Guided Journalling For The New Year

Would you like to be guided through a compassionate, reflective and meditative journalling practice, designed to help you pause and look back on the last 12 months to really acknowledge what you’ve created and achieved, and what you’ve carried.

We won't be goal-setting or rushing ahead here. This is more about giving your mind and nervous system the space to process and integrate your year fully so that you can move forward with real clarity and a sense of purpose.

I offer one journalling prompt at a time, with plenty of space to pause the track, write, and reflect at your own pace. You can make this practice as cosy and simple as you like - a notebook and pen are all you need.

Backing music by Alex Dallas.

Transcript

So it's that period of transition around the end of one year or the start of a new year.

And whenever you're choosing to join me for this beautiful practical session,

You are very welcome.

Before we even begin,

You might like to make your space feel really calm and a little bit special.

So perhaps light some candles and just get really comfy and settled.

And together,

We're going to review the year that's either coming to an end or the year that's just gone if you're doing this in the new year.

We'll pause,

Reflect and contemplate on what you've created and achieved,

What you've carried and dealt with,

And what has simply been.

And don't underestimate the power of taking this pause at this really special time of the year,

Giving your mind and heart a chance to process and integrate everything that's happened over the last 12 months.

I'll be offering you a series of guided journaling prompts one at a time.

And you can pause the track after each question and just give yourself as much time as you like to write any answers down.

And I don't know about you,

But it's so much easier to brush over achievements and milestones and difficulties in that almost perpetual rush to move forwards.

And this practice that we're about to do together is the opposite of that.

And if you're someone who worries that too much reflection can lead to wallowing or regret as you look back on struggles or missed opportunities or strange relationships,

What we're doing here together today is constructive reflection.

So we're going to pause,

Consider and sit with the challenges and the beauty so that we can then move ahead with real clarity,

Intention and a sense of completion and hope.

You're going to need a pen or pencil,

A notepad,

Journal or some sheets of paper.

And it's your choice whether you write neatly and keep what you've written or write really messily ready to throw it away or even burn it when the time comes.

There's no right or wrong way to write,

So don't hold yourself to perfect grammar if that doesn't feel helpful.

Sometimes keeping your pen moving and thoughts flowing is what feels best.

OK,

Let's start.

So firstly,

Get into a comfortable seated position.

Put down your pen or pad and place your hands on your knees or thighs.

And for a moment,

You could perhaps close your eyes or lower your gaze.

And let's arrive here together ready for our journaling practice.

Take a couple of slow shoulder rolls in both directions.

And then let your shoulders relax.

Tilt your chin up and down a few times.

And then move it side to side.

Relax across your forehead and around your jaw.

And then take a breath in through your nose.

Pause at the top and a long sigh out of your mouth.

And let's do that two more times.

So breathing in through your nose,

Pausing at the top.

And then a long sigh out of your mouth.

Breathing in through your nose,

Pausing.

And then sighing out.

Gently arriving and settling.

And you can put anything else that's on your mind to the side for now.

Knowing that you can come back to it if it's still important when you're done.

So opening your eyes now and getting ready for our first set of questions.

Which will really help you map out the year you've just had.

So that you can take a very accurate look at it.

So firstly take your pen and paper and create 13 columns and 7 rows.

In your first column header put the title Theme.

And next to that write each month of the year across the top of the paper.

Under Theme write Home.

Work.

Change.

Growth.

And Downs.

So you'll have 6 headings underneath Theme.

Now spend 10 to 15 minutes noting in each square.

Any milestones or big events at home or work.

Any personal growth or change that you can identify.

And then any moments where you felt strong emotions.

So those go in the Ups and Downs row.

And feel free to pause or repeat this now.

Give yourself that time and then restart when you're ready.

So now you have a snapshot of the year that's just gone.

And notice where your attention is drawn.

Here are some questions for you to answer in more detail now in your journal.

So take a few minutes per question and pause this track after each one.

So firstly we'll reflect on the year.

Question number 1.

Did any patterns or cycles show up for you this year?

Question 2.

How did any big changes shape you?

Question 3.

How did the year move?

Steady,

Fast,

Slow,

Uneven or something else?

Question 4.

What good things arrived and how did you acknowledge them?

Question 5.

What growth came from your own choices?

And remember that you're reflecting on your year with gentleness and kindness for yourself.

So you can move forwards with valuable insights.

And there's no benefit in beating yourself up or judging yourself harshly for what has already happened.

And with this in mind,

Now answer these next questions with the very first thought that comes to mind.

Don't overthink.

Just go with what comes up.

And we'll move fairly quickly through them so there's no need to pause the track.

So over the past year,

What did you get good at?

Let go of.

Walk away from.

Explore more deeply.

Bring back into your life.

Soften into.

Set aside.

Make it through.

And finally,

What did you truly honour?

Okay,

Well done.

