15 Journal Prompts for Do-It-All Moms to Feel Lighter
Mama, if your brain has 153 tabs open - schedules, snacks, emails, emotional labor, existential dread (just me?) - and finding time to journal is hard - you are not alone.
That invisible, suffocating weight you're carrying? It has a name: the mental load. It's the never-ending job of remembering everything for everyone... and then some.
But here's the thing: You deserve softness. You deserve moments that belong to you.
Not someday. Not when the laundry's done. Right now.
And that's where journaling can help.
Journaling offers moms a way to lighten the mental load, reconnect with themselves, and create sacred moments of emotional regulation in the chaos.
No, not the curated, candlelit, harp-music kind (unless that's your jam). I'm talking about quick, scrappy check-ins with your inner monologue. The kind that lets you close a few tabs, breathe deeper, and remember who the f*ck you are under all that noise.
These 15 art-inspired journal prompts are your invitation to do just that - to soften, to exhale, and to feel even a little bit lighter.
A Soft-Hearted Story From a Crispy Mom (Who's Flirting with Burnout)
The other day, I was art journaling during a replay from my friend Rachel Rose's Membership. The prompt was "soft heart." We were visualizing the hard and soft parts of our hearts.
As I tuned into the hard parts, my body reacted - shoulders curled, breath shallow, posture rigid. I even heard how my voice would sound from that space: snippy, sharp, guarded. But when we shifted to feeling the soft parts, my chest opened. My arms reached out. My shoulders dropped.
After the meditation I tried to capture this in my art journal. I used a scrap of magazine and some stickers - cute, but annoying. My pen kept bumping into the sticker ridges. I got irritated, like irrationally irritated. Aha. There it was: the hard-hearted part of me that shuts down when things aren't smooth or predictable.
I slowed my breathing down. One sticker looked like a tab on a folder, and I thought about all the open tabs in my brain. I put the sticker on the page and wrote "close the f*cking tabs." I breathed again, closed my eyes, and imagined closing all the running tabs for a moment so I could just be here, enjoying a sliver of margin that was just mine (I had just dropped off my husband at the airport, and today was my only day for the next seven to have any space for myself).
I noticed my body, noticed where the soft parts were, and asked them to come forward and support me (woo woo, I know). As I finished making the thin black lines - a bit slower now, smoothly going over the sticker ridges - I wrote down 10 things that help my heart feel soft. It was a simple list:
close the tabs
breathe
slow the f down
stop scrolling
listen, really listen
relax the shoulders
wear comfy clothes
meditate
say nice shit to yourself
BE ME
And that, my mom-friend, is the heart of this blog.
Journaling isn't about productivity or doing it "right" - it's about presence.
It's about making small, rebellious acts of self-connection in a world that expects motherhood to consume your entire being.
You get to claim your space.
You get to pause and hear your own thoughts.
You get to close those damn tabs.
Next up, I'll give you 15 juicy, art-inspired journal prompts to help you do exactly that.
15 journal prompts to help cultivate a softer, lighter heart as a mom:
My heart feels softest when I...
Today's biggest challenge made me realize...
If I could release one worry right now, it would be...
My shoulders relax when...
The part of motherhood bringing me joy today is...
I can make space for myself by...
When I close my mental tabs, I notice...
My body is telling me to...
I deserve grace when...
I will allow myself to...
The weight I'm ready to put down is...
My heart feels rigid when...
I give myself permission to...
My breath becomes easier when...
Today, I choose to soften around...
How to use these journal prompts
Here's how to use these prompts: Start with one prompt and write whatever comes to mind first. Don't overthink it - just let your thoughts flow naturally onto the page. Keep writing until you feel done. You can use a regular journal or the notes app on your phone.
Do one prompt at a time. Keep your journal handy and try another prompt tomorrow. When we give ourselves these small moments to pause and clear our minds, we make room for more peace in our lives.
For do-it-all moms, journaling can be a powerful coping tool for burnout
It prioritizes self-care (and doesn't take a ton of time).
It sparks creativity and new ideas, making you feel alive again.
It leads to clarity, insight, and deeper self-awareness.
It creates space to step away from chaos and reconnect with your inner world.
As Eve Rodsky points out, this personal time - what she calls "Unicorn Space" - is what makes us interesting. When we're caught in cycles of people-pleasing, perfectionism, self-sacrifice, burnout, and anxiety, we lose our spark (yep, I'm calling myself out here).
Research shows that journaling and creative pursuits aren't just nice-to-haves - when used intentionally, they boost our mood, increase resilience, improve mental health and physical well-being, and strengthen our sense of self. Plus, its’a great way to counteract the dopamine rectangle we are so automatically drawn to (again, no judgement, I’m the one flirting with burnout and my crispy self really wants that dopamine. I’m here imperfectly trying to fight it too).
Here's the million-dollar question: How do we carve out time for ourselves when we have less and less time than ever?
Making time for yourself doesn't happen by magic - you have to create it.
Instead of scrolling on your phone, try taking a moment to write down your thoughts. It can be as simple as writing one line in your phone's notes or making a quick (art) journal entry. When you do this, you're telling yourself: I matter.
This small change helps you stay present instead of stressed, curious instead of controlling, and calm instead of burnt out.
The simple truth is: To feel more relaxed, you need to make time for it.
✨ That's why I created this FREE Time Audit Tool. It helps you find more time and energy for yourself, without feeling guilty about it.
Ready to start? Download the free tool, get your pen ready, and write what's on your mind.
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