30 Days: 150 Intriguing journaling prompts

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

William Wordsworth

Hello lovelies! I want to piggy back off last Sunday’s post, Journaling: 5 ways to use that empty notebook. As I’ve said before, journaling has always been a huge part of my life. That said, I’ve never made journaling into a daily habit. I have decided to start a 30-day journaling challenge, starting on Monday. To mark the event, I wanted to provide you all with 30 days worth of journaling prompts for all the types of journaling that I mentioned last week, except bullet journaling because it doesn’t require prompts. Be sure to check out the free downloadable sample at the end of the post! There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dig in!

Mental health/Wellness Journaling Prompts

1. Write about your coping mechanisms. Be honest with yourself and try to identify healthy, as well as unhealthy, mechanisms.
2. Dear past me…
3. Dear future me…
4. Make a list of 30 things that make you smile.
5. Write about your first panic attack or mental illness episode.
6. Describe your support system, how they help, and why they are important to your recovery.
7. Write a letter to your fears.
8. What are the signs that you are becoming mentally unwell?
9. How would your life be different without mental illness?
10. Write about all the things that you love about yourself.
11. Write your personal mission statement.
12. List and describe your top 10 bucket list items.
13. “When life give you lemons…”
14. Write about what you would do or change if you were president.
15. Write about your biggest influence.
16. What is the most difficult thing you have gone through?
17. Write about a time you felt ashamed.
18. What prevents you from living your life to the fullest?
19. What are you passionate about?
20. Who is your rock?
21. Describe a goal that you have for yourself.
22. What is your worst public anxiety?
23. What has stress taught you about yourself?
24. Write about internalized guilt.
25. Write about difficulties that you have overcome.
26. List and describe 3 ways that you take care of your mental health.
27. Write about your best qualities.
28. Today, my victories were…
29. Write a thank you letter to your body.
30. What have you learned from having mental illness?

Micro-journaling Prompts

1. 3 places that you’d like to visit.
2. What was your favorite part of the day?
3. 3 things I’m grateful for…
4. Your top 5 long-term goals.
5. Your top 5 short-term goals.
6. What scares you?
7. What is your secret desire?
8. List 3 things you can’t live without.
9. Write an overview of your day.
10. List your 5 main values and beliefs.
11. Top 5 favorite book.
12. Top 5 skills that you have.
13. List your hobbies.
14. Name 5 bad habits you’d like to break.
15. Name 5 good habits you’d like to keep.
16. Your top 5 strengths.
17. Your top 5 weaknesses.
18. Write a daily affirmation.
19. What are 3 pet peeves?
20. What is your saddest memory?
21. What is your happiest memory?
22. What is your favorite tradition?
23. What makes you unique?
24. What is your favorite physical characteristic?
25. I can’t stand…
26. What is your favorite day of the week and why?
27. Who is your most trusted person?
28. If you had a theme song, what would it be?
29. What bores you?
30. Can you keep secrets?

Art Journaling Prompts

1. Use geometric shapes to fill up the page.
2. Draw a mandala.
3. Doodle some faces.
4. Create a piece expressing anger.
5. Create a piece inspired by your favorite book.
6. Start with a path…
7. Get inspired by the word, “be.”
8. Doodle until the entire page is filled up.
9. Turn your inner critic into a monster.
10. What’s on your mind? Create about it.’
11. Create a piece inspired by your favorite song.
12. Theme: Peace
13. Theme: The garden
14. Practice your calligraphy skills.
15. Get inspired by a god or goddess from the pantheon of your choice.
16. Create a 1980s inspired spread.
17. Create a spread inspired by your feelings right now.
18. Theme: Time maching
19. Create a piece inspired by your favorite poem.
20. Draw yourself.
21. Theme: Magic
22. Start with a staircase…
23. Theme: Hope
24. Create and abstract piece.
25. Make a collage.
26. Theme: Elephants
27. Draw your pet.
28. Get inspired by any letter in the alphabet.
29. Theme: Magic mirror
30. Theme: Space

Creative Writing Journaling Prompts

1. Write a short story inspired by a dream that you’ve had.
2. If your mirror could talk, what would it say to you?
3. Write a story about Memory Lane, as though it were a real place.
4. Write as though your brain were a physical place.
5. Write a story from within a bubble.
6. “I couldn’t believe my eyes…”
7. Write a story that keeps contradicting itself.
8. Write a love story with a twist.
9. Write from the perspective of an ancestor.
10. “It only took 5 seconds to…”
11. You’re out for a jog. What are you thinking about?
12. “Do we have a deal?”
13. Start your story with, “The trouble started with Joe…”
14. Start your story with, “Three years ago…”
15. Write about a proposal.
16. Write about tweeting gone wrong.
17. “I didn’t expect to see…”
18. Write a story about the universe.
19. “The last person I wanted to see…”
20. Use your favorite color as a theme.
21. Write a story about falling.
22. Write using no adjectives or adverbs.
23. Start with the ending.
24. Write a story as a dream.
25. Write a monologue.
26. “Six weeks later…”
27. Start your story in the middle of the action.
28. You discover a secret room in your house. Write about it.
29. Write an ad for the item closest to your left.
30. Write a story about being in the car on a road trip.

Poetry Journaling Prompts

1. What does your favorite color taste like?
2. Write a haiku about your favorite pet.
3. Write a poem about a weird fact that you know.
4. Write a poem about something small.
5. Write a pandemic poem.
6. Choose a line from a book and use it as your title. Write a poem to match it.
7. Write about the future.
8. Write about getting a do-over.
9. A poem about body positivity.
10. Write about parenthood.
11. Write a prose poem about your childhood.
12. “Dear friend…”
13. Create a spoken word poem.
14. Write about your job.
15. “A window…”
16. Use the word tapestry in your poem.
17. Use the word scythe in your poem.
18. Write a poem about being sick.
19. “A torn photo..”
20. Write about a healed broken heart.
21. “A broken bottle…”
22. Theme: Any musical instrument
23. Write using only dialogue.
24. Write a poem that is a curse/hex on someone.
25. Write an ode to something.
26. Write a “how-to” poem, which explains how to do something.
27. Pick a news headline. Make it your title and write a poem about it.
28. Write about overwhelming joy.
29. Write a poem about anger.
30. Write about growing old.

There you have it! 150 different kinds of journaling prompts. I hope the list is helpful and I hope you have fun. Make sure to keep me updated on your progress and I will do the same.

Free Downloadable Sample PDF

Don’t forget! This week, I created a free, downloadable PDF with a sample of my favorite journaling prompts from each category, to get you started or if you are interested in trying different kinds of journaling throughout the month. Remember, there are no rules and you can do this however you want! Click the link below to download.

Love and light. Keep fighting the good fight! 💜💜