Sarah Guerrero
Sarah Guerrero is a freelance writer and contributor to Slow North. She has a degree in international business from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and writes about sustainable business practices and ethical living.
Journal Prompts to Help You Welcome Fall
Without a doubt, fall is my favorite. After a long, hot summer, the cool breezes of fall revive my heart and remind me that nothing lasts forever. Since fall can be such a powerful season of transition, I love journaling to prepare for it.
Journaling is a powerful way to connect your heart and your mind, find clarity, and inspire creativity. So, I’ve rounded up 19 journal prompts to help you reflect on past growth, be intentional about where you want to grow in the future, and reconnect to the season and yourself!
Before we start, however, here are a few tips for journaling:
- Don’t worry about grammar or spelling--just write what’s in your heart.
- First thing in the morning, right after waking, is a great time for journaling because your mind is at its most curious and engaged, but any time of day works just fine.
- You can make journaling part of your self-care routine: light a candle, play relaxing music, or place crystals near your journal while you write.
- You don’t actually have to write--you could also make a voice memo, doodle, draw, or make something with your hands while you consider the prompt.
Photo by Anna Hecker
Prompts to Help You Reflect on the Past:
1. How have you grown since last fall? What is different in your life, and what is the same?
2. What is your favorite memory in the last year? What is your saddest memory?
3. Can you think of a way you showed courage or resilience in the last year?
4. Write a letter to your last year’s self. What does she need to know about the year ahead?
5. How have the last three seasons (winter, spring, and summer) prepared you for this fall?
6. What has been the most surprising lesson from the last year?
Photo by Karina S
Prompts to Help You Be in the Moment & Celebrate Where You Are:
7. What are three things you love about yourself right now?
8. What are your feelings right now? Are you afraid? Excited? Numb? All of the above?
9. If you could pause anything in your life right now, what would it be and why?
10. If you could suddenly change anything in your life right now, what would it be and why?
11. How can you be kinder to yourself right now?
Photo by Freddy Castro
Prompts to Help You Look to the Future:
12. What does this season mean to you? Is it a time of transition? Rest? Work? How can you lean into it?
13. What are three qualities you’d like to grow in yourself in this season?
14. What do you need to let go of so you can grow?
15. What do you think this fall could teach you?
16. Write 3 intentions for this fall. Does your life support these intentions, or do you need to make changes?
17. How can you be kind to yourself in this season?
18. Mistakes are part of life, and can teach us important lessons--how can you respond to mistakes you’ll make in the future so you learn from them, not hide from them?
19. What are your feelings about this fall and the future? Why do you think you feel those things?
Love journaling or need more prompts? Here are prompts to help you engage self-reflection and check white privilege, and here’s everything you need to know about gratitude journaling.
