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?
What boundaries did I learn to set or wish I had set sooner?
Boundaries was a primary theme for 2025. I learned that I needed to establish clear boundaries in my home and work life. I needed to be able to establish that I needed to be single for an indefinite period of time and that I could not have this person continue to impact my own happiness. I set the boundary of being a bit standoffish with certain aspects of that former boyfriend’s life. I still care, but I established a healthy boundary for me life. I wish, yes, that I had set it sooner, but I had to learn certain things about myself first, such as that I deserve to be in a life of happiness and that I do not have to protect everyone else. I have to be able to look in a mirror and love myself, which was a newer concept for me. No one else has to love me, but I sure the hell need to love me. I didn’t before I started establishing these clearer boundaries for my life.
These boundaries include also being at work and knowing that I am allowed to not have good days and that it is okay to vent to others that it has been a rougher day at work. I would share parts of my day, but then would almost instantly feel guilty about sharing this information with them. I want to be able to share without feeling that overwhelmed. I do not still know how to be in proper communication all the time, which is because of masking, childhood, and autism, but I am starting to change the feelings of guilt that have been attached to this. I recognize that it is not my fault that my childhood was a certain way, I did not control the abuse that was happening to me. Now I am learning that speaking in a way that is healthy for me is a boundary I am allowed to establish, I share what I want to share instead of having others dictate to me when I can and cannot share information about my life. This is my life and I can establish the boundaries for it that I want and I get to decide that, not someone else. Not a family member, not colleagues, no one else… I get to establish my own boundaries that I get to choose how they look.
