Weekly prompts to help you think a little harder, write a little longer, and have a bit of fun in your journal. I provide the prompt and then a bit of discussion afterward to help you think beyond the prompt.
How To Use Weekly Prompts
Using weekly prompts can be as simple or as difficult as you would like. I do not use one every day, and sometimes I use several from the weekly prompts list at one time. Over time, I have learned that too simple doesn’t work for me. I like to push the question around in my mind, look at it from a couple of different perspectives, and see what comes out.
Imagine, if you will, the prompt as a unique piece of artwork. Put that piece of artwork on a pedestal and then move around it. Look from side to side, high to low, and anything between. I want it to speak to me, give me thoughts, and guide my thoughts into a deeper understanding.
In all seriousness, I do study the question. I don’t spend hours on it and sometimes not even minutes. A few seconds and a few pointed questions after. Generally, those questions begin with why. Why did the prompt spark that response? Does that matter to me, and why? Why did I choose that answer/point? My meanings and questions can be vastly different from yours. That’s okay! The prompts are supposed to spark YOUR thoughts and feelings.
Focus Quote
Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open. – Natalie Goldberg
Journaling can be simple. You can sit and write briefly about what your day was like, what you did, or who you were with. Your writing can be about the mundane details of your day and the happenings around you. That’s fine, it’s great, and a lot of times, your entries may look just like that. The important part is that you make the effort to go deeper.
Ask yourself the harder questions and allow yourself to answer them. Write down the thoughts that are bouncing around the hardest in your mind and heart, the thoughts that bother you and that you know need to be sorted out. Really take the time to allow yourself to not just think those thoughts but to actually put them to paper. The release is something that is a powerful drug, to unload these thoughts from your thoughts onto paper is a physical opening of a door, a lightening of a load, the unburdening of your soul. It’s worth every second of the discomfort that can come while writing them down.
Weekly Inspiration
Journaling
Your daily journaling doesn’t have to include photos or loads of decoration. Just adding drawings can really make the page fun!
Pin by Jennifer Lee
Creative Journaling
Adding headings, photos, and decorations can break up the page and add character.
Pin By whimsicalbujo
Art Journaling
Art is subjective. I get it. But art is not strictly painting and such. These junk journals and collage journals are absolutely art journals. They are amazing!
Pin By Elizabeth Shertel
The images that I choose for inspiration are not about the links. They are solely about the images and what they represent. I love seeing other people’s journals. I love the inspiration that hits me to go write in my own. Sometimes, that inspiration leads me to try something I have seen on their pages. Mostly, it just inspires me to write!
Weekly Prompts
32.01 Have you ever introduced daily gratitude into your journaling?
Did it help? Do you still do it? What happens when you have a blank wall or think you’ve said the same thing too many times? Does striving to find things to be grateful for make you more or less aware of the people, places, and things around you? Showing gratitude daily helps me be mindful of everything, big and small.
32.02 Describe your current job (or search for).
Does your work fulfill you? Are you happy in the profession that you are in? If you are not, why? What is it about your job that you like or dislike? I carry many job titles as a stay-at-home mom, wife, and artist. I am a seamstress, cook, maid, laundress, banker, referee, hairdresser, coach, recreation planner, inventory specialist, and the list just keeps on going. So what do you do? What is the full scope of your job?
32.03 How well do you know or maintain your boundaries?
Do you say no as often as you would like to? Do you say yes when you should? Boundaries are unique to each person. What is acceptable for some may be too much for others. It is easy to let the ‘means well’ articles get to you and have you believe you are doing it all wrong. Knowing what you need for your well-being is essential before you can define what is too much or too little.
32.04 List the top five songs you like this week (or month).
Then, explain what each of them means to you. Do they make you feel happy or sad? Do they bring a pep to your step or make you chill and mellow? Music is a powerful tool that we all have easy access to. It should be used more efficiently. If you think I’m crazy, make a playlist of your top 10 happy songs and then listen to the playlist several times this coming week.
32.05 What is something ‘new’ that you have discovered or learned this past week?
Have you read any health-related or self-care articles that included new knowledge? This knowledge only has to be new to you. For example, I know all about intermittent fasting. I did not realize that certain herbal supplements can break your fast. Sometimes, reading up on what we already know can still lead to breakthrough information.
32.06 What is the most exciting or fun thing you’ve ever found on the ground?
I have found money on the ground so many times. The largest was a hundred-dollar bill. I was stunned. It happened at a time when I needed money so badly that I cried with relief. It was outside, and there was no easy way to figure out who to give it back to. If you haven’t ever found anything, what do you think would be fun to find? Why?
32.07 Word of the week: Sockdolager.
Have you ever come across something that is sockdolager? There are multiple meanings for this one. Look it up, pick one meaning, and use it in a sentence or two.
I hope these weekly prompts inspire you to think harder, dig deeper, and write a little longer this week. Looking for more prompts? Check out the Divergent Dialogues category to see more weekly prompts, 31+ Fun Journaling Prompts, or head on over to my Pinterest board!
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Happy Journaling!
Sarah G.
