As a parent, educator, or family member of a neurodivergent teen, you’ve likely seen first hand the day-to-day ups and downs of navigating an unpredictable world. It’s hard enough to work your way through adolescence and young adulthood, without the added stressors of anxiety, impulsiveness, forgetfulness, and distractibility that can come along with forms of neurodivergence like ADHD and autism.
While medication and therapy can help, many teens and young adults find that journaling can also be a great way to manage emotions, thoughts, and ideas. Neurodivergent individuals often find that exercising their creative side has many perks. But it can be tough to know where to start, especially to encourage your teen.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of journaling for neurodivergent teens and young adults and provide some useful journaling prompts to get started.
Click here to jump to the TL;DR summary.
Is Journaling Helpful for Neurodivergent Individuals?
The short answer? Absolutely.
There are countless benefits of journaling, especially for executive functioning and emotion regulation.
Organization and Prioritization
One of the first is basic organization and prioritization. Your teen may find it hard to prioritize tasks and stay focused on what’s important. By journaling, your teen can create a to-do list and prioritize tasks for the day, week, or month. This can help to stay focused on the tasks that really matter and avoid distractions.
Tracking Progress and Triggers
Not only that, but journaling also allows individuals to track progress. By recording accomplishments each day, you can see how much you’ve achieved and where you need to improve. Having a visual reference of progress can improve self-confidence and motivation.
It can also help teens and young adults identify triggers, which are the things that cause you to become distracted or overwhelmed. By tracking habits and moods, your teen can start to see patterns of what triggers stress and take steps to avoid it. This can help to better manage some of the challenges related to neurodivergence and in the long run, increase emotional regulation and productivity.
Reducing Stress
Journaling is also a great way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. By writing down your thoughts and feelings, some individuals can gain clarity and decrease stress levels. This can help improve overall focus and productivity.
Boosting Mindfulness
Finally, journaling can help you practice mindfulness by allowing you to focus on your thoughts and feelings in a structured way. Mindfulness can improve mental clarity, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being.
Why is Journaling So Hard?
Despite the benefits, for some people, the thought of sitting down and writing in a journal can be a daunting task. It’s not always easy to put your thoughts and emotions into words, especially when you struggle with impulsivity, distraction, and forgetfulness.
Many neurodivergent individuals have high standards for themselves and can be overly critical of their own work. This can lead to a fear of writing something “wrong” or not measuring up to their own expectations.
To overcome this challenge, encourage your teen to focus on the process of journaling rather than the product. Remember that the purpose of journaling is to express your thoughts and feelings, not to create a perfect piece of writing.
Of course, writing about your thoughts and emotions can be a vulnerable and uncomfortable experience, and it’s not always easy to find the motivation to do so. To overcome this challenge, encourage your teen or young adult to find a way to make journaling more enjoyable or rewarding.
Some ideas:
- Encourage Personal Expression: Encourage your teen to select a journal that speaks to their unique style and preferences. Whether it’s a colorful notebook, a leather-bound journal, or a digital app, let them choose something that excites them. Customizing their journal with stickers, drawings, or their favorite quotes can make journaling a fun and personal experience.
- Create a Comfortable Space: Help your teen find a quiet and comfortable space for their journaling sessions. A serene environment can help them relax, concentrate, and relish the journaling process. If practicing journaling in the classroom, turn off overhead lights and switch to a lamp. Play soft music or a sound machine.
- Experiment with Different Styles: Encourage your teen to explore various journaling approaches. Suggest gratitude journaling, bullet journaling, stream-of-consciousness writing, or even art journaling. Experimenting with different styles keeps journaling fresh and exciting, allowing them to discover what resonates most with them.
- Embrace Creativity: Support your teen in adding visual elements like sketches, doodles, or photographs to their journal. Incorporating creativity can make their journal more engaging and expressive. Even if they don’t consider themselves artists, encourage them to experiment with visuals as a way to enhance their journaling experience.
- Use a Template: If your teen finds the creative process more challenging, using a template for journaling can put parameters and structure around what otherwise may be the intimidation of a blank page.
Try downloading our free .pdf downloadable journal template for one option to get your teen’s journaling practice started.
Remember to be a source of encouragement and respect their privacy. Journaling is a valuable tool for self-expression, and it’s essential to let your teen explore their thoughts and feelings at their own pace and in their own way.
Often, journaling is challenging for teens and young adults, simply because they don’t know where to start. If that’s the case, don’t worry – we’ll give you some tips below!
17 Creative Journaling Prompts for Neurodivergent Teens
Journaling can be a great way to envision and articulate your emotions and explore your thoughts.
Here are some of the best prompts to help you get started, broken down by category so you can match them fit whatever goals you might have.
Relationships
- Positive Reinforcement: Start by reflecting on one relationship you’re grateful for. It could be your partner, spouse, friend, or anyone else. Write about what you appreciate about them and how they have contributed to your life positively. By focusing on the good things in a relationship, you can improve your mood and help build stronger connections with those around you.
- Communication: Reflect upon a relationship with someone where communication isn’t at its best. Write about how their communication style is affecting your relationship and what you can do to better understand each other.
- Setting Boundaries: Neurodivergent individuals often struggle with impulse control, which can lead to overcommitment, leading to more stress and poor decision-making. In this journal prompt, write down boundaries that you need to set to protect your mental health and allow you to pay attention to essential things in life.
- Role Models: Journaling about successful relationships can offer lessons and insights that may benefit you in your own relationships. Think about people you know, who seem to have it all figured out, and you look up to in terms of their social skills. Write down what it is about them that you admire and what you can learn from them.
