Journal Prompts to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness

• 1. Write about what it’s like to live in today’s world. Do we have the same rights as our ancestors? Are people judged by who they love rather than by how intelligent they are? How much do you trust other people? What makes people happy? Are there any important values that have fallen away from society lately? Is it possible to change things for the better? Why aren’t changes happening?
• 2. List all the social activities that you participate in on a daily basis. Who are the friends that you spend time with? Have you ever had to make up a group of friends just so you could go somewhere? Have you ever felt alone at school? Describe your family relationships, including those between siblings and parents.
• 3. Think about all the times when you were sad. What made you sad? Did anyone try to comfort you? Were you able to talk to someone about it? If not, why did no one help?
• 4. Make a list of all the ways that you’ve been lonely over the last week. Has your mood changed since you began listing? Has anything improved as a result of doing this exercise? Does anything seem worse? Why do you think your mood has changed?
• 5. Try to identify the qualities, habits or behaviors that lead to being lonely. What do you do to keep yourself busy? Do you find company among books? How does your personality affect your interactions with others? Can you put yourself in another person’s shoes?
• 6. Spend some quality time reflecting on your childhood. Discuss the ups and downs of growing up within the context of your family. What was different during this period compared to now? When did you first feel isolated? Was it because you didn’t fit in well with other children? Tell stories about your childhood experiences.
• 7. What kinds of experiences have shaped your current view of life? Describe some events that influenced you. Do you believe that these events will continue to shape your future as an adult? Talk about how you feel about your past experiences.
• 8. Compare the good memories you have with the bad ones. Which kind of memories bring you closer to friends or loved ones? Which cause you to grow apart from others?
• 9. Look at your personal beliefs and opinions regarding friendship. Do you agree with what experts advise about making friendships? Do you tend to hang around the same people most of the time? How do you know when people really care about you?
• 10. Write about why you enjoy spending time with certain people. Why do you prefer talking with some people instead of others? Do you share similar interests with certain individuals? What attracts you about a particular friend?
• 11. Put together a list of people you want to be friends with. Explain why each person is on the list. Would you like to make new friends? Why or why not? What would it take to meet them?
• 12. Talk to your partner. Ask him/her about his/her opinions about loneliness. Then ask him/her if he/she understands your lonely feelings. Be honest with your partner. Don’t say everything is fine. Listen to him/her without interruption. Share your thoughts and difficult feelings concerning loneliness.
• 13. Think about a time when you felt rejected. Did someone show concern for you? If so, what did s/he do to try to resolve the problem? If not, why not? Can you think of specific reasons why s/he may have ignored you? Or maybe s/he wasn’t interested in befriending you?
• 14. Think about something that happened recently that upset you. Whose fault was it? How did you respond to the situation? Who else experienced the same thing? Have there ever been situations when nobody cared about your opinion? Explain why or why not.
• 15. Reflect upon your own needs versus those of others. List ten things you want to get out of life (for example, personal fulfillment, stability, financial security). How much are these needs satisfied by your present relationships? Are they met mostly by your work? How can you change your perspective to improve your satisfaction level?
• 16. Draw a circle. In the middle write “me”. Place all your values inside the circle. Add your responsibilities, obligations, duties, expectations, etc., to the outside of the circle. Now place friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances, teachers, bosses, and strangers.
• 17. Write down your best qualities. What makes you special? Where should you look to improve yourself? What changes could you make to become more popular? Are there any areas in which you need improvement?
• 18. What do you consider to be important characteristics of a worthwhile relationship? Write a brief description of each of these elements, including: intimacy, communication, honesty, and commitment. Evaluate whether these traits exist between you and your spouse or significant other. Is either party lacking in one or more of these attributes?
• 19. Think about the kind of life you would like to lead. Imagine a group of people who live near you, but don’t know each other very well. List their names along with your impression of how attractive each might find you. Next, make a note of your ideal self-image. How does this image compare with reality? What do you plan to do about improving your appearance?
• 20. Make a short list of your goals. Include long term goals as well as short term ones. Explain why achieving these goals is important to you. Determine if you have already accomplished many of them. If not, describe your current activities toward their completion.
• 21. Remember an experience you had while growing up. Explain the circumstances surrounding the event, and share your memories of it. Describe the impact you continue to feel today. Describe how the incident has affected you, especially since you are older and wiser. Do you wish you knew then what you know now? Why?
• 22. Consider three people within your sphere of influence. Name the person(s) at whom you direct most criticism. Which character trait bothers you the most? Explain why you hold onto this anger. Does this person have a right to treat you the way he/she does? Share the reasons why.
• 23. What are some of your fears? Examine possible solutions for overcoming them. Which methods seem feasible? Write out your goal(s) in overcoming fear.
• 24. Describe your first romantic love affair and explain why you fell in love. Were you aware of your feelings or did they develop on their own? If so, why? Was she attracted to you, or vice versa? Did you act on your attraction? What did you imagine the future held for you together? Has the relationship survived?
• 25. What are your beliefs about success and failure? Define success. How has your perception changed over time? What are your goals? If you were to achieve them, what effect would this have on your life and happiness?
