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
It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by.
–Vita Sackville-West
Lately, I spend an extraordinary amount of time staring at the cursor. My words do not come freely right now. I have to dig into my soul and pry the words out with a pick axe. Music is my only salvation.
This inability to write happens on the journal page, too. I sit, pen in hand, and I stare. In these moments, I fall back to just writing the bits and pieces of my day. Journaling is not always easy. You have to accept those days along with the great ones. Below is my yesterday. It wasn’t a good day or an easy journal day. Hell, it wasn’t even an easy ‘living’ day. But still, I journaled. At the end of the day, that’s how we deal with the hurts of our life… we push through, one foot in front of the other.
I had a conversation with Kate about divers; I stood outside in 20-degree weather staring at the moon until the shaking left me unable to stand any longer; I was able to get through most of the day without crying; I feel more broken than normal, one of my clients made my stress level go down, Mark said he will be home tomorrow. It is time to box up all the pain and put it aside.
Weekly Inspiration
Art Journaling
‘And if you’re ever feeling lonely just look at the moon.’
I look to the moon for many emotions as well as to Orion and Cassiopea
Art Journaling
‘It’s a tragedy the way our story goes – Strangers, Lovers, Ghosts. – Mansi’
We experience so many stories in our lives, some end with ghosts even when they weren’t lovers.. but the meaning behind the quote is powerful.
Art Journaling
‘I know our chapter has ended, but I don’t want to flip over the page just yet.’
Letting go of someone that means a lot to you in any circumstance is hard, the grief is real.
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
60.01 What do you wish you had said when you had the chance?
Maybe you wish you had told someone how they helped, healed, or broke you. Do you have someone you let go that you allowed to leave without telling them how they shattered you? Is there someone you wish you apologized to? Or maybe you wish you had gotten the chance to say goodbye.
60.02 What are you holding on to that is still causing you pain?
Letting go is something most people do not do well. We may put on a good face and go through our day as if we are fine, but inside… inside, a part is dying continuously. It’s time to examine that part and help it to let go.
60.03 What part of your future scares you?
Are you afraid of getting older? Maybe you are afraid of remaining as you are. I sometimes look at where I am emotionally, and the fear is real. I am terrified that I will remain in this state forever, I won’t heal, I won’t be able to move forward, and I will reach a point when I can’t even hide how I genuinely feel anymore. Or maybe you’re afraid of the more normal future worries like job security and aging?
60.04 Is your inner self and your outer self in sync?
You would know I am not in sync if you read anything I write. I have lived two lives most of my life. I feel things differently on the inside than I present on the outside. Outwardly, I am fine. I got this, and I am ready for battle. Inside, I am different. I am soft and scared. Mostly, I am broken.
60.05 Write about a time when you felt like you didn’t belong.
Was this a moment or a period of time? I go through this in blocks of time myself. I am surrounded by people I love and those who love me, but I feel like I am partitioned off and watching everything happen around me. It’s that sync thing again.
60.06 Make a list of your secret worries.
Not the everyday worries that are part of your life that your family or friends may know about. Write about the ones you keep buried in the depths of your soul. The worries that terrify you and make your stomach churn. The worries that haunt your waking moments when you lose a grip on keeping them buried.
60.07 Word of the week: Gardyloo.
Look it up, write it down, and use it in a sentence or two. I’m pretty thankful we don’t hear Gardyloo used these days!
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.
