our free morning journal prompts.

14 Morning Journal Prompts to Help Support Sobriety

Whether you plan to add journaling to your evening or morning routine, the key is consistency. Schedule time and write every day/ it will soon become a habit you’ll look forward to. While making an amends list in AA and other stepwork and self-improvement work is valuable, these morning journalling prompts are not attached to any sort of formal program.

Here are some writing prompts to try:

1) What does your life today look like when you compare it to a year ago?

When you reflect back on how your life has changed, you empower yourself to look at your progress, a critical measuring stick in recovery. You acknowledge any changes you’ve made, positive or negative, as part of acceptance and commitment practice. This allows you to recognize achievements or identify areas that still need a little work.

Here’s a sample entry:

Last year, I was just barely surviving but this year I’m thriving. I remember how I had lost the respect of all my family and friends just 12 months ago. But now, they are all proud of the progress I’ve made and we are patching things up. I’ve become stronger and have more confidence every day I stay sober.

Either way, self-reflection is a skill that helps you stick with your recovery goals and take control of your well-being.

2) Write a short letter to yourself, pretending to be a huge fan…of yourself.

Assuming the role of a fan and writing to yourself supports self-compassion and self-acceptance, which are often challenged during recovery. Instead of being so hard on yourself for the mistakes you made yesterday, you view yourself through a new lens of admiration and respect.

This short example shows you how:

Wow! I’d just like to say I’m so proud of you. You have seriously come so far and your growth inspires me. You tackled so many challenges with incredible grace and strength. When I think of the journey you’ve taken, I’m in awe of you.

The kind words written in this letter can displace negativity and help you move forward into a space of more positivity.

3) Name three things you are grateful for today; explain why.

Noting the things you’re grateful for today allows you to take inventory of what has made you happy. You’re taking a moment to recognize the good things in your life, even those that may seem tiny to others.

The Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) calls practicing gratitude a mental health game changer. They explain how not only can daily gratitude be a breath of fresh air in itself, it’s also a tool that can actively counter bad habits, such as overthinking or spiraling into a vortex of negativity.

Explaining why you’re grateful can help you keep a positive outlook, even on challenging days in early recovery and beyond.

4) Tell your journal about three long-term goals and focus on the steps it will take to get there.

You’d probably never consider driving across Arizona without allowing your navigation app to view your current coordinates and tell you how to get to your destination. Without the app, you might muddle your way across the state. But why put yourself through the guesswork?

Setting long-term goals is like writing a personalized roadmap for your future. You gain a sense of purpose and have a good idea of every turn you’ll make by breaking down the necessary steps to reach your goals. You’ll also reduce stress and avoid getting overwhelmed as you make the pre-planned journey.

This prompt can also help you determine what life skills you would like to attain to achieve these goals, or those you already practice that might need improvement, such as budgeting or cooking.

5) What are your most secret hopes – the ones that you’ve never told a soul?

Jotting down your secret dreams leads to thinking about your deepest aspirations in a safe, secret place. Journals don’t tell your secrets or betray you. They listen without judgment and keep your confidence.

This morning journal prompt encourages self-awareness and forces you to be honest with yourself as you explore the things you want most in life. When you put these thoughts into words and on paper, you breathe life into them, making them feel achievable.

6) Name one thing you do each day that makes you feel happy.

Some morning journal prompts are open-ended – that’s intentional and meant to force acute self-awareness. This prompt sheet asks you to recognize and honor the happiness habits you’ve developed in recovery and see how they support your commitment to sobriety.

When you focus on the things that make you happy, you start to motivate yourself to continue practicing them regularly. As a result, you start to manage your mental health and wellness with much less effort.

If you’re not doing something that brings happiness, it’s past time to start!

7) What will I do the next time I’m feeling exhausted?

Positive mindset journal prompts can help you avoid your danger zone. Exhaustion can set off a whirlwind of emotions that can be triggering or even lead to a relapse. This journal prompt asks you to proactively plan for self-care, one of the main keys to maintaining lower stress levels in recovery.

You might list reading a chapter from your favorite book, doing some low-impact yoga practices, deep breathing, or – ahem – grabbing some handy journaling prompts and writing to restore your depleted energy. There are no right or wrong answers to this question – you’re just listing relapse prevention ideas.

8) Write a short positive affirmation list (5), then recite the positive affirmations throughout the day ahead.

Completing the sentence, “I am…” can help you make a quick, powerful list of positive affirmtions. Treat yourself to kind words and watch your mornings get better!

Here are one Changes client’s five affirmations for today:

• I am a better version of myself and growing stronger every day.
• I am worth the hard work I’m putting in.
• I am in control of my mood and reactions.
• I am grateful for my morning journal prompts.
• I am deserving of a life full of joy and fun.