• 26. When you think of yourself, where do you see yourself in your everyday life in five years? Ten years? Twenty years? Explain your answer.
• 27. Have you ever been unhappy? Have you ever felt hopeless or helpless to change something that was bothering you? Can you remember when and why this happened? Who else was involved? Is anything different about your present situation? What might help alleviate your unhappiness?
• 28. Are there any areas in which you need improvement (accomplishments, relationships)? Explain in detail why you believe you fall short in these areas. What actions may be required in order to improve these deficiencies?
• 29. What qualities would you like to add to your character? Would others benefit from knowing more of your characteristics? Why?
• 30. What type of person do you consider to be a leader? A follower? Explain your opinion. For instance, why do you prefer one over the other? In what ways does leadership affect your life? Your family? Others around you? Yourself?
• 31. Choose a hobby or interest that takes up much of your spare time. What activity causes you to feel energized and alive? What else can you think of?
• 32. In your opinion, what makes a man a man? What woman a woman? Do you agree with the definitions, or do you define the terms differently? Why? What role does culture play in our views of gender roles? What changes could occur that would permit greater freedom and equality of opportunity?
• 33. How do you define “love”? Make a list outlining the things you find attractive and desirable in another human being. Also include those traits that make you feel loved by someone special.
• 34. Think now of two people who have had an impact on your life. Perhaps it was someone close to you such as a parent or sibling; perhaps it was a teacher, a coach, or mentor. Whom do you admire most? Describe briefly how this individual helped mold you into the person you are today. What advice would you give him/her?
• 35. Are there times when you become lonely? Think back through the day and choose a time when you were alone. Why? How did it happen? During which activities was it most prevalent?
• 36. Write down ten dreams you’ve always wanted to accomplish but haven’t yet. Decide whether you should pursue these dreams actively or passively. Which is best suited to you?
• 37. What is the purpose of life? Why do we live? Write a brief essay explaining your answers.
• 38. What keeps you awake at night? Does your sleep pattern affect your attitude, behavior, health, or appearance? What can you do to improve your state of alertness?
• 39. Write about three goals or objectives you have in mind for the next year. To whom do you want to dedicate your efforts? What will be required of you to accomplish these tasks successfully?
• 40. What has been your biggest disappointment in life? Why? What caused it to happen? What lessons did you learn from your experience that would enable you to avoid making similar errors in future situations?
• 41. Where have you found personal fulfillment and happiness? What steps must be taken first to achieve them? What are you going to do to cultivate a meaningful connection with others?
• 42. When have you felt proud of yourself? Were you aware of this feeling or did it arrive unexpectedly? Was this pride related to achievements or results?
• 43. Write about the positive things you enjoy doing. Is there anything in particular that draws you toward these activities? Can you remember any specific past experiences in which you participated in something enjoyable?
• 44. Journal about a challenging goal or dilemma that you face. What thoughts do you have regarding the outcome, if you decide to achieve this goal? If not, describe the reasons behind your decision. What actions would you take to reach your goal?
• 45. In recent days, have you experienced feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, unhappiness, failure, boredom, anxiety, or loneliness? Explain. Have you noticed any improvement in these conditions since becoming involved in journaling? If so, how? If not, write down some possible explanations.
• 46. When was the last time you felt great joy about something unrelated to school? Family? School? Hobbies? Friends? Dreams? Work?
• 47. Describe a time in your life when you were overwhelmed by negative emotions. What helped you cope? What could help you again?
• 48. Describe a special memory with people you care about, either real people (mom, dad, grandparent) or fictional characters. For what reason did you choose to remember this moment?
• 49. Write your own definition of love. What qualities does it possess? Be specific. Be sure to include several examples of people you know who exhibit love.
• 50. How do you see yourself developing emotionally in the coming years? Write about three characteristics that you believe distinguish mature adults from young children.
• 51. Do you feel that you are experiencing more loneliness than ever before? Explain why. Are you capable of handling it better now than you were as a child or teenager?
• 52. Has anyone treated you unfairly? Explain what they said and how their conduct affected you. Did you have an opportunity to return such unfair treatment? If not, describe your relationship with those people.
• 53. Think about times during which you had no one around to support your views, ideas, and beliefs. How did you overcome these obstacles? Did you have any feeling of loneliness during that time?
• 54. What is the most rewarding thing you’ve done lately? Why? Who else shares this reward? How does it affect your self-esteem?
• 55. What memories do you hold most? List at least five. Which ones do you visit often? Would you like to have someone share them for you?
• 56. Describe a dream that has come true for you. Could this happen again? How can you make it happen?
• 57. Do you find life difficult because there seems to be too much “out there” in the world? Is there anything else you wish you had known earlier?
• 58. Remember a day when you made errors, but learned from them. Describe how you reacted or responded. Does this experience still influence your behavior today?
• 59. Journal about past events, especially good events, that have shaped your personality. How does that affect your social relationships?
• 60. Can you recall a time when you failed miserably? What happened next? And how did it affect your mental health?
• 61 What is the best advice you have ever received? How might you apply it in your life?

Conclusion

I hope that these journal prompts have helped you to cope with the feelings of loneliness in your social life, as well as improving your overall mental health.

Difficult emotions happen all the time, and they should never control our lives. We need to learn to manage them rather than allowing them to control us.

Best of luck!