For a long time, self care wasn’t really something I thought about.
As a mom raising a child with autism, so much of my time and energy goes into taking care of everyone else. Therapy appointments, routines, meals, sleep, meltdowns, housework — there’s always something that needs to be done.
And honestly, I’ve spent a lot of time just surviving.
When you’re in survival mode for so long, you don’t always notice how tired you are. You just keep going because there’s no other choice.
But I’ve slowly realized that taking care of myself isn’t something I should only do when I’m already completely exhausted. I need little moments where I can stop, breathe, and check in with myself too.
That’s one of the reasons I like journaling.
It doesn’t have to take an hour. Sometimes I just need a few minutes to make a page, write something down, track how I’m feeling, or simply sit with my thoughts.
So I put together these self care journal ideas for anyone who wants to use their journal for more than just writing prompts. These are pages you can make, decorate, track, and come back to whenever you need a little reset.
And you don’t have to make all 25. Pick one that feels right for you today. Let’s get into it..
Table of Contents
What Makes a Self Care Journal Page Different From a Prompt?
A journal prompt gives you something to write about. A journal page gives you something to make.
For example, you could answer, “How am I feeling today?” Or you could make a mood tracker and just color in a little box.
Sometimes I prefer the second one, especially when I don’t really feel like writing.
You can also mix the two. Make a pretty page and add a few lines underneath it. There really aren’t any rules.
If you do want more writing prompts, I have a separate post with 30 self care journaling prompts.
Supplies for a Self Care Journal
You don’t need a whole collection of fancy supplies for this.
Use whatever you already have. But if you’re wondering what might come in handy, here’s a simple list:
- – Colored pens or markers
- – Washi tape
- – Stickers
- – A ruler
- – Scrapbook paper or watercolor paper
- – Old magazines, book pages, or anything else you like using for collage
- – Printable elements if you don’t want to draw everything yourself
I usually think a few soft colors work really well for self care pages, but honestly, use the colors you like.
And if you don’t feel like making everything from scratch, my 30-Day Mindfulness Journal already has guided layouts you can use.
Want Some Free Journal Spreads?
If you love pretty journal pages but don’t always have the time to make everything from scratch, I’ve got you.
Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you my free Lavender Dreams journal spreads to use in your own journal. They’re simple, pretty, and ready to print.
Get the Free Lavender Dreams Journal Spreads with other free resources below:
Self Care Journal Ideas
1. Mood Tracker
Make a little monthly grid and choose a color for each mood. Then just color in one box every day.
I like this because you can look back at the whole month and actually see what’s been going on instead of trying to remember how you felt three weeks ago.
It can be useful because you can identify patterns. For instance, what makes you sad, happy or etc. Then, you can decide to do something about it.
2. Water Intake Tracker
This one is super simple. Draw a row of little glasses, bottles, or water drops and color them in as you drink throughout the day.
Nothing fancy. Just a visual reminder to drink some water.
3. Sleep Tracker
Keep track of how many hours you slept and how you felt the next day. You could use little moon and star doodles, a simple chart, or just write the numbers down.
After a while, you might notice that you feel completely different after a good night’s sleep.
4. Simple Habit Tracker
Choose a few small things you want to do more often. Maybe drinking water, stretching, reading, getting some fresh air, or going to bed earlier.
I’d keep this to around 3–5 habits. There’s no need to turn self care into another giant to-do list.
5. “How I’m Really Doing” Check-In
Make a little grid with things like mood, energy, motivation, stress, and social connection. Give each one a rating from 1–5 once a week.
It only takes a few minutes, but it can help you notice when something has been off for a while.
6. Screen Time Reflection
Track your screen time for a week.Not because you need to feel guilty about being on your phone. I mean, we’re all on our phones.Just see how much time you’re actually spending there and jot down how you felt afterward.
Sometimes that alone is enough to make you want to change something.
Do you love journaling too? or you want to learn more? You can check our free journaling hub- a collection of high quality blog posts about journaling (click the email below)
7. Comfort List
Make a list of things that make you feel better when you’re having a rough day. Favorite movies. Songs. Food. People. Places. Books. A walk. A hot shower. Whatever works for you.
You can keep adding to this page whenever you think of something.
8. Things That Helped Today
At the end of the day, write down a few things that helped you get through it. Maybe you finally got some quiet time. Maybe you talked to a friend. Maybe you went outside for ten minutes.
Even something as simple as having your favorite coffee counts.
9. Permission Slip
Make yourself a little permission slip.
You can write things like:
- I give myself permission to rest.
- I can say no.
- I don’t have to finish everything today.
