As we look to a new year, it's a great time to pause, take a big breath, and open our hearts and minds to a new beginning - whatever form that takes for you!
I always love the reset that the new year offers. I also feel like it goes by too fast! But don't fret, it's not too late to take your pause and do some reflecting and journaling to close out 2023 and ease into 2024 with that sense of fresh start.
Here are some journaling prompts for a guided reflection for entering the new year in a way that aligns with your needs and desires. Know that you don't have to do this journaling all in one sitting. Go at your own pace:
What were some highlights from 2023 that I'm grateful for?
What were some big changes or losses in 2023 I still need to process or mourn?
What am I releasing from 2023?
Then stand up, stretch your arms and body. Close your eyes, take 10 deep breaths to come to the present moment...
For 2024, what are the hopes or wishes I have for myself? For the people I care about?
And we can leave it at that - wishes, hopes, and dreams. There's no need to hit the ground running and plan and grind yet. Allow yourself to simply open up to your heart's true desires and marinate in them from your journaling - be still with them.
As I have been reflecting on my 2023 with my journaling, it can feel like a lot because the year was packed with such high highs and low lows. I felt I was constantly swinging back and forth between elation and exhaustion, with no middle ground.
So, instead of trying to go through all of it, I've found it helpful to think of and journal about a few specific moments that were smaller but really meant a lot to me, like meeting my new kitty - and experiencing love at first site for the first time!
As I reflected on and journaled about the undertaking of opening my new brick and mortar shop for Zenit, it was both extremely exciting and stressful. But every now and then, a couple friends of mine would just drop by to say hi and chat. And that little comfort they gave went a long way for me.
So as you reflect and journal, know that you don't have to unpack and list out everything - move at your own pace, let your mind wander, and honor what comes to mind naturally. Let your pen flow... let your heart flow...
With love,
Alina