Towards the end of each year, many folks decide to spend some time journaling and/or reflecting on their year. To
help with this process, we offered reflection questions/prompts each day on Instagram/Facebook and called it
“December Dailies.” Each day offered something for individuals, couples or families. Many days the questions/prompts were for all three categories. There were a few days that we intentionally took off - i.e. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & New Year’s Eve - and we ended up with a total of 29 journaling/reflection prompts & questions. We’ve compiled them all here, to make it easier to reference, now - and for any time of the year. Hope you take some time to reflect & journal. Journaling & reflecting is always a great exercise & experience, no matter what time of the year and a wonderful gift to yourself - and if you’re going through some of these with others, a shared gift among all!
What was something you did that was courageous this year?
Don’t think too deeply about this one. As you take a moment to think about the year - what three memories come to the surface first? Why do you think those come up for you?
What spiritual practices grounded you this year? What about them made a difference to your life?
Expand the question to include your relationship and/or family: What spiritual practices grounded your relationship and/or your family this year? What about them made a difference to relationship and/or your family life?
What did your self-talk sound like this year? Was it helpful? Unhelpful? Was it different from last year or did it stay the same?
What parts of your self-talk would you like to amplify?
What parts of your self-talk need to dim or be extinguished all together?
What do you want to become aware of or more aware of, in terms of your self talk for 2024?
What will you need to help you become more aware?
Something different for today - Ask someone(s): How would you describe me to a stranger? Journal/write down the answer.
An interesting exercise would be to go back to this question a few years down the line and see if the answers have remained consistent or if anything has changed. #selfawareness
In what ways did “play” show up for you and your friends this year? If you’re in a relationship and/or have children:
In your romantic relationship/marriage?
With your family/children?
In terms of play - what would you want to do more of in the coming year with your friends/your partner/family?
What new & creative form of play would you like to try?
What is a current conflict you would like to have a different story about this time, next year?Is it a conflict that is easily resolvable?
Is it one that will take time? If it will take time, can you give yourself - and/or the other - space and time to process before “working things out?” (no matter how long it might take?)
It’s often easier to look at the “other” when we are in pain. However, conflict involves two parties. What is your role in the conflict? How might you be contributing to it?
What do you think your narrative is about the conflict? How might that be keeping you “stuck”?
What will have happened to make a difference? (What will you have done? What will the other have done?)
What do you want the story to be next year?
Is there a feeling you miss? When you’ve identified what that is, take time to journal about it.
Take it a step further: Share with your friend, partner, another family member, etc. what that feeling you miss is. Let them know why? What’s connected to that for you? Ask them the same question. And if you’d like, journal about that experience as well.
There are 8 main “domains” of self-care:
Physical
Psychological
Emotional
Spiritual
Professional
Social
Environmental
Financial
In what ways did you practice/grow in self-care in each of those areas? (Btw, paying the bills on time, brushing your teeth daily, having an annual doctor’s check-up, going to the dentist, for women - going to your annual gynecology appointment, mammogram, etc., all count towards self-care. Days off, eating a favorite dessert, getting to do your favorite hobby is nice & needed, however, the above count as well and actions like that are not often thought of.)
In what self-care “domain(s)” do you want to grow in, in 2024? What will that look like for you?
What spiritual books inspired you? Challenged you? Changed you? How?
What is something you gave yourself permission to say “no” to this year? What kind of difference did that “no" make to your life? Journal it out.
What is something you gave yourself permission to say “yes” to this year? If this applies: As a couple? As a family?
Who and how did someone show up for you this year? Who and how did you show up for someone else this year?
What day, moment or experience would you want to “re-live” from this year? What is it about that moment that’s meaningful? Who is with you? What are you doing? When did this happen? Where are you? This is a fun question to not only journal for yourself - ask your partner, family members - young & old - and friends!
What are you grieving this year?
What gave you safety & security this year? How did you experience that?
What did it do for you emotionally?
What were you able to do from that place of safety & security?
Not a journal prompt but a reminder: It is Okay to Feel. To feel both grief & Gratefulness. To feel both sadness & joy. To feel both loss & hope. The emotion makes us real. And this holiday there is truly space for both. - Rachel Marie Martin
After living through this year, Journal about what you want to, perhaps Need to,
If you have a partner/spouse, what can you update, about them?
If you have children, what might you need to update about your children?
Or if you don’t have children, what might you need to update about other family members?
What is something Creative you did this year? What is something creative you want to do in the coming year?
What was/Is an unhelpful or unwanted distraction that needs to be confronted?
In what ways might it have kept you from doing what you’ve needed to do or own what you’ve needed to own?
On a scale of 1-10, [1=inconsequential; 10=life derailing] What would the consequence(s) of not confronting those distractions be? Explain.
Who & what do you need to forgive?
For couples: How did your relationship grow this year? How did your relationship change this year? Were the changes Welcoming? Insightful? Painful? Surprising? Did it eventually bring you closer or further apart?
If you feel further apart, what would you like to do to change that?
If it brought you closer together, what would you like to do to sustain that closeness or to continue to grow?
What did you learn about your partner this year?
What did you learn about yourself in the context of this relationship?
What is something you discovered this year that you’d like to keep as an on-going tradition or ritual for yourself? As a Couple? In your Friendships? In your Family life?
What did you learn about rest this year?
Individual: How did you rest this year?
Couples: How did you rest as a couple this year?
Families: How did you rest as a Family this year?
As you reflect on your year, what Parts of you - or your story - do you need to be gentle with yourself on?
If you’ve ever done “Rose, Bud, thorn” this is a similar concept. Good to do alone. Great to do with others - partner, family & Friends. (Thanks to Women who win at Life)
The Flowers - What Brought you Happiness?
The Weeds - What Would you Remove?
The Fertilizer - What would you add in or want to grow stronger for 2024?
Many folks like to choose a “word”- or an intention - for the New year. If you did that, did 2023 live into the word you chose? If so, in what ways?
In looking back at your year, would you choose a different word to describe what your year was like? Or perhaps add a word(s)?
Did your intention(s) live out in the way you had hoped?
If you chose a different word or added a word(s) - describe why you chose those specific ones.
Do you have a word or an intention for 2024? What are your hopes around that?
Do this with someone: Write down one thing you want to let go of this year, read it out loud, then rip it up together.
Now that you’ve let the one thing go - What do you want to embrace about the coming New Year?