- I can change my mind.
Decorate it however you want and keep it somewhere in your journal where you can find it later.
10. Body Check-In
Draw a simple person outline and mark where you’re feeling tension. Maybe it’s your shoulders, neck, back, jaw, or wherever you tend to carry stress. Then write down what you think you need. Maybe it’s a stretch. Maybe it’s rest. Maybe you just need to slow down for a bit.
11. Safe People List
Make a page with the people you feel comfortable being yourself around.The people you can call when you need to talk, laugh, vent, or just have someone there.
It’s a nice page to have in your journal, especially on days when you feel like you’re handling everything by yourself.
12. My Current Season of Life
Write about what’s going on in your life right now.Maybe you’re exhausted. Maybe you’re happy. Maybe you’re starting something new. Maybe life feels a little all over the place.
You don’t have to make it sound inspirational.Just write what this part of your life feels like.
13. Self Care Menu
I really like this idea because you can make different options depending on how much time you have.
5 minutes- Make coffee, listen to a song, stretch, sit outside.
30 minutes- Read, take a walk, journal, watch an episode of something you like.
A few hours – Go somewhere, have lunch by yourself, watch a movie, take a long bath, or just have a completely lazy afternoon.
Then when you want to do something for yourself, you don’t have to think of something from scratch.
14. Weekly Self Care Plan
Look at your week and choose one small thing you want to do for yourself each day. It can be really small.
Maybe Tuesday is your reading night. Wednesday you take a walk. Friday you order your favorite food. Whatever fits your actual life.
15. Boundaries Page
Write down a few boundaries you’ve been thinking about. Then write what that boundary actually looks like in real life.
For example, if you need more rest, maybe that means not automatically saying yes when someone asks you to do something. Keep it practical.
16. Energy Budget
Think about where your energy goes during the week. Work. Chores. Family. Errands. Appointments. Social media. Everything.
Then look at what’s left for you.
You might realize that you’re not actually short on time – you’re just spending all your energy before you get to yourself.
17. Someday Self Care List
Write down all the things you’d love to do for yourself someday. A trip. A spa day. Learning something new. Going somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit.
You don’t need a plan yet. Just put the ideas somewhere.
18. My Perfect Reset Day
If you could have one whole day with nothing you had to do, what would it look like?
Write it out from morning to night. What would you eat? Where would you go? Would you stay home? Who would you spend time with?
19. Color Wash Page
Get your watercolors out and fill a page with colors.
That’s it.
Just pick a few colors and let yourself play around with them for a while.
20. Favorite Quote Collage
Collect a few quotes you love and make a collage. You can write them by hand, print them, cut them from old magazines, or mix everything together.
Add some washi tape, doodles, little pieces of paper -whatever you like.
21. Gratitude Collage
Instead of writing a list of things you’re grateful for, make a page out of them.
Draw little pictures. Cut things out of magazines. Add photos or scraps of paper.
22. Small Wins Page
This is one of my favorites.
Write down all the little things you managed to do this week.Finished something you’ve been putting off? Put it down.
Got through a difficult day? That’s a win too.
Cleaned the house, went outside, made yourself a decent meal, finally answered that message?. All of it counts.
23. Affirmation Cards
Make little cards with affirmations and tuck them into a pocket in your journal.
You can decorate each one differently. Then whenever you need a little reminder, pull one out.
24. Nature Collection Page
If you go for a walk and find a pretty little leaf or flower, save it for your journal. Add the date and maybe a few words about where you were or what kind of day you were having.
It’s like keeping a tiny piece of that day.
25. A “Just Breathe” Page
Leave one page mostly empty.
No tracker. No list. No questions. Maybe write “Just Breathe” in the middle and add a few simple doodles around it.
That’s it.
How to Actually Use These Pages
Don’t make all 25 just because they’re here. Pick two or three that you actually like.
If you enjoy tracking things, start with a mood or habit tracker. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe make the comfort list or the permission slip instead.
And don’t worry about making your journal look like the ones you see on Pinterest. Use your own handwriting. Use the supplies you already have. Make messy pages. Change your mind halfway through.
It’s your journal.
If starting with a blank page feels like too much, you can also use my 30-Day Mindfulness Journal. The layouts and structure are already there, so you can just sit down and start.
Final Thoughts on self care journal ideas
Yes journaling can also be self care. Writing has proven to be therapeutic for me especially on days I feel like I can’t go on or when I’m anxious for the future. If this make sense start by picking one or two of these self care journal ideas. Write a few things down. Color something. Sit there with your coffee and love the season you’re in.
Love and light,
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