30 Journal Prompts for the First 30 Days After a Breakup

The first 30 days after a breakup are usually the hardest ones to sit still in. These prompts are meant to be used one at a time. Pick whichever one matches how you feel today, in any order, and skip the ones that don’t apply yet.

Naming what happened (days you feel foggy)

1. What actually happened, in plain, unemotional language: just the facts.
2. What’s the version of this story I keep telling people? Is it the whole truth?
3. What am I avoiding thinking about right now?
4. What surprised me most about how this ended?
5. What do I wish I had said, and why didn’t I?

Naming what you feel (days you feel a lot)

6. Right now I feel ___ because ___.
7. What am I angry about, specifically, not in general?
8. What am I grieving that isn’t the relationship itself (a routine, a future, a friend group)?
9. Where do I feel this in my body today?
10. What would it look like to let myself feel this for just ten more minutes, on purpose?

Looking at the relationship honestly (days you feel steadier)

11. What did this relationship teach me about what I actually need from a partner?
12. What’s one thing I’m proud of how I handled?
13. What’s one thing I’d do differently if I could?
14. Was I someone I liked being, in this relationship?
15. What patterns from past relationships showed up again here?

Rebuilding a self outside the relationship

16. What did I stop doing while I was with them that I want back?
17. Who am I outside of this relationship? List five things, no editing.
18. What’s one small thing that’s just mine again?
19. What does a good, ordinary Tuesday look like for me right now?
20. What’s something I’m curious about that has nothing to do with them?

The harder, later questions

21. What am I afraid this breakup means about me?
22. What would I tell a friend going through exactly this?
23. What’s one boundary I want to hold better next time?
24. Do I need closure from them, or can I give it to myself?
25. What’s something I’ve forgiven myself for this month?

Looking forward, gently

26. What does “better” actually look like for me? Not “over it,” just better.
27. What’s one thing I’m looking forward to, even a small one?
28. Who has shown up for me during this that I want to thank?
29. What would future-me, a year from now, want me to know right now?
30. What’s one thing I did today that helped, even a little?

How to use these without pressure

You don’t need to do this in order, and you don’t need to do one every day. Some days you’ll have nothing, and that’s fine too. If a prompt makes you spiral instead of reflect, close the notebook and come back to it another time; that’s information, not failure.

Kintz builds a version of this straight into daily check-ins, so you don’t have to remember or choose a prompt on the hard days. Join the waitlist, or read more on how journaling helps after a breakup.