Coming Home to Yourself + 50 Journal Prompts
8th installation of your go-to guide to navigating burnout & burnout recovery.
First and foremost, if you are based in the US, Happy Juneteenth! If you have the day off, I hope you are relaxing and not reading this.
This post will be a bit more reflective if you have the long-weekend to unwind. This will be structured more like my Weekly Wind Down entries, which are part of the paid subscription tier for The Burnout Diaries.
If you’d like more reflective Friday posts, feel free to upgrade with a special Juneteenth offer of extra 19% off for our annual subscription, redeemable from now until Monday, June 23, 2025.
Upgrading is completely optional, but it helps support me and The Burnout Diaries. Plus, this month, 10% of all proceeds are donated to the LGBT Life Center as part of the Burnout Recovery Club’s mission to donate directly to different national mental health organizations every month.
With that being said, let’s shift our focus back to coming back to yourself after burnout.
Burnout Changed Everything: My Wake-Up Call
It’s taken me almost a decade to realize I had been living for others most of my life.
When I look back on the past 10 years of my life, I followed paths that I believed were expected of me. I constantly chased goals that didn’t reflect my own interests, trying to meet my perception of other people’s standards and definitions of success.
Only recently have I started to understand what it means to live for myself, to make choices based on my own values and desires instead of trying to fit into others’ expectations. And I’ll be honest, this shift has been really challenging, but it’s the foundation of my journey toward healing and self-discovery.
For context, let me break this down if you’re not familiar with my story.
In March of this year, I made the decision to leave my 9-to-5 at Google. Even before I put in my 2-weeks notice, I knew deep down that I had been unhappy with my role for a long time, but I couldn’t get myself to admit it and then leave on my own will. It truly felt like I had golden handcuffs on, chained to a supposed-to-be great job.
And while I wish I could say I left my job on good terms, there was some unexpected corporate drama that left me feeling angry and resentful.
My backup plan unraveled and when I left, I felt lost. I felt guilt, shame, and resentment. I felt like my departure from one of the biggest tech companies was a fall from grace. Like I had failed my friends, family, even strangers I’d never met.
At the time, I had no idea that I would start UnfilteredVentures and the Burnout Recovery Club. I couldn’t even imagine the idea of transitioning into a creative role and expressing myself freely on the internet.
It took me many therapy sessions to realize that all of these feelings arose because for so long, I had been living to please others. To make my friends, family, and strangers proud.
Even 3 months into my burnout recovery and self-healing journey, I still feel all of those feelings on the emotional spectrum. But even though I have all of these mixed emotions, this is the first time I’ve truly felt like I’m living for myself.
Today, I’ve compiled a list of 50 journal prompts to help you in your own self-discovery. Whether you’re burned out or in a life transition, these are the prompts I wished I had.
And while these prompts won’t provide an immediate fix to coming home to yourself, I hope you find at least one prompt that helps you understand where you are right now and where you’d like to be in the future.
50 Journal Prompts Handpicked Just For You
To help you dive deeper into self-discovery, I’ve handpicked 50 journal prompts divided into five meaningful categories.
Each category features 10 thoughtful prompts designed to inspire reflection, growth, and clarity.
Whether you’re exploring your feelings, values, goals, passions, or personal growth, these prompts are crafted to meet you exactly where you are on your journey.
Understanding Your Feelings
What emotion feels strongest right now?
What feelings am I avoiding or pushing aside?
What feeling do I struggle to express?
What emotion do I wish I understood better?
When did I last feel truly at peace?
What situations trigger stress or anxiety for me?
When do I feel overwhelmed, and how do I respond?
What worries or anxieties keep coming back?
What feeling connects me to others?
How do I typically cope with difficult feelings?
Exploring Your Values & Identity
What values did I grow up with?
What principles guide my decisions?
What am I unwilling to compromise?
What matters most to me in life?
Which values have changed over time?
Who am I beneath my roles and titles?
What parts of my identity feel most important?
What beliefs do I hold about who I am?
What labels do I reject about myself?
What role does my past play in who I am today?
Realigning Goals & Aspirations
What’s a goal I’ve never shared with anyone, and why?
What dreams have I put on hold, and why?
How would my life change if I prioritized my goals fully?
How do my goals align with my core values?
What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
What does fulfillment feel like for me?
What external pressures influence my goals?
What stories do I tell myself about why I can or cannot succeed?
What limiting beliefs do I need to release to move forward?
What does it mean to pursue goals that are true to me, not others?
Rediscovering Passions and Joy
What did I love doing as a child that I’ve stopped?
What small moments bring me happiness daily?
What creative outlets have I never tried but want to?
When do I feel most connected to myself?
When do I feel most at peace?
What’s a joyful memory I want to revisit?
When do I feel most free to be myself?
When was the last time I felt inspired?
What would I create if time wasn’t a limit?
What passions have helped me through hard times?
Growth and Moving Forward
What does personal growth mean to me?
When have I felt proud of how much I’ve grown?
How do I define progress in my life?
What fears hold me back from moving forward?
What does “moving forward” mean to me personally?
What does letting go mean in my life?
What old habits am I ready to leave behind?
What boundaries help me grow?
How do I challenge my comfort zone healthily?
What’s one step I can take today toward growth?
Whether you took your time with each prompt or simply paused on the ones that resonated, I hope at least one helped you rest, reflect, and rebuild.
Journaling with a pen and paper has been one of my favorite ways to unwind after the day. And it has helped me immensely in not only acknowledging my emotions, but also in understanding and processing them as I continue on my path of burnout recovery.
El Fin
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read this entry.
My hope is that in reading this, something resonated. Maybe it gave you a bit of clarity or maybe it reminded you that you’re not the only one feeling this way.
If you know someone who’s struggling with burnout, please consider sharing this newsletter with them. My goal is to build a community where we can openly share honest thoughts, reflections, and practical tools to support each other.
Stay tuned for next week, where I’ll share more guidance and actionable steps to help you beat burnout.
Progress > Perfection. Always.