School and Career
- Think About What’s Most Important: Write about why your school or career is important to you, how it connects with your passions, and what you want to achieve. This reflection can help you understand and appreciate the work you’re doing and may help you prioritize tasks more effectively.
- Write Down Goals and Strategies: Whether you’re preparing for an exam, working on an important project, or simply trying to be more productive, write down what you want to achieve and how you plan to do it. This exercise can help you break down big tasks into smaller, more manageable steps, helping you stay on track and achieve your goals.
- Explore and Expand Your Interests: For many teens, finding an activity or hobby that they enjoy can improve focus and reduce stress. Writing about your interests – activities you enjoy doing, topics you’re passionate about, or new things you’re curious about – can help you explore your passions, find inspiration, and learn new things.
- Write About Your Successes and Challenges: It’s easy to feel discouraged when faced with a setback, but it’s just as important to reflect on your successes. Take a moment to celebrate your victories, whether it’s acing an exam or completing a project on time. At the same time, write about the challenges you’re facing, such as distractions or time management issues. Writing down these thoughts can make it easier to develop strategies to overcome the challenges.
- Ways to Stay Organized: Staying organized can be difficult for anyone, but it can be especially challenging with neurodivergence. Take a few minutes to consider how you can be more organized in your school or work life. Writing down your ideas can help you develop plans that work in your situation, such as setting reminders, creating to-do lists, or using a planner.
Self-Reflection
- Reflect on Your Day: One of the best ways to start journaling is by writing about your day, reflecting on what went well, and what you struggled with. This can help you identify patterns and triggers. Try to be as specific as possible about what you did, felt, and thought throughout the day. You can also use this prompt to identify any achievements you accomplished that day, which can help boost your confidence and motivation.
- Brain Dump Your Thoughts: Individuals with anxiety or ADHD can often experience a racing mind, with countless thoughts and ideas swirling around. Brain dumping is an effective way to get them all down on paper, freeing up mental space and reducing anxiety. For this prompt, set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write nonstop about anything that comes to mind. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or structure. Just let the words flow, and you might be surprised at the insights you uncover.
- Gratitude List: Gratitude journaling has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. For this prompt, write down three things you’re grateful for each day. It can be as big or small as you like, like a sunny day, a good book, or a kind gesture from a friend. By focusing on the positive, you’ll sharpen your awareness of the good things in life and create a positive feedback loop.
- Celebrate Your Strengths: While neurodivergence can come with challenges, it’s essential to recognize your strengths and talents. This can help boost your self-esteem and remind you that you are capable of achieving greatness. Use this journaling prompt to list five things you love about yourself or your strengths. This might include things like creativity, problem-solving skills, or perseverance. Whenever you feel down or critical of yourself, revisit this list as a positive reminder.
Processing Difficult Emotions
- Dealing With Anger and Frustration: Confront and process anger when it arises. Suppressing it could lead to aggressive behavior and negative consequences. When feeling angry or frustrated, try answering these questions. What exactly is making me angry? What control do I have in this situation? Is there a way to make this situation better or prevent it in the future? How can I calm down? By responding to these questions, you can take control of your emotions and avoid impulsively acting on them.
- Sadness and Disappointment: Journaling about your sadness is a powerful tool to allow yourself to process your thoughts and emotions safely. It assists in understanding why you feel the way you do and finding comfort in moments of sadness. When you feel sad, record your thoughts and feelings. What caused your sadness? When did it begin? How are you processing it? How can you take steps to improve your situation?
- Guilt and Shame: Writing prompt questions like, “What am I feeling guilty or shameful about? Why am I feeling this way? How can I forgive myself?” can assist in unloading our negative feelings about our situation and accepting our lives.
- Anxiety and Fear: Write about your fears and anxious feelings. What is causing you to feel this way? Is your fear or anxiety rational? What can you do about the situation or what steps can you take to cope better with the fear or anxiety? By writing down your worries and fears, you’re powering past them and getting a better understanding of what is plaguing you.
When In Doubt…
Journaling is a great way to reflect on what is most important in your life. Write about what makes you happy, what you value most, and what gives your life meaning. This exercise can help your neurodivergent teen set priorities, identify areas where they need to make changes and focus your energy on the things that matter most.
Ultimately, encourage your teen to just write!
Go with the flow. With practice, you’ll get the hang of journaling and be able to take advantage of all of its many benefits.
By using these prompts regularly, you can develop a consistent journaling practice that helps boost your mental health and productivity.
Remember, the most important thing is to write openly and honestly, without judgment or pressure.
Happy journaling!
TL;DR – (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
Journaling offers tremendous benefits for neurodivergent individuals, aiding in organization, self-reflection, stress reduction, and mindfulness.
Encourage your teen to start journaling with personalized journals, comfortable spaces, and creative styles. While the benefits are clear, the challenges can be daunting, but it’s crucial to emphasize the process over perfection.
To make journaling enjoyable, experiment with different styles and embrace creativity.
Use one of the 17 provided prompts to kickstart your teen’s journaling journey and help them develop self-awareness and coping skills.
Further Reading
- University of Rochester Medical Center: Journaling for Emotional Wellness
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences: 10 Ways Journaling Benefits Students
- Veronica Bun: Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail And How Executive Functioning Skills Can Help
- Rebekah Pierce: 10-Minute Tips To Improve Self-Monitoring Skills
- Rebekah Pierce: Why Gratitude Journaling Is So Important When The World Around You Seems Out Of Control