October Writing Prompts for People with Chronic Illnesses & Disabilities

Welcome to the October writing prompts! Using them, I invite you to read and share about your life, experiences, goals and plans, living with chronic illnesses or disabilities.

The awareness dates this October are pretty spread out on the spectrum of ‘Things to Raise Awareness About’. There are quite a number of days to show appreciation for our healthcare workers, and also to raise awareness on mental illnesses.

With October comes the fall season for many of you in the northern hemisphere as well. 🥺 <-- Those are my jealous eyes. This seems to be the favourite season for many people with chronic illnesses for a variety of reasons, a big one being the welcome change in temperature.

Although, there’s also ‘October Slide’ to be wary about. You can read more about what the October Slide is all about and how to prepare for it over on my friend, Claire’s, blog.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the October writing prompts below! Hope to to read your entry soon 💕

October 2021 Awareness Dates

• ADHD Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Bullying Prevention Month
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month #WeAreResilient
• Down Syndrome Awareness Month
• Go Sober for October
• Health Literacy Month
• Physical Therapy Month
• Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
• Prenatal-onset GBS Disease Recognition Month #GBSAM21 #starttheGBSconversation #GBS #GroupBStrep
• Spina Bifida Awareness Month
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month #SafeSleepSnap

• World Cerebral Palsy Day (06 October) #MillionsOfReasons #WorldCerebralPalsyDay
• Back Care Awareness Week (UK) (04 – 08 October) Theme: “Back Pain Working From Home”
• Malnutrition Awareness Week (USA) (04 – 08 October)
• Depression Screening Day (08 October)
• Mental Illness Awareness Week (USA) (03 – 09 October)
• World Mental Health Day (10 October)
• Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day(13 October) #MBC
• World Sight Day (14 October) Theme: “Love Your Eyes”
• Baby Loss Awareness Week (09 – 15 October)
• OCD Awareness Week (10 – 16 October)
• Mammography Day (16 October)
• World Food Day (16 October)
• UK Malnutrition Awareness Week (11 – 17 October) #UKMAW2021
• Bone and Joint Action Week (12 – 20 October)
• Health Education Week (18 – 22 October)
• International Stuttering Awareness Day (22 October)
• Healthcare Quality Week (17 – 23 October)
• International Infection Prevention Week (17 – 23 October) Theme: “Make Your Intention Infection Prevention”
• World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day (25 October) #WSBHD21
• World Psoriasis Day (29 October) Theme: “United”
• Respiratory Care Week (24 – 30 October) #RCWeek21

*Note: This is not a comprehensive list. Let me know if I missed anything out and I’ll add it in!

What The October Writing Prompts are About & How to Participate

The linkups are a monthly get together for anyone with a chronic illness, mental disorder or disability. An opportunity to share, to listen, and to learn from one another through shared writing prompts. I also think it’s a great way to provide insight into life with chronic pain, from many different points of view.

All you have to do is write using at least three of the writing prompts listed below, and publish it on your blog, or to a free writing platform like Medium. Then click on the blue ‘Add Link’ button to add your blog post to this page. Voilà, you’re now part of the linkup party!

2021 October Writing Prompts

• Only one link submission per website.
• Do comment on at least two other blog posts in this linkup if you participate. Helping to spread the word on your social media is always appreciated, but not required.
• Linkups start on the first of every month. There will be five different writing prompts. It will close at the end of each month before midnight. All timings listed are in Singapore time (+8 GMT).
• Pick at least three of the writing prompts to write about. Five is best, of course! 😉 You can write about your latest experiences with chronic illness, or even turn it into an evergreen blog post.
• Insert a link to this post when you submit your blog entry for auto verification.
• Failure to follow these rules might get you blacklisted from future linkups. Let’s keep it fair for all 🙂

Get the October Writing Prompts!

1. Falling
   Are things falling into or out of place for you this fall season? Perhaps you’ve had a fall or been falling down a lot more of late, which can be pretty dangerous for many of us with frail bones and/or blood disorders. Or maybe you’re just sitting by your window, watching the autumn leaves fall. You might have fallen into a dark, depressive hole, or fallen under the spell of love!
2. Transitioning
   I suppose it’s a season of transitions, with all the bold colours, life and death. It’s both dreadful and reassuring to know that the seasons always change. Are you transitioning over to a new career, phase of life or place? I suppose ‘transitioning’ has both subtle and decisive implications. It suggests a journey that takes time, and also a certainty of a desired destination or outcome.
3. Choosing
   There are choices we need to make with every new season or transition in life. They can be minor choices or major ones. It can be a single choice, or many choices spread throughout the month or years. But they all add up over time, such that we end up where we are in each present moment.

   You could also be choosing something a bit more fun, such as what to write about on your blog for the next couple months, next recipe to make, a new colour to paint your wall, a stone for jewellery making or another hobby.

   If you want to go a bit philosophical, then here’s a quote for you: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ― Viktor E. Frankl

4. Imagining
   Imagination is a vast and wondrous thing. Humanity is capable of using it for both good and evil. Have you been exercising your creative mind of late? Perhaps you’ve been imagining a new world for that fiction book you’re writing, a yet-to-be painted picture, a sculpture or some other artistic endeavour.

   Or perhaps you’re imagining a better future, a solution to a problem, or something more practical. Many people with chronic illness or a disability never imagined that their lives would be this way, today. How do you feel or felt about that? Yet with life there is hope, and with that there is potential beyond imagining.

5. Beautifying
   Are you beautifying your home this October with beautiful plants, flowers or shrubbery? You could also be beautifying your home office, bedroom or someplace else with various objects, expressions, photographs, paintings, vision boards and more.

   Perhaps you’ve been experimenting with various makeup or clothing styles for fun, or because it makes you feel good about yourself, whilst still staying comfy. You could also be designing a new website or revamping your blog, in an attempt to make it more appealing.

If you liked this article, sign up for our mailing list here so you don’t miss out on our latest posts! You will also receive an e-book full of uplifting messages, quotes and illustrations, as a token of appreciation!

Pin to Your Writing Community & Chronic Illness Boards: