Isn’t it amazing how cleansing and grounding even just five minutes of journaling can be? Journaling as self care is a wildly effective strategy not only to calm anxiety and lift the spirits, but to use as a pathway to self discovery, too. Going to a therapist isn’t the only way to invite some “aha moments” into your life—the enneagram journal prompts below can kick off your inner dialogue.
Here’s what self-discovery journaling is all about: Finding clarity about where you are now, so you can figure out how to move forward. You have to know where point A is if you want to get to point B. And sometimes that means addressing your pain and stress… It’s important to get well acquainted with yourself so you can know how to offer the world the best of yourself.
Below you will find self care journaling prompts for each enneagram type. Of course, if there is a prompt that stands out to you but doesn’t belong to your enneagram number, claim it as your own! Follow your curiosity.
enneagram journal prompts for self care
ENNEAGRAM 1
Recall a memory, in recent history or from childhood, where you had a really really good time. Where you were laughing and smiling and simply enjoying yourself. Describe the situation in as much detail as you can—who was there, what happened, what was said. Maybe describe what the weather was doing, what you were doing, what sounds and smells and sights were around you at the time.
ENNEAGRAM 2
Bring to mind someone who is very close to you. Describe the ways in which you are different from each other. Start with easy things like appearance, personality, style of clothing. Then delve into interests, preferences, opinions. Perhaps describe differences in the way you each react or feel about things. Maybe talk about differences of backgrounds, and then look future—toward differences in your hopes and dreams. Although the two of you might share a beautiful bond based on lots of common ground, what are all of the things that set you apart and contribute to your unique individuality?
ENNEAGRAM 3
Bring to mind a person in your life who you would like to impress—someone who you’d like to look at you and think “wow, they look like they’re doing really well.” (we all wanna look like that, right?) Think of that person and see if you can get in their head a little bit… Then, describe in detail what you think you’d need to look and act like in order to be ultimately impressive to them. Design a version of you that they would think of as extremely admirable and cool. What would you need to do and accomplish? Who would you need to be friends with? What would you need to dress like and act like? How does this person you’ve just described differ from who you are?
ENNEAGRAM 4
Imagine the most heart-wrenching, beautiful, life-changing novel. Even though there are big plot twists—huge events and gestures scattered throughout—the story wouldn’t be the story if the author didn’t set the stage with all the details first. Take a few minutes to describe your life and your home as if it was setting the stage in the most beautiful novel. Your words don’t have to be creative or flowery. The point is actually to describe things exactly the way that they are, whatever state you find yourself in this moment…
Write down all the details you can think of about your appearance right now, including your clothes and and posture, and your physical features. Then write down the details of the furniture you are sitting on and writing on. Write down all the sounds you can hear, all the smells you can smell, and details about the room you are in. Describe the task you were involved in before sitting down to journal, and the task you will move onto after journaling. Include details like what kind of laundry detergent you will use, or what stores you will go to when you run errands.
ENNEAGRAM 5
Bring to mind some mysteries in your life or in the universe at large. They could be as small as “where did I lose my water bottle?” or it could be about a person like “I don’t understand why that person would act in that crazy way,” or it could be something massive like “I don’t know what happens after this life.” Write down all the mysteries that come to you.
…But then, focus in on a couple of them—one tiny silly one and one really big one. How does it make you feel to simply not know these answers? Write down any feeling descriptions you can think of. Then, describe what it would change about your life if you did know the answers. If you knew the answer to this, right now, how would it change how you go about your day? It might change a lot, or it might change nothing at all. That’s for you to discover.
ENNEAGRAM 6
Call to mind a situation where you were brave. Remembering, of course, that bravery never means a lack of fear and uncertainty, but rather your endurance and ability to face the fear…
This can be a recent experience or one from childhood. Describe what happened and what your surroundings were like. But then, describe in detail what you were like in that situation. What did you look like and sound like? What were you feeling and thinking in the moment? What did you do and say? Then, describe how you felt once you got to the other side of that situation. Even now, reading through the details of that story, how does it make you feel that despite the fear and the challenge—you persisted and journeyed onward?
ENNEAGRAM 7
Describe a situation from your childhood or youth in which you were thoroughly entertained and engaged. Write down the details of what was happening, who was around you, and what you were doing in that situation. Paint the full picture—the sights, the smells, the sounds, the events. Then, if you can remember, write down who it was that created or orchestrated that activity. Repeat this pattern and write about a couple more childhood experiences where you felt entertained. There is no agenda here except to write freely with an open heart and open mind. Write down each and everything that possibly comes to mind and just see where the exercise takes you.
ENNEAGRAM 8
What are some things you daydreamed about when you were younger? Things you would lay awake in bed at night and think about? These could be futuristic daydreams that felt fantastic and far away, or ones about your then-current situation that you wished were different. Focus on one that felt most vivid or exciting. Describe in as much detail whatever you can remember about that daydream. And then, as if you were a fly on the wall, described how you were, however many years ago, when you dreamt that day dream. Where were you, what would you be doing while you day-dreamt, and how did it make you feel?
ENNEAGRAM 9
Bring to mind, by name, a person who would consider you a good friend. Imagine them sitting in a room, doing something typical to them in their typical environment, with their typical attitude and thoughts. Now, imagine that you walk into that room. Now try to get in their head and make your best guesses here with this next question: What changes for them when you walk in the room? What do they feel when you walk in? What do they see? What happens to the tasks they were involved in? Imagine you stay there and hang out for a while. What kinds of thoughts do they have that they wouldn’t have had before you came in? What feelings? What experiences? There are no wrong answers here so just go wild and make your best guesses. Go into as much tiny detail as you can.
Write knowing that nobody ever needs to see the words you write. Put pen on paper and simply let the words flow out—stream of consciousness. There are no wrong answers, there are no perfect methods. Let yourself go on rabbit trails and follow any thoughts that strike your curiosity.
Laura Miltenberger is a grad student—MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—who loves picking up a honey latte and hiking to one of the beautiful Oregon waterfalls. She runs @xoenneagram, an account where self care meets the enneagram. Laura is the author of My Enneagram Journal and will be releasing her new book, Enneagram Empowerment, on March 9th from Penguin Random House.
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