Some morning journaling prompts, like this one, have a second component or an action to take. In this case, you’ll recite the affirmations you write down throughout the day to grow your happiness.

9) Name three things you’d like to try if money were no object, anywhere in the world.

This morning journaling exercise frees you of practical constraints like money and the confines of your actual location. It allows you to take your pen and write down the experiences that you might find most fulfilling; you also unleash a sense of adventure you may have lost during active addiction.

It may feel indulgent or fanciful. But you are actually getting new ideas of hidden passions that you have never fully explored. You have the opportunity to incorporate elements of these wishes into your daily routine, probably on a small scale.

For example, if climbing the stairs to the top of a famous lighthouse is on your wish list, perhaps you would enjoy waking up wrapped up in a whimsical lighthouse comforter first thing in the morning. That little pleasure can bring you a small burst of joy, helping you stay motivated in your recovery efforts.

10) Draft a blog post telling the story of your life. Don’t worry – you don’t have to publish it.

When you pen a post about your life story, you reflect on all you have accomplished in your life, even before you had an addiction. But you do even more – you begin to gain more insights into all the challenges you’ve overcome.

This morning journal challenge can help you connect the dots between childhood experiences, how the wake of your past may have led you into addicition, and your current better situation. Your journal becomes a therapeutic outlet that can help you explain how you were feeling during certain points. You’ll also explore and process good and less-than-pleasant memories while you write.

You might choose to publish this story, sharing your victory over your struggles or keep it in the confines of your morning journal. Either way, this blog exercise is an excellent tool for self-discovery and continued healing.

11) Explain one thing you love about your now-healing body and why.

Naming one thing you love about your body is a powerful morning journal exercise. It carried you through thick and thin. Even during your worst days it didn’t give up one you. This writing prompt asks you to shift your mind from self-criticism or nit-picking about minor imperfections to appreciation for your newly restored and healing self.

You will boost your self-esteem and reinforce your commitment to caring for yourself as you continue to heal physically as well as mentally.

12) Write yourself a piece of good advice, as if you were writing to a friend.

This one is another of those open-ended morning journal prompts to which there is no right or wrong answer. Writing to yourself in the same tone and voice you’d use with a friend is an exercise in self-compassion. Too often, our self-talk is harsh while we speak to friends with love and kindness. But you deserve the same compassion!

Here’s an example of a quick friendly note you might jot down in your journal:

I just wanted to write a quick note to remind you – it’s ok to take things slowly. You don’t have to figure out everything all at once. You’re sober now, you’ll plan out the rest when you’re ready. You are taking baby steps – but hey, that’s still progress! Be kind to yourself, even when you feel like you don’t deserve kindness. Move on from yesterday and look to the future – you’ve got this!

Isn’t that much nicer than judging yourself for the mistakes you made yesterday?

13) Imagine an obstacle that might get in your way this week and explain how you’ll overcome it.

When you anticipate and prepare for likely challenges, you can prepare to guard your responses and emotions. This morning journal prompt requires problem solving and fires up your resilience.

Here’s an example of what you might write:

This week, I think I’ll feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks flowing to my inbox. I will be intentional as I categorize the tasks by priority. I’ll treat myself to a long walk on my lunch break to cope with frustration or negative emotions about my job. It’s up to me to look after my mental health today.

This journal entry gives a particular obstacle (the heavy workload) and proposes solutions to solve the problem. It ends with a reminder of the benefits of taking charge of the situation. It demonstrates how journaling can be helpful in all facets of life.

14) Explain a behavior or habit to add to your morning routine.

Listing a behavior or new habit that might be a helpful addition to your morning routine asks you to think proactively about protecting your hard-fought mental health. It also challenges you to start thinking of new ways to stay successful and balanced every day.

Implement the habit to see if it benefits you as you’d hoped or not. Life is a series of trial and errors, and it’s okay if you try a new practice and discover it didn’t work as you’d hoped. They key thing is to focus on trying to discover new ways to keep your recovery at the forefront of your mind.

Changes Healing Center: Creating Firm Footing for Long-Term Recovery

These morning journal prompts are fantastic for any stage of recovery or those outside of sobriety circles as well. Your journaling practice benefits your commitment to sobriety and helps to regulate your mood. Writing every morning helps you release your worries and puts the focus on a solid daily routine.

If you still struggle with addiction or other mental health issues and want to move forward, Changes is here to support you. Our Joint Commission-accredited alcohol and drug rehab programs are convenient for clients across Arizona and the US.

We meet clients where they are at any point in the recovery journey. Give our admissions representative a call today, we are glad to help answer all your questions.