Have you recently been having a period of lows where you don’t feel like you’re good enough and that you’re not capable enough?
Or, have you noticed that all you want to do right now is to sit on the sofa and eat one bag of crisps after another while binge watching that sad movie for the fifteenth time?
These two scenarios, while one may seem like you’re having a rough time, and the other seems like you’re just being lazy, are pretty connected.
Notice that I said you’ve recently only wanted to sit around, meaning that usually you’re not that type of person to sit around all day and get nothing done.
Sometimes this feeling that we associate with laziness is actually telling something about our mental health. Maybe you’re experiencing burnout, maybe you feel uninspired, maybe you’ve had enough of other people’s criticisms of you and you just want to make yourself feel better.
Either way, its okay. When experiencing these situations, think about the type of person you are and don’t label yourself. It’s okay to not be okay sometimes.
The best way to get out of these slumps is to have a short-term goal that will get you moving and motivated again.
30 day challenges are a great way to kickstart personal growth when you’ve been having a period of lows.
I’ve created a great list of 30 day challenges ideas and have added in some unique ideas you won’t be finding elsewhere!
Do 30 day challenges really work?
Trying a 30 day challenge is useful because it immediately gives you a goal in mind, and the time period of 30 days gives you the motivation to get it done.
Some ideas can range from 30 day writing challenges to working on your garden for 30 days. As you can see, it can be something really simple and something that you enjoy. Just getting back to moving around and having a short-term goal in mind may be the spark you need to begin working on yourself again.
What is a good 30 day goal?
Before we get into the list of various 30 day challenges ideas, let’s quickly talk about how to make the most out of this month.
First of all, don’t wait for the Monday, don’t wait for the first day of the month, don’t waiting for the bloody New Year to start making a change.
Don’t let time control you, use time to your advantage. If it feels right right now, or if you’re ready for a change, do it NOW.
Secondly, be realistic. For a 30 day reading challenge, don’t set yourself 30 three hundred paged books to read when you also have a full time job. You’re just going to fail, and its going to make you even more down and unmotivated and totally do the opposite of what this challenge was meant to do for you.
Setting realistic goals will ensure you reach your final goal, and will give you a sense of satisfaction that will make you want to do more.
And finally, invite some friends to join you in your challenge. It will make the process a lot more enjoyable, and you can also have regular meet ups and discuss how much you have progressed.
What are some 30 day challenges?
1. Mental wellness
Find some mental health prompts and do 30 days of mental wellness journaling.
Alternatively, try answering some self-love/ mental cleanse prompts.
30 days of practicing self care is also a great way to give yourself some love and make yourself feel good.
Related:
The Ultimate ‘Mind Glow-up’ Series (Part 1) – SELF LOVE
The Ultimate ‘Mind Glow-Up’ Series Part 2 – SELF DEVELOPMENT
2. Physical health challenges e.g. 30 day squat/ab/plank challenge
There are soooo many 30 day challenges for fitness on Pinterest.
Physical health doesn’t just need to include fitness but also eating cleaner and drinking plenty of water too.
3. Read a poem a day and write down your thoughts on it
This would be especially nice to do with your friends.
Even if it’s something that you guys wouldn’t typically do, trying new things can inspire some interesting conversations and possibly add a new element to your friendships!
4. Writing challenge
Delve into your personal history with some writing prompts, or try to do a paragraph of creative writing a day.
Your 30 day writing challenge can also involve answering some thought-provoking questions that you may not have thought of before.
5. Life purpose
Use your month to really focus on yourself.
As well as journaling, have conversations, attend events, research and dive into all aspects of yourself.
Do some soul-searching ya know.
6. Relationship
This is for the couples out there!
It could be really fun to do some 30 day challenge ideas for couples together; have a surprise date night, take the love language test, or have a deep q&a together.
7. Do something new every day
It could be as simple as brushing your teeth after breakfast instead of before, or cancelling your plans and doing something you haven’t done before.
8. Meditation
Download an app and practice some meditation every day; it might be the sense of calm you need throughout a busy day.
9. Positive affirmations
Create your own unique set of positive affirmations by following these two simple steps.
10. Water
Drinking water is essential for your health.
If you find it difficult to drink water, try flavoured water or lemon water first.
11. Minimalism
This is actually a great 30 day self improvement challenge as it will force you to strip any excess baggage you may have in your life and keep the bare minimum that you absolutely need.
Simplicity is the best.
