Journaling For Couples: How To Start A Couples Journal (Prompts Included)
The benefits of journaling are well-documented. Not only can it help reduce stress and anxiety, but it can also promote self-awareness and self-reflection. Likewise, journaling for couples and journaling together as a couple, can be an especially powerful tool for communication and connection.
We all know how important communication is in a relationship, and sometimes effective communication can be difficult, a couples journal can help take a little pressure off communication, while building deeper connections with your spouse.
Whether you are looking to strengthen your relationship or simply find new ways to connect with your partner, journaling can be an extremely effective tool.
Not only does it offer a host of physical and mental health benefits, but it also provides an opportunity for couples to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe, supportive space.
What Is A Couples Journal?
A couples journal is a shared journal that is used by both partners in a relationship. It can be used to record thoughts, feelings, and experiences, as well as to communicate with each other.
Couples journals can take many different forms, but they all serve the same purpose: to provide a space for couples to connect with each other and deepen their relationship.
If you are looking for a way to strengthen your relationship and build deeper connections, a couples journal may be the perfect tool for you.
You can create many different forms of journals, like a date journal, a marriage journal, or a parenting journal, and can even come up wtih a new way of recording your journals too, just to try something different.
Ready to get started? Here are some tips to help you get started:
Benefits of Journaling For Couples
At its core, a couples journal is simply a tool for couples to use together to deepen their connection and communication.
It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as sharing thoughts and feelings, keeping track of goals or milestones, or working through conflict.
Some of the benefits of journaling as a couple include:
– Improved communication and connection with each other
– Increased self-awareness and emotional intelligence
– Enhanced intimacy
– Boosted mental health and stress management
- help build a strong relationship
- learn how to communicate in different ways
By keeping a journal, couples can tap into their creative side, increase self-awareness and understanding of each other, and foster deeper feelings of love and commitment.
So if you are looking for a fun way to connect with your partner or improve your relationship in some way, consider starting a couples journal today!
Ideas For A Couples Journal
Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas for things you can include in your couples journal:
Write Together:
Grab a notebook, sit down together, and write your thoughts and ideas about different topics. Some could include:
- Your thoughts and feelings about your relationship
- What you love about your partner
- Things you are grateful for in your relationship
- Things you would like to work on as a couple
- Goals or intentions for your relationship
- A weekly “check-in” to see how you are both doing
- Date night ideas
- Things that make you feel happy, loved, and supported
- A record of special moments and precious memories in your relationship
This can be one of the best ways to start journaling as it is such a simple process.
Write To Each Other:
A beautiful way to keep a journal as a couple and to help communicate more with each other is to write letters to each other.
They don’t have to be long, or a romantic love letter, and you could choose a day of the week to do them, or take turns and do them daily, the idea is to create an intentional habit of taking time to write to each other.
This allows you to bring focus to communication and to your relationship and highlight the little things in your days that remind you of how much you do love each other.
This is also a great way to communicate if ‘words of affirmation’ are one of your love languages.
Write Lists Together:
Who doesn’t love a good list? Writing lists together can be a fun way to open lines of communication. Remember, you don’t have to write a novel for journaling as a couple to be effective, it’s all about what works for you.
Some ideas for lists to write could include:
- Things you want to do in your relationship
- Places you want to visit together
- Date night ideas
- Hobbies to try
- Movies to watch
- A list of dares to give each other
- Things you love about each other
- Favorite memories together
- Bucket list ideas
- Things you’re grateful for or a gratitude journal
- New things you want to try
Keep your lists all together in a dedicated notebook or folder, or use a printable couples planner, and you can even rewrite the lists year after year and see how much they change.
Answer Questions Together:
With the demands of life, work, commitments, and kids, it’s no wonder we struggle to find time to have a conversation. Unfortunately, this can mean when we get the time to sit down and chat, we’re often exhausted and struggle to think of things to talk about that don’t revolve around work, kids, or groceries.
This is where question prompts and conversation starters can help.
Grab a list of conversation starters and start at the top. Make a habit of asking each other at least one of these questions each day. It doesn’t have to lead to big long conversations, but it can put some fun back into communicating again.
You can even record yourself answering the questions together and create a video journal with each other.
Alternatively, you can use these daily questions as writing prompts for your journal as an easy way to get some journaling topics and conversations started.
Write A Story Together
More specifically, write your love story together. This is definitely one of my favorite journals and is a great way to get your relationship story into a beautiful love journal.
You can use creative and expressive writing, you could tell your story in separate journal entries, or find your own way to document your special memories, past experiences, favorite moments, and deepest feelings in your relationship.
This can also be an amazing keepsake that you can pass down to your children and further generations.
How To Start A Couples Journal
The hardest part with starting a journal for couples can be the actually getting started part, so keep it simple.
1 – Choose a journaling method that works for you.
