Mindfulness and Acceptance Exercises

Journal Prompt Questions

Designed to help you delve deeper into your personal and PLU experiences, use the following journal prompts by copying and pasting the content into a Word document or writing them into your own journal.

Anxiety

What is something that brings you hope?
- How do you foster spaces in your life where you can connect with and experience hope?
- How do you protect your experience of hope?
Write about the last time you were completely present.
A lot of people have heard of the concept of “triggers,” but much less well-known is the concept of “glimmers.” According to licensed clinical social worker, Deb Dana, glimmers are, “…small moments when our biology is in a place of connection and regulation, which cues our nervous system to feel regulated and calm…[glimmers are] not…great, big, expansive experiences of joy or safety or connection, these are micro moments that begin to shape our system in very gentle ways” (Dana, 2018). Some examples include: wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, hearing and singing along to one of your favorite songs on the radio, petting a loved animal, eating a piece of fresh out of the oven bread, or feeling the sun on your bare skin.
- What are some of the “glimmers” you have experienced?
- Consider writing down a list of all of the glimmers you experience this week.
If you could wave a magic wand and your experience of overwhelming anxiety suddenly lifted…what would you do differently?
- Is there anything you would start doing?
- What would you do more or less of?
- How might the way you exist in relationship with yourself and others change?
If you were to personify your anxiety what would it look like? Sound like?
- Is there an image or metaphor that comes to mind?
What does your relationship with play look like?
- How do you cultivate space for play in your life?
Write about a time when something positive came from something unexpected or hard.
How can you tell (e.g., thought patterns, experience in your body, etc.) when fear is the driving force behind your decision making?
- If you could have another emotion or value guiding your decision making, what would it be?
When was the first time you experienced anxiety?
- What experience or situation resulted in you feeling anxious?
- What did it feel like in your body?
If you reflect on your experience of anxiety across your lifetime, are there any common themes or patterns that are present?
- How has your relationship with your anxiety changed over time?
When you are feeling anxious or uncertain about the future, what memories, imagery, words, experiences, etc. call you back to yourself and make you feel more grounded?

Break-ups

What aspect of the breakup feels the most difficult right now?
In one year, how do you want to be able to look back at your experience of being in this relationship?
- What do you hope (positive or negative) stands out?
What have you learned about yourself (e.g., your needs and wants) and how you show up in romantic relationships from this past relationship?
How will your experiences in this relationship shape what you look for in future relationships?
Are there any “non-negotiables” that you have learned you are not willing to compromise on in future relationships?
How would you describe your communication style in this past relationship?
- What was easier to communicate about?
- What was more challenging to communicate about?
Is there anything you feel more empowered to do now that you are single?
Is there anything you wish you could communicate to your ex-partner?
- Consider writing (but not necessarily sending) a letter, or a progression of letters, as you move through the breakup.
Have you experienced any moments (no matter how small or short) where your grief felt lighter?
- Where were you?
- What were you doing?
- Who, if anyone, were you with?
- Consider writing down moments when things feel lighter or more bearable; moments that you felt grateful for.
How did your inner child show up in your past relationship?

First-year Experience/Transition

What is one thing you wish you had done differently in high school?
- How might you show up differently during your time at PLU?
What experiences have shaped who you are today?
- What are one or two ways you might honor all that has shaped you into the person you are today during your time at PLU?
What parts of yourself have felt small or unable to grow?
- What would you need to feel safe in order to be able to create space for these parts to grow and blossom?
Think of the person you are working towards becoming…
- How would you describe that person?
- What’s important to them?
- What do they value?
- What do they make time for?
- How can you take small steps to lean towards growing into this version of yourself?
What do you hope to get or create out of your college experience?
In what ways do you want your friendships to be similar to your experience of friendship in high school?
- In what ways do you want your friendships to be different during your time at PLU?
What do you miss the most about home?
- Are there ways to honor or share your sense of home on campus?
The most challenging part about commuting is…
- What would be most helpful to me as a commuter is…
How have you experienced failure or disappointment in yourself in the past?
- How do you want to work towards meeting these experiences going forward?
Which aspects of your experience at PLU feel like a good fit for you?
- What aspects of your experience at PLU feel like a less than good fit for you?

