End-of-Year Journaling Prompts / Who Are You Becoming?
So for a few days now, I’ve been meaning to compile a list of journaling prompts to help folks process 2022. This year has been a heavy one for me and for others too, I know. There has been a lot of grief and loss, not only of loved ones but of old situations, old attitudes, and old dreams that we may have outgrown. There’s a lot to reflect on.
One thing that has really hit home for me this year is the necessity of letting go. As you grow older, there’s this sense of urgency about life. I guess the reality of our mortality starts setting in and you think, “What am I going to do with this human life, in this body, in this limited time?” You start to wonder, “When am I going to become the person I’ve always wanted to be?” and the frightening answer is “Now”. Like, right now! But that seems to strike up a new fear of crossing some great chasm - whatever it is we think is holding us back - and you just have to let that shit go! Let the trauma go. Let the anger go. Let the resentment go. Let the fear go. Let the insecurity go. Holding onto that stuff is holding us back. You may say, “It’s not that easy!” and you’re right, it’s not. But there are tools we have at our disposal to help (journaling, therapy, reading, making art or other forms of self-expression). We were never promised that it would be easy. Let’s make letting go a daily ritual until the baggage is gone for good.
Think about all of the questions you’ve wanted to ask, all of the things you wish you’d said, all of the opportunities you wish you’d gone for. But you didn’t because _____. The worse thing that can happen is rejection. The worse thing that can happen is failure, and by now we know that there is always something better around the bend when rejection strikes and failure is just a lesson learned. So let’s move into the new year braver. Let’s stop waiting to become who we want to be and just start being!
Journaling Prompts for 2022 - 2023
Who are you becoming? Describe the person you are becoming. What makes them tick, how do they act, and what kinds of things do they do? How do they feel on a daily basis?
What are you letting go of in 2022?
What do you think is stopping you from becoming your next version? What’s motivating you?
What lessons did you learn in 2022?
Where can you find peace when you’re feeling anxious, depressed or stressed?
What do you love about yourself right now?
Name some ways you can be more gentle with yourself starting now.
Write about what you want to create in 2023. It can be physical or metaphorical. Take this any way that feels right to you.
