31 journaling prompts for july

For when your heart has something to say, and paper is the only one listening.

“No one else needs to read it — that’s what makes it powerful.”

When I was younger, journaling wasn’t some deep emotional outlet or a planned habit — it was just a thing we did. A trend, sort of. But more like a ritual passed around among girls who liked to decorate things. Remember those little lexicons? The ones you’d hand over to your classmates to fill out? “Favourite colour.” “Dream job.” “Current crush.” Pages of glittery pens and hearts doodled in and out of the lines. Those felt like tiny treasure maps to who we were back then.

Later, it turned into personal diaries. And I would binge-watch YouTube videos where girls showed theirs off — always hiding the actual juicy writing with their hand, but showing the sparkly cover, the page layouts, the stickers. Like a secret that was only half-told. And honestly? It was awesome.

I wasn’t especially crafty — I couldn’t draw or do the nowadays Pinterest-level spreads. But I still tried. I glued little pockets inside the pages and tucked in folded-up notes that said things like “my crush” or “today I cried at dinner.” I even traced images by sticking a page up on my tablet screen because symmetry was definitely not my gift. But it didn’t matter. I was doing something just for me. (or at least I hoped nobody else saw it)

Journaling has always been a sometimes-thing. Not a daily ritual, not a morning must-do. Just something I reached for when I felt like it. When something good happened, or something bad happened. When a thought wouldn’t stop spinning in my head, and I needed it out.

And if you’re like that too — if you journal in bursts, when the mood hits or when emotions are too loud to ignore — I see you.

Because journaling isn’t supposed to be homework. And the moment it feels like homework, my brain doesn’t feel like doing it anymore. There are people online who write every morning like it’s their religion — gratitude pages, daily affirmations, full moon reflections, habit tracking. And that’s beautiful for them. I truly respect the time and dedication they put into it.

But for me? It always felt like I was trying to cram a whole personality into one notebook. Have you felt like this when journaling as well?

I would have one single journal for everything. One page would be a midnight emotional spiral, and the next would be a grocery list. Followed by a to-do list. Then another personal thought. Then more tasks. I’d flip back later and feel literally dizzy. Like reading someone else’s life in fast-forward. The softness of one page would get hijacked by a chore list right after, and suddenly I was spiraling about whether I forgot to buy rice milk instead of reflecting on the fight I had with my mom.

So if you take one thing from me today, just one soft piece of advice, let it be this:

Don’t put everything in one journal.

I know it’s tempting and honestly quite practical, but there’s something sacred about giving your thoughts a dedicated space. A place where your feelings don’t have to sit next to your errands. Where your inner world isn’t crammed in with appointment times and weekly budgeting notes.

Right now, I carry a tiny journal in my bag, a write-all-the-random-things kind of thing. Blog ideas. Grocery lists. Reminders. It’s chaotic in the best way. But my thoughts? My real, emotional, private thoughts? They live in a separate space. A medium-sized pink journal, with red cherries all over the cover. A journal that doesn’t ask me to do anything except be honest.

That changed everything about journaling in my twenties.

Before we dive into the prompts, I want to share something important: journaling is deeply personal, and the way you approach it should feel like you. There’s no one-size-fits-all. So first, ask yourself a few fun little questions.

Do you like journals with spirals? Or do you prefer those that open like a book and lay flat on your desk? Do you feel more pulled toward blank pages where your thoughts can wander and you can doodle in the corners? Or do you crave the comfort of ruled lines that guide your hand and your mind into neat little rows?

I need lines. I like knowing that each sentence will sit where it’s meant to. It calms my brain. But if you’re the kind of person who loves to draw, glue, collage, or just float through thoughts, get yourself a dot-grid or blank journal and let yourself go wild.

And then, of course, there’s the look of it. That matters more than we admit.

Are you going to decorate your journal? Add stickers? Paste in photos? Write your name inside like it’s a secret portal? Or maybe you want to keep it clean, mysterious, minimal — something that just lives quietly in your nightstand or under your pillow. That’s beautiful too.

I get most of mine from local stationery shops or bigger shops such as TK Maxx, where they have all sorts of weird and fun designs. I’m a visual person. If it looks like something I want to open, I’ll actually open it. So go find one that makes you feel something when you see it. That matters more than you think.

Now, for the fun part. The actual journaling.

We already decided: this is for the emotional journal. The one where your feelings get to live without competing with shopping lists or errands. The safe space. The soft place to land.

And yes, we’re already a few days into July, but that just means you get to pick and choose how you move through this. You can write one a day. Or two. Or ten in one sitting if you feel like it. There are no rules here. Just prompts. Gentle little invitations to check in with yourself.

Let’s begin.

1. What do I need more of in my life right now?

2. If I were living my dream life, what would that look like in the everyday moments?

3. How am I when I fall in love — and do I like that version of me?

4. What do I wish I were better at — and why does that matter to me?

5. Who is my biggest inspiration, and what about them draws me in?

6. Am I happy with the direction my life is going in right now?

7. And if not, what gentle shifts could help realign me?

8. What is one fear I secretly wish I could overcome?

9. What do I need to feel more content and calm within myself?

10. What’s my favorite season, and how does that season feel in my body and soul?

11. What are a few of my favorite quotes, and why do they speak to me so deeply?

12. Who do I want to become, quietly and truly, without pressure from the outside?

13. How do I want people to feel when they’re around me?

14. What made me start doubting myself when I was younger?

15. Who hurt me in a way I haven’t been able to fully forgive — and why does that memory still sit heavy?

16. What is my love language, and do I feel like I’ve been receiving love in that way lately?

17. When do I feel most like me?

18. How would I describe myself to someone who’s never met me?

19. What part of my life do I love the most right now, even if it’s small?

20. What’s a memory that always makes me smile without trying?

21. Is there something I’ve always wanted to do, but held back from because of fear?

22. How do I usually feel at the end of the day — and what would I want to shift?

23. What’s currently working well in my life, even if I don’t always give it credit?

24. What do I think is my best quality — and how do I show it to the world?

25. What makes me feel deeply passionate — that spark, that fire?

26. What’s my favorite book, and why did it leave such an impression on me?

27. What has been draining my energy lately — and what boundaries do I need to draw?

28. What are three things I’m genuinely excited about this month?

29. What parts of me still feel tender when I think about the past?

30. What are some of my personal boundaries — and do I respect them as much as I ask others to?

31. What emotion do I avoid feeling — and why does it scare me?

Bonus tip: save polaroids, tickets, receipts, stickers, and other small trinkets that you can glue into your journal.

These prompts aren’t meant to fix you or push you into a version of yourself you don’t recognise. They’re just here to help you get a little closer to the truth of how you feel, what you need, and who you’re becoming.

You don’t have to be poetic. You don’t have to be deep. Just be real.

Let your journal be the place where you meet yourself — gently, honestly, and with all the softness the world sometimes forgets to give us.

And if all you manage one day is scribbling down a single sentence or circling a prompt and closing the book, that still counts. That still matters.

Happy journaling, lovely. July is yours.

With love,
Nia