When it comes to relationships, there are a lot of tough decisions to make. And when the relationship is feeling rocky, bigger issues come in and you may be wondering if you should stay in a relationship that’s not making you happy or if you should leave and risk being single again. It can be hard to know what the right decision is.
Journaling can be such a helpful tool when you’re trying to make a big decision like this. Journaling allows you to explore your feelings and thoughts in more depth, which can help you come to a clearer understanding of what you really want.
If you’re trying to decide whether or not to stay in a relationship, here are 30 journal prompts to help you reflect on your situation and make the best decision for yourself.
Is It Time To Leave Your Relationship?
1. What Are The Things That Originally Drew Me To My Partner?
Sometimes we forget why we were drawn to our partner in the first place.
This prompt can help you remember the things that you once found so attractive and appealing about them and help you see some positive if you are really stuck on the negative.
2. What Are The Things That I Don’t Like About My Partner?
This is an important question to consider because it can help you decide if the negatives outweigh the positives in your relationship.
If there are many more things that you don’t like about your partner than things that you do, it might be time to reconsider your relationship.
3. What Are The Things That I’m Grateful For In My Relationship?
When you’re feeling unhappy in a relationship, it can be easy to forget all of the good things about it. This prompt can help you remember the things that you’re grateful for in your relationship, which can help you decide if it’s worth fighting for.
4. What Are The Things That I’m Not Grateful For In My Relationship?
This prompt is similar to the previous one, but it focuses on the negative aspects of your relationship. This can be helpful in deciding if the relationship is really right for you.
5. What Are The Things That I’ve sacrificed In My Relationship?
Relationships require sacrifice, but sometimes we can lose sight of what we’ve given up in order to stay in a relationship.
This prompt can help you remember the things that you’ve sacrificed in your relationship and reflect on whether or not it was worth it.
6. What Are The Things That My Partner Has sacrificed In Our Relationship?
This is a similar prompt to the previous one, but it focuses on what your partner has given up for the relationship.
This journal prompt can be helpful in understanding their perspective and whether or not they’re truly committed to making things work.
7. What Are The Things That I’ve Compromised On In My Relationship?
All relationships require compromise, but sometimes we can lose sight of what we’ve given up in order to stay in a relationship. Sometimes we continuously compromise and even allow our partner to have their way most of the time.
If you’ve given nothing up in the relationship, then how do you think your partner feels?
8. What Are The Things That My Partner Has Compromised On In Our Relationship?
This is a similar prompt to the previous one, but it focuses on what your partner has given up for the relationship.
This view can help you to determine if your partner is willing to make you happy by compromising on things and maybe even letting you have your way now and then.
9. What Are The Things That I’m Missing In My Relationship?
When you think about a happy, healthy relationship, what’s missing from yours?
10. What Are The Things That My Partner is Missing In Our Relationship?
This is a similar prompt to the previous one, but it focuses on what your partner is missing in the relationship. It can be helpful to see things from their perspective.
11. What Are The Things That I’m Afraid Of Losing If I Leave My Relationship?
When we consider leaving a relationship, it’s natural to feel scared and unsure of what the future holds. This journal prompt helps you recognize your fears and see if you can develop a plan of action to alleviate them.
For instance, a friend of mine wanted to leave her marriage, but she hadn’t worked in over 20 years as she always took care of the kids. One of the things she was scared of losing was the security of having money coming in. Once she faced this fear, she looked for options to help her overcome it and create a plan, and when she did, she was finally able to leave the marriage.
12. What Are The Things That I’m Afraid Of Losing If I Stay In My Relationship?
This is very important to consider.
Are you afraid of losing your self-worth, time, energy, happiness, other relationships, or your future?
If you add up what you are afraid of losing if you stay, does the pain of staying feel heavier than the pain of leaving?
13. What Are The Things That I Want Out Of My Relationship?
If your relationship was to change, what you want out of it? Do you think it’s doable? Are you or your partner willing to change so that you can get what you want?
14. What Are The Things That My Partner Wants Out Of Our Relationship?
What about your partner? What would they want out of your relationship going forward? Are you willing or capable of giving it to them?