12. Scrapbooking
Spend an afternoon going through your photo album and print out some pictures for your scrapbook.
After the 30 short days you could potentially create a time capsule of memories spanning over years!
13. No fast food
It’s hard, I know.
14. Paint every day
Do a small painting every day or work towards creating a final painting.
15. Give a bad habit up
This is a hard one because habits are easy to form (especially a bad one) but extremely hard to get rid of.
Take it slow and don’t force yourself to give it up in one go. Creating a shock to the system by suddenly cutting something off will not work.
It’s like jumping into deep water without knowing how to swim.
16. Research
I personally really like this idea!
How many times have you been in a conversation where something is discussed that you don’t understand? How many things have you said you’re going to look into later because you found it interesting but don’t end up doing it?
Having a month focussed on researching things you are interested in will not only enrich your mind but also make you more open-minded too.
17. Family time
Turn off your laptop and spend quality time with your family, don’t be lazy and plan some outings with them as well!
18. Revisit your childhood
Watch the TV shows you loved when you were a child, read your childhood books and look back at some old exercise books and photos.
This may seem like a really odd thing to do but it will help you tap into the childhood innocence that you once had and may perhaps help you look at things a little more simply in the future.
19. Gratitude/ laughter journal
I think the laughter journal is really simple and especially nice.
Imagine looking back in the last 30 days and seeing all the odd things that made you laugh.
20. Stop being negative/ backbiting
Doing these things only brings harm to yourself. When you stop yourself from having these thoughts or conversations it brings such clarity to the mind and makes you focus on what is important. YOU.
Related:
Find Your Life Purpose & Unleash Endless Amounts Of Potential
10 Effective Inspiring Quotes For Women – GET MOTIVATED NOW!
Self confidence & Independence: the foundations of success PART 3
21. Declutter
This is a common idea for people who look for ’30 day challenges ideas’ to do.
30 days is a long time to clean up (lol) so I would suggest tackling small parts of your house every single day.
Also, don’t just look at this declutter challenge as a ‘tidying up’ challenge, ask yourself the question ‘How can I improve myself in 30 days?’ and focus on decluttering different aspects of your life such as toxic friends, lack or organisation, or mental health issues that you have been dealing with for a while.
22. Limit screen time/ social media
You’ll be amazed by how much more time you have just by putting the phone away. I’m not kidding, this 30 day challenge may change your life.
If you’re used to being on your phone, first start by allowing yourself a limited amount of time on your phone and as the weeks go by, use it less and less.
This is a really good personal challenge to engage in when your mind feels fogged and you just need a break. It will give you the time to focus on other things, and will also hopefully break the bad habit of endless social media scrolling.
23. Creative writing
Make this fun by doing a creative writing exercise with a few of your friends weekly or fortnightly. You can also try some poetry too.
Rupi Kaur (the poet, illustrator and creator behind Milk And Honey!) hosts really fun poetry workshops that is perfect for everyone no matter what their skill level in creative writing is. Check it out here.
24. Reading
Set yourself a goal every day to read. For some of you, it may be normal to read a few books a month and for others it’s a struggle to even read one book every few months.
Set a goal that works for you, whether it be reading two chapters a day or one hundred pages a day.
Start your reading challenge with a book that will give you knowledge about the world around you!
25. Productivity/ time management
Research on some time management/ productivity tips and start implementing them in your life. Focus on cutting out time wasting tasks and putting your attention on tasks that will definitely give you results.
Related:
Productivity Hack: The 5-Minute Rule
Productivity Tips: Get A Week’s Worth Of Work Done In 3 Days
8 Realistic Tips to Make Your Morning Routine Immediately Better
Productive Things to do at Home When Bored
26. Mindfulness
Another great ’30 day challenges’ ideas is to focus on mindfulness and wellbeing.
Whether it be through journaling, doing meditation, or simply taking walks and being aware of your surrounding, take time out to be mindful.
This is another challenge that can change your life; it requires you to notice the little things, to be aware and to enjoy the simplicity of life. It may be just what you need after a really stressful period in your life.
27. Quote challenge
Read a quote a day and try and implement its message into your day. Or even, create your own quotes that are meaningful to you and stick them up on your wall so that you are always inspired.
You can accomplish so much with 30-day challenges, they’re designed to give you focus and direction, and are perfect for personal growth and personal development.
What challenge do you think you’d like to try? Let me know in the comments!