This next set of questions you can take more slowly.

And refer back to your map of the year for prompts.

And don't forget to pause the track after each question.

So let's contemplate.

Question 1.

What did this year show you about your courage?

And what risks did you step into?

Question 2.

Where did you bring warmth or clarity into someone's darker moment?

Question 3.

Did you overlook your own needs at any point?

And how will you protect them in the coming year?

Question 4.

Which environments felt most nourishing?

Question 5.

Which events in the wider world affected you most?

Question 6.

What did you discover about your part in the wider collective?

Question 7.

What shifts did you notice in the people closest to you?

Okay,

Moving on to actions and realities.

First question.

And remember you can pause the track after each one.

So question 1.

What did you initiate,

Build or bring into being this year?

Question 2.

Where was money well spent?

And where did it leak away?

Question 3.

The same for your time.

Where did it matter?

And where did it disappear?

Question 4.

What counted as a genuine win this year?

And why?

Question 5.

Who or what challenged you?

And what did it teach you?

Question 6.

What didn't go to plan?

And what would you choose differently next time?

Question 7.

What was the most important thing you did for your physical well-being this year?

Question 8.

The same for your mental well-being.

What was the most important thing you did?

And final question 9.

If you had to sum up the year in a single word,

What would it be?

Okay,

Well done.

That's a lot of reflecting and analysing on the year that you've just had.

And not everyone takes the time to do this really powerful work.

So just sit with how you feel for a moment or two.

And now it's time to begin the process of letting go of anything that you don't want to carry into the coming year.

So for this exercise,

Take a sheet of paper and tear it into several small pieces.

And you can always create more as you go.

On each piece of paper,

Write a single thing that you're going to leave behind as you move forwards.

And then place each piece of paper in a little pile.

And you might think about old stories you keep replaying in your mind.

Self-doubts you're bored of now.

Specific relationships,

Habits or behaviours.

And even commitments or attitudes that no longer work for you.

So take a few moments to do that now,

Pausing the track if you need to.

And also considering what letting go of these things might make room for.

Okay,

So you have your little pile of torn paper.

And it's up to you how you'll symbolically release these.

So you might like to drop them into the fire or scrunch them up and throw them into the bin.

But make a little ceremony of it now and take a moment as you release each one.

Perhaps place your hand over your heart and visualise any heaviness for a moment.

As you're falling away.

You've now done so much hard thinking,

Feeling and work.

And this can be deep stuff.

You've taken the time to honour what's been and it's now time to begin to look ahead.

And the energy that you do this with is key.

Try and wear lightly any time urgency or other pressure you put on yourself.

You can have dreams and goals and a desire to do things differently this year,

Of course.

But remember that you are exactly where you need to be right now.

So stay curious and open to who you already are as you tune into where you're headed.

So a few more questions as we look ahead now.

And again,

Feel free to pause the track after each one.

So question one,

What do you want more of in the coming year?

Question two,

What might you willingly give up to make space for that?

Question three,

What do you want less of?

Question four,

Which idea or project is calling for your attention and how will you carve out space for it?

Question five,

What do you need to learn,

Practice or strengthen this year?

Question six,

What would a true breakthrough this year look like?

Question seven,

What bold shift could help make that breakthrough possible?

Question eight,

What steps would move you towards that shift?

Question nine,

When would be the right time to begin?

Okay,

Now we're moving on to our final set of questions.

And this is really thinking about how you're going to anchor and steady yourself in the year ahead.

So question one,

How will you steady yourself when things feel uncertain?

Question two,

What does living well mean to you now?

Question three,

Who do you want more time with and less time with?

Question four,

What are you feeling hopeful about?

And question five,

Our final question,

What intention will guide your year and how can you express it in one word?

Okay,

So we've reached the end of this special journaling session.

And as you come to the end of your reflections,

Take a moment to feel the significance of what you've just done.

And does it feel different to ending the year in your usual way?

Or perhaps this is something that's part of your normal ritual.

And pausing like this is not indulgent,

It's essential.

It's how we recognize our strength and all those seemingly small but significant moments.

And it's also how we remind ourselves that growth rarely happens at full speed.

When we slow down enough to notice the year we've lived,

We see the courage,

The resilience,

The trust and the progress that we might have missed in the rush.

So this is one of the simplest ways to care for yourself.

To stop,

Look back with compassion and acknowledge just how far you've already come.

And let this awareness steady you as you step into what comes next.

Remembering that you are exactly where you need to be right now.

So let's close as we started with taking three breaths together.

Breathing in through the nose.

Pause at the top.

And then release a long sigh out of your mouth.

Do that two more times.

Breathing in through your nose.

Pausing just for a moment.

And then sighing out of your mouth.

Breathing in.

Pausing.

And then that final long sigh through your mouth.

Thank you so much for joining me.

And I hope you make this part of your annual ritual moving forwards.