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
We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.
John Dewey
We experience many events, emotions, and sometimes traumas in our day-to-day lives. Each moment leaves an imprint, but it is not simply the experiences themselves that shape us. Instead, it is the time we take to reflect on them that brings true insight.
Through reflection, we uncover our strengths, recognize our weaknesses, and gain a deeper understanding of the advantages or challenges we face. Having someone you are close to hurt you is a painful experience, one that can shake you to your core. But the most profound self-discovery takes place in the aftermath—the quiet moments of processing, questioning, and understanding. You realize that you can endure the pain, that you are stronger than you thought, and that healing, though difficult, is within your reach.
Reflection allows you to see the relationship for what it truly was, peeling back the layers of memory to determine whether it brought beauty or merely illusion, whether moments were genuinely magical or only seemed so in hindsight. With time, perspective shifts, and clarity emerges. These understandings don’t always come instantly, but through intentional reflection, you begin to piece together the truth of your experiences, shaping the narrative of who you are and what you have learned.
All of this and more happens on the pages of your journal.
Weekly Inspiration
Journaling
Finding a place that’s fun and different can take your journaling to the next level. Whether it’s sitting in a coffe shop or sitting on a rock by the ocean, you will experience writing differently in different places.
Art Journaling
There is always room for hope. Adding positivity to your journal pages can help to spur your way of thinking into a more positive outlook overall.
Creative Journaling
Helen always has a way of making the bits and pieces seem so fitting. I love how she makes the random seem so together and normal.
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
62.01 What do you do when feeling drained to pick yourself back up?
A million things in my life leave me feeling drained and running on empty. Some of those things are other people, stupid questions I feel obligated to answer, bad drivers, argumentative people, etc. One thing I do to balance myself out is be alone, but that isn’t always an option when you’re married and have family around. Meditation while sitting in the bathroom is a phenomenal way to outsmart them all. What tricks do you have?
62.02 What do you need to forgive yourself for from the last week?
We all have moments when we are aggravated or disappointed in ourselves. Choose a moment or two that needs forgiveness. You are human and make mistakes just like everyone else. Let that shit go!
62.03 What goals do you have on the table this week for self-growth?
If none, which should you have? Focusing on ourselves is the most important thing we can do for our loved ones. It will be reflected in how we interact with our loved ones if we are not at our best.
62.04 Is there an area you need to slow down in your life?
I habitually go full speed ahead in most areas of my life. I am always in a rush, trying to get more done, get more fixed, and help more people, yet these things exhaust me. Find one area that you can slow down. You don’t have to stop, but you should be taking some time for yourself, too.
62.05 What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
As you list these words, write why you chose that word and how it applies to you. This was hard for me; I am generally a negative Nancy about myself and always put myself last. This forced me to take some time to be truly introspective and do some soul-searching.
62.06 Is there an app that you use every single day but hate?
I use a few apps daily, and one irritates me to no end. But it is necessary to my day. I always try different apps, looking for one that will replace it or at least be less irritating, but here I am, still using the same app.
62.07 Word of the week: Ill-willie.
Look it up, write it down, and use it in a sentence or three. I sometimes come across as an ill-willie gal, but generally, I’m not.
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.