Graduation

What have you learned about yourself throughout your time at PLU?
- How has your own understanding of yourself expanded during your time at PLU?
What parts of yourself did you connect with during your time at PLU that feel important to carry forward and continue developing in the next stage of your life?
How has your understanding of where you’re from, who you are, and where you’re going evolved during your time at PLU?
What has the identity of “student” meant to you?
- How does your understanding of yourself and your identities (e.g., athlete, artist, performer, etc.) shift as you near graduation?
What wins (intrapersonal, relational, academic, athletic, etc.) – small or large – do you want to savor, celebrate, and remember during your time at PLU?
What expectations did you have surrounding what your undergraduate experience would be like?
- How have your experiences met or diverged from these expectations?
- How do you want to hold, honor, or let go of experiences that were disappointing, unhelpful, or harmful?
What endings are you currently mourning?
What beginnings are on the horizon and how do you want to work towards meeting them?
Looking back, what advice would you give your first-year self?
If you could make one promise or pledge to your future self it would be…
When you are feeling anxious or uncertain about the future, what memories, imagery, words, experiences, etc., call you back to yourself and make you feel more grounded?

Loneliness

Write about the last time you felt truly seen (e.g., by another person, a book, a poem, a song, a movie, a tv show, etc.).
Who or what has helped you feel the most seen, heard, or understood?
- How do they do that?
What aspects of your life or self have you recently been longing for others to see or acknowledge?
What question do you wish someone would ask you and how would you respond?
How does the experience of loneliness change when you feel lonely by yourself vs. when in the presence of others?
What experiences do you want to work towards sharing and building with others?
What are three things you miss most about a time when you felt less lonely?
Write about the last time you felt surprised in a social interaction or gathering.
- What surprised you?
What kind of friend do you want to work towards becoming?
- How do you want to exist in relationship with others and show up for friends?
What kind of relationship do you want to work towards building with yourself?
- When have you felt most at ease or content when alone?
- How do you want to feel when you are alone?
- How do you want to spend your time when you are sharing your own company?

Loss/Grief

What are some of the smaller losses you are grieving (e.g., the end of a friendship, a piece of childhood, a dream you have outgrown, etc.) and moving through?
What are some of the secondary losses you are experiencing as a result of your loss?
- Examples of secondary losses include loss of self (identity, confidence, health, personality), security (emotional, physical, financial, lifestyle), meaning (goals, dreams, faith, will, joy), etc.
What are you most afraid of since the loss or since you started anticipating the loss?
Have your values changed since you started grieving? How?
What are some ways you can honor the life of the person you are grieving/the loss you have suffered?
Are there any rituals that you can create, by yourself or with others, that may be impactful or helpful in allowing you to spend time with and move through your grief?
If you could forgive them for something, it would be…
- If you could forgive yourself for something, it would be…
What is something you wish your support system would understand?
- What is something you wish your support system could help with?
How has loss or death impacted your sense of what feels meaningful in life?
How does your culture, community, or religious background understand death and grief?
- In what ways have these understandings and practices been helpful, contributing to a feeling of you being seen or held in your grief?
- In what ways have these understandings and practices created feelings of tension or other emotions, contributing to a feeling of you being unseen or missed in your experience of grief?

Self-Concept

What kind of relationship do you want to work towards having with yourself?
How do you think your relationship with yourself (e.g., your self-talk, how you cope with suffering, how you spend your free time, etc.) impacts the relationship you have with others?
What are some of your core values?
- Why are they important to you?
- What actions help you lean towards these values?
- What actions result in you moving further away from these values?
Write about a time when you wished someone had stepped in to protect or comfort you.
- If your present self could go back in time to comfort your past self, how would you step in and meet that moment?
When do you feel the most connected to yourself?
- Where are you?
- What are you doing?
- Who, if anyone, are you around?
Are there parts of yourself that you minimize, hide, or sacrifice to exist in relationship with others?
- How do you wish these parts of yourself could be received by others? By yourself?
If you had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with yourself, or offer words of encouragement, what would you say?
What was the last compliment you received that meant a lot to you?
- Why did it impact you so deeply?
When was the last time you surprised yourself in a positive way?
How would the most encouraging person in your life, your biggest supporter, describe you?

Attribution and References

This list of journal prompt questions was created by Mental Health Counseling Intern Kyra Zagorski, May 2024.

References

Dana, D. (2018). The polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. W W Norton & Co.

https://www.wondermind.com/article/self-esteem-journal-prompts/

https://counseling.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/329/2020/05/Grief-Journaling-Prompts.pdf

Springboard Exercises

The following exercises are designed to help you relate to internal experiences in a more open and flexible manner. As with any skill, this can be strengthened with ongoing practice. These exercises are from the portlandpsychotherapyclinic.com website. Each exercise link is embedded into the name of the exercise.

Focus Word Relaxation Exercise ( )

by PLU Counseling Center Released: 2016.