These are prompts from some other place besides a book that ask to examine certain aspects of yourself. I will not have created these prompts myself, so I want to pay respect that they came from somewhere.
This months’ prompts are going to be coming from this substack that I recently started following:
https://substack.com/@theebookclubx/p-180404522
December journal prompts
1. What did this year teach me about myself that I didn’t know before?
2. Which version of me am I leaving behind in 2025?
3. What am I proud of myself for, even if no one else noticed?
4. Which disappointments from this year still live in my body, and what permission do I need to release them?
5. What boundaries did I learn to set or wish I had set sooner?
6. Write about one person who made your year a little softer.
7. What small, mundane moments brought me unexpected joy?
8. What blessings arrived quietly, without fanfare?
9. What did I survive that I didn’t think I would?
10. What parts of my life feel like answered prayers?
11. What did love (romantic or otherwise) teach me this year?
12. How did I show up for the people I care about, and how did they show up for me?
13. What is one relationship I want to nurture more intentionally in the new year?
14. Which connections drained me, and why did I hold onto them?
15. What does a healthy, gentle love look like for the version of me I am becoming?
16. What habits helped me grow and which ones quietly held me back?
17. What fear dominated my decision-making this year, and how can I release it?
18. What is one truth about myself I can no longer ignore?
19. What did I learn about trusting my intuition?
20. How did I show resilience even when I doubted myself?
21. What do I want December-me one year from now to thank me for?
22. What kind of energy do I want to carry into the new year?
23. What is something I want to try, even if I’m afraid or unprepared?
24. What word or theme do I want to guide me in 2026?
25. What would a gentle, ease-filled life look like and what is one step I can take toward it?
26. What is one thing I forgave myself for this year, even quietly?
27. What old dream am I ready to revisit with a wiser, gentler heart?
28. What did this year reveal about what I truly value , beyond status, speed, or success?
29. Where did I experience unexpected beauty this year, and what did it teach me about paying attention?
30. What is one soft promise I want to make to myself as the new year begins?
Write about one person who made your year a little softer.
This hasn’t been a soft year for me. This has been a challenging year that I survived. There are two people that I would have to say are equally responsible for making this year softer. This is because they both were in the same position. They were Indiana University School of Social Work interns that I had this year. One in the Spring and one in the Fall. Both of these individuals allowed hard moments to be talked about with them. They were more than just interns, but they felt like co-workers, colleagues, and friends. They were not identical to me, but they allowed during the hard days for me to vent out to them about what was challenging and they would also talk about their challenges as they were learning. It allowed my year to be softer and for me to regulate in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. These two individuals I am happy that I got to meet. I am not putting their information out there on a post because I have not asked their permission, but I am happy that I met both of them because they have allowed me to be able to stay in my world. They have helped me through medical issues. They have helped me through life issues. They were just there and sometimes that is all that is needed. I know they are both going to be amazing social workers.