15. What Are The Things That I Need In My Relationship?
Want and need are two different things. Don’t deny what you need out of a relationship.
An interesting question to ask yourself is, “If I’m not getting what I need from a relationship, then why am I in a relationship to begin with?”
16. What Are The Things That My Partner Needs In Our Relationship?
You may not know exactly what your partner needs, but try to guess for this journal prompt. Flipping the script is always useful to understand your part in why the relationship is not going well.
17. What Are The Things That I Love About My Relationship?
When we’re feeling unhappy in a relationship, it’s easy to focus on all of the negative aspects. This journal prompt can help you remember the things that you love about your relationship, which can help you decide if it’s worth fighting for.
18. Have I Shared My Concerns With My Partner Or Am I Just Hoping They Will Somehow Understand Them?
This prompt can help you understand your own communication style in the relationship and whether or not you’re truly giving your partner a chance to address your concerns.
19. What Are The Things That I Haven’t Shared With My Partner That I’m Afraid To?
We all have fears and concerns that we are scared to share with our partners. This prompt can help you identify the things that you’re afraid to share with your partner, which can help you decide if you’re ready to confront them.
20. What Am I really Looking For In My Relationship? Can My Partner Give Me Those Things To Me?
When we’re unhappy in a relationship, it can be helpful to take a step back and examine what we’re really looking for. But more importantly, whether or not your partner can actually give you those things.
Are they capable of being the person you want them to be?
21. What Are The Things That I’ve Changed In Myself Since I’ve Been In This Relationship?
This prompt can help you understand how much you’ve changed since being in the relationship and whether or not those changes are positive or negative.
22. What Are The Things That I Don’t Like About How I’ve Changed In Myself Since I’ve Been In This Relationship?
This is a similar prompt to the previous one, but it solely focuses on the things that you don’t like about how you’ve changed. This can be helpful in understanding your own self-growth and whether or not the relationship is truly beneficial for you.
23. What Are The Things That I’ve Learned About Myself Since I’ve Been In This Relationship?
This prompt can help you understand what you’ve learned about yourself since being in the relationship and whether or not those lessons have been positive or negative.
It can also help you decide if you’ve learned more about what you do or don’t want in a relationship.
24. What Are The Things That I Wish I Had Known About Myself Before I Got Into This Relationship?
This prompt can help you understand what you wish you had known about yourself before getting into the relationship. This can be helpful in understanding what you need to work on in yourself and whether or not the relationship is truly beneficial for you.
For instance, do you wish you had known how much you love your free time? Or do you wish you had been clearer on what kind of person you were looking for?
25. What Are The Things That I Wish I Had Known About My Partner Before I Got Into This Relationship?
This prompt can help you understand what you wish you had known about your partner before getting into the relationship. This can be helpful in understanding their true character, what they may have hidden from you, and whether or not the relationship is truly right for you.
26. What Are The Times When I’ve Felt Most Connected To My Partner?
This prompt can help you remember the times when you’ve felt most connected to your partner, which can help you decide if the relationship is worth fighting for.
27. What Are The Times When I’ve Felt Most Disconnected From My Partner?
This prompt can help you understand the times when you’ve felt most disconnected from your partner, which can also help you decide if the relationship is worth fighting for.
28. What Are The Things That I Do That Make My Partner Feel Disconnected From Me?
This prompt can help you understand your own actions and how they might be affecting your partner. This can be helpful in understanding how to improve communication and connection in your relationship.
29. What Are The Things That I Do That Make My Partner Feel Connected To Me?
Again, take a look at your own part in this relationship and reflect on what you do to improve the connection in your relationship. Is it nothing? Is it too much?
How much effort have you truly put into making the relationship work? Too little or too much?
30. What Is My Overall Gut Feeling About This Relationship?
This prompt can help you listen to your intuition about the relationship and whether or not it’s right for you. Sometimes our thoughts can get in the way of our true feelings.
Allow yourself some time to sit quietly and listen for an answer to this journal prompt. You may be surprised at the answer you get.