2 – Set aside dedicated time each week to journal together.
3 – Start right now – the first one is the hardest so don’t delay and get that first one out of the way.
4 – Have fun.
There’s no wrong way to start a couples journal. Just grab a notebook or some loose paper, set some time aside each week, and start writing.
You could even create a digital journal using a program like Evernote, Google Docs, or OneNote.
The most important thing is to find what works for you and your partner, and to make the time to actively engage with each other through journaling.
Set aside a dedicated time block in your calendar to work on your couples journal together. Make it a recurring task, each week (or as often as you’d like) and make sure you don’t double book!
Getting started might feel a little uncomfortable but once you get into the flow you’ll be journaling like a pro!
Journaling Prompts For Couples
If you’re feeling stuck on what to write about, or just need some inspiration to get started, below are 75 journal prompts for couples.
1 – What are you grateful for in your relationship?
2 – What would you like to work on as a couple?
3 – What are your intentions or goals for your relationship?
4 – How do you show love to your partner?
5 – What are some of the things that make you a good partner?
6 – What was your first impression of your partner when you met?
7 – What kind of activities do you enjoy doing together?
8 – How has your relationship changed or grown since you first started dating?
9 – What are some things you admire about your partner?
10 – What is your favorite memory of being together?
11 – What are some things you would like to do together in the future?
12 – Why do you think your relationship has lasted as long as it has?
13 – What are some of the things that make your partner special?
14 – How do you keep your relationship strong and healthy in spite of life’s ups and downs?
15 – Do you think it is important to have shared interests or hobbies with your partner? Why or why not?
16 – What are some things that you do as a couple to stay connected?
17 – Have you ever felt like your relationship was in jeopardy or going through a rough patch? How did you resolve this?
18 – What are some of the challenges that come with being in a relationship?
19 – How do you balance your needs and desires with those of your partner?
20 – How do you make time for each other amidst the demands of work and family?
21 – What are some ways that you can better support your partner in their goals or dreams?
22 – What is one thing that you could do differently to improve your relationship with your partner?
23 – What advice would you give to couples who are just starting out on their relationship journey?
24 – How do you navigate issues of trust in your relationship?
25 – How important is it for partners to have outside friendships, and how do you manage these relationships?
26 – Is there anything that makes you insecure in your relationship? How do you deal with these feelings?
27 – What are some things that your partner does that make you feel loved?
28 – What is your idea of a perfect date night?
29 – What are some things that you would like to learn about your partner?
30 – What do you think is the most important thing to remember in a relationship?
31 – What is your favorite thing about being in a relationship?
32 – What are some things you and your partner do to keep the romance alive?
33 – What are some of the things that make you feel most supported by your partner?
34 – How do you deal with disagreements or arguments with your partner?
35 – What are some of the things that make you feel most loved by your partner?
36 – What are some things that you would like to change or improve about yourself in order to be a better partner?
37 – If there was one thing you could change about your relationship, what would it be?
38 – Do you think it is important to have alone time as a couple, and if so, how do you make this happen?
39 – What was your favorite part of our wedding day? (Or if you’re not married – What is important to you on a wedding day?)
40 – What do you believe it is that sets happy couples apart from other couples?
41 – What are your career goals? What do you want to do or achieve in your career?
42 – Is Valentine’s Day important to you? What do you want/expect on Valentine’s Day?
43 – What do you believe to be the key to a healthy relationship?
Tips For Journaling For Couples
While journaling is fairly straightforward and there aren’t any specific rules as such, there are some things you can do to get the most out of journaling. These are some tips to help you with your couples journal:
- Be honest and allow your partner to be honest, this is crucial to open communication and should be one of your ground rules. Listen to what your partner shares and give your full attention.
- Avoid defensive reactions – each of you is entitled to feel how you feel and your feelings are valid. Expressing negative thoughts can make people nervous, even in relationships with a solid foundation. Be sure to create a safe space for all feelings and communication.
- Keep talking after journaling, this is just a tool to help open lines of communication, it shouldn’t be your only form of communication.
- If you find a topic that brings up some issues or needs to be addressed, set aside time for a deeper conversation about it, or seek professional help from a counselor to help you work through it and resolve it.
- Find ways to support and encourage each other in your relationship goals, whether they are personal or shared as a couple.
- Remember to keep the lines of communication open at all times, and be willing to work through things together when challenges arise.
- Above all, couples journaling should be fun and rewarding – make sure that you take the time to appreciate each other and remember why you decided to start this journey together!
Journaling for couples can be an incredibly rewarding way to connect with your partner on a deeper level. It can also help you to communicate better, work through challenges, and set and achieve relationship goals.
If you’re not sure where to start, the prompts in this article should give you a good foundation.
Remember to be honest, open, and supportive of each other as you journal – this is key to making it a positive experience for both of you!
