Journal Prompts For The Holiday Season
By Jordan Kurtz (she/her), MA, LPCC, Trauma and Anxiety Therapist
Holidays are approaching, daylight is waning and introspection about our year thus far begins to beckon. In fall, it is common to experience an internal tug of war of stillness and movement: our bodies are responding to a new circadian rhythm as we lose sunlight, prompting needs for deeper sleep and rest, while the school year and holiday season demand activity and motion. Finding the balance point between these opposing forces can be challenging, and not something that is easily accomplished as we move through the requirements of our daily routine.
The prompts below ask us to carve a pocket of stillness to reflect on the past few months as well as the months to come within the framework of specific experiences and identities. If stillness is hard to settle into, grant yourself some movement first: a walk, stretching, other exercise, errands, etc.
Journal Prompts for Seasonal Depression or Anxiety - Curated by a Denver Anxiety Therapist
Looking Back:
Who has made my depression/anxiety feel most supported, understood, or accepted? How?
How do I communicate about my depression/anxiety (if at all?) What parts of its impact do I wish more people understood and am I able to share that with them?
What has helped me manage my depression/anxiety, and what has made it worse?
Looking Ahead:
What accomplishments or parts of myself does my depression/anxiety not allow me to acknowledge or celebrate? How can I become more intentional about creating space for this?
What relationships, expectations or obligations are unhealthy to maintain when I am struggling with my depression/anxiety? Can I grant myself permission to release any of these?
Who or what keeps me going despite my anxiety/depression? How can I maintain commitment to keeping these things centered in my life?
Journal Prompts for Grief and Mourning
Looking Back:
Where do I feel this person’s absence most deeply? What does that tell me about them as a person?
What coping mechanisms can I continue to nurture? Which ones do I recognize as unsustainable or harmful?
How has this loss shaped my views about myself, the world and others?
Looking Ahead:
How can I honor my lost person through rituals, routine, my faith, or in memory?
Where can I still see meaning, joy, comfort or solace in my life? How can I continue to nurture these parts?
Do I have a community I can express my grief safely within? Where or with whom could I seek that community if it does not currently exist?
Journal Prompts for Trauma Healing - Curated by a Denver Trauma Therapist
If you are a trauma survivor, explore my previous blog dedicated specifically to journal prompts for trauma survivors.
Journal Prompts for Parents
Looking Back:
What have been your greatest successes as a parent this year? What have been your greatest challenges? Why?
What have/has your children/child taught you this year?
In what environments and under what circumstances are you most aligned with the parent you want to be?
Looking Ahead:
What resources do I need to acquire or will I continue to utilize to support me in my parenting?
What expectations as a parent do I need to release for the wellbeing of my child/children? What expectations do I need to hold steadfast?
What growth goals can I accomplish alongside my children, and which do I need to achieve independently or with my partner?
Journal Prompts for Parents To Be
Looking Back:
Who are my role models for parenthood or what do I base my inspiration for parenthood off of? Why?
What parental values do my partner and I share? Where do we differ, and how will we navigate those differences?
What parts of my identity or experience shape the type of parent I want to become?
Looking Ahead:
Who will I/my partner and I allow to offer support or advice as we begin the parenting journey (if any)?
Do I have any goals I want to accomplish before my child arrives?
What part of parenting am I most excited for? Daunted by?
Journal Prompts for Siblings
Looking Back:
How has my connection with my sibling(s) ebbed and flowed across the past few months? What brought us closer? What created distance between us?
How do we express to one another when something is wrong? How do we share successes together?
What do you admire most about your sibling(s) that they do not see within themselves or give themselves enough credit for?
Looking Ahead:
How does my sibling want to be supported in times of need?
What experiences do we want to share together in the coming months?
If we live apart, how can we maintain our connection to one another? If we live together, how can we create intentional time together outside of existing within the same house?
Journal Prompts for Students
Looking Back:
What are you most proud of accomplishing?
Who are your deepest supports (friends or teachers) and why?
How much of my self-worth revolves around school and is that percentage sustainable or healthy for me?
Looking Ahead:
What academic, emotional or social needs can my parents, friends or teachers support me with?
What parts of my routine are serving me well, and which do I want to change?
What parts of the school year am I looking forward to most? Which parts make me feel most nervous or unsure?
Journal Prompts for Couples
Looking Back:
What parts of myself have/has my partner(s) encouraged growth or change within?
How well did my partner(s) support me in times of need, and vice versa?
What goals did we accomplish as a partnership? What goals remain?
Looking Ahead:
What promises do I want to make to my partner(s) this year to better our relationship? To improve my wellbeing?
What parts of our relationship were overlooked or absent last year and how can we attend to them more this year?
What parts of our conflict resolution strategy do we want to maintain? What parts can we discard?
Journal Prompts for Spirituality
Looking Back:
How has my relationship with my faith evolved this year?
What elements of my faith serve me in times of need? In times of uncertainty? In times of joy?
How does my faith inform my views about myself, the world, and others?
Looking Ahead:
How do I communicate about my faith with others? Does this promote connection or disconnection? Who are safe people to discuss my faith with?
What part of your faith are you hoping to deepen your understanding of?
How can I more intentionally weave faith into my daily or weekly routine?
Find journaling meaningful but still seeking more in depth support? The CZTG therapists specialize in Denver Anxiety Therapy and many other types of therapy for adults, teens, and couples.
We would love to support you! Follow these three steps to get started:
Schedule a free 20-minute consult call to see if anxiety therapy in Denver (or another one of our offerings) is right for you.
Connect with the CZTG therapist of your choice via a phone consult.
Begin your healing journey!
Meet The Writer: Jordan Kurtz, Anxiety Therapist in Denver, CO.
Jordan Kurtz (she/her) is a Denver trauma therapist, couples counselor, and staff writer at CZTG. Jordan focuses on therapy for grief, trauma, adolescence, and relationships. Her approach is authentic, warm, and affirming, which she interweaves throughout her use of advanced evidence-based modalities, including EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), and somatic therapy. She provides therapy in Denver and virtually throughout the state of Colorado. If you’d like to work with Jordan, feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation call.