Restful Reflection Prompts: Learn from your Past Year, and become Inspired for your New Year✨
Hello!
Welcome to, or welcome back to, my corner of the internet! I’m grateful you can be here ❤.
Today I’m sharing some reflection prompts to help you look back on your past year and recommit to living a healthy, authentic, beautiful, peaceful, joyful, inspired, and creative life this new year :). I also shared some of my answers as examples to help you generate ideas.
I hope this helps you, and that any reflection process you take part in is enjoyable!
Restful Reflection Prompts
In what ways were you blessed and what were you grateful for this past year? Try to name three to five ways.
Being married to my best friend for a year.
Getting to visit one of my favorite cities twice.
Learning how to run for both cardio and endurance, and continually getting better at both.
Having the opportunity to invest in reciprocal friendships and relationships.
Successfully rebranding my blog and business.
Rebuilding a healthy mindset.
What action or lack of action are you grateful you took this past year? What did you gain from this?
Not pursuing another potential branch for my business just yet. I am super excited about the possibility of doing this in the future, but just don’t have the bandwidth currently or in the immediate future.
Going for runs fairly consistently for the first time in my life, and running the furthest I’ve ever run.
Investing in high-quality, second-hand, affordable, and/or small-business-created home and clothing pieces.
***Optional reflection prompt for believers: how did this draw you closer to Christ? If it didn’t draw you closer to Christ, what can you do differently in the new year?
I learned God doesn’t want me to run myself into the ground and experience consistent burnout in order to be successful.
I took care of my body and simultaneously pushed through both physical and mental blocks.
I expressed my personal style more often in a way that was sustainable while continuing to steward our resources well.
What action or lack of action do you regret from this past year?
Not being as consistent with my sleep schedule as I would like.
Not being as consistent with skincare as I would like.
Drinking too much coffee and caffeine.
Not fully valuing alone time when I had it.
What can you learn from this?
Having routines helps me function at my best
My time is valuable.
I am valuable and need to treat myself in the way God sees me.
It’s okay to not have high levels of energy all the time, especially as I get older.
What can you do differently once you’ve reflected on what you’ve learned?
Keep creating consistent routines to return to, and hold myself accountable.
Make it as easy as possible for myself to carry out healthy habits and routines.
Keep cutting back on caffeine, and hold myself accountable.
What are some habits you started or continued that are potentially harmful to you, and would be good to quit?
Physical Health
I was drinking on average, one to three cups of fully caffeinated coffee per day, plus occasionally matcha, decaf coffee, and/or decaf tea (decaf tea and coffee contain trace amounts of caffeine, too). In the new year, a goal I hope to work towards is drinking decaf coffee and tea instead of fully caffeinated coffee. I’m honestly not sure how I’ll do with this! Coffee contributes a bit to my anxiety, but also contributes to my energy (yay caffeine! Uff.) and helps me feel good. It’s a bit of a catch-22.
Emotional Health
I spent more time than I would like looking for validation outside of myself and God. Definitely want to put an end to this in the new year.
Mental Health
I want to quit putting pressure on myself to be successful in a way that’s based on the world’s values, rather than on God’s values and how He sees me, especially in a career that’s largely based on outside validation, analytics, followers, etc.
Spiritual Health
I got distracted during quiet time more often than I would like, particularly during a low period of the year.
What are some habits I developed or continued that I am grateful for and want to keep going in the new year?
Physical Health
I continued working out more consistently. This also included exploring new ways of moving my body, such as running, barre, and lifting weights and kettlebells. It also included revisiting my favorites, such as dance, yoga, biking, and pilates.
Emotional Health
I continued putting up solid boundaries and sticking by them.
Mental Health
I began trusting myself more and also surrounding myself with a positive, reciprocal community.
Spiritual Health
I had consistent quiet time most mornings of this past year.
Wrapping Up
I hope this post was helpful for you in reflecting on the past year and gave you some ideas on how to recommit to yourself, your goals, and God if you’re a believer, in the new year ❤.
Until Next Time ❤
Thank you for joining me today! I really appreciate it :).
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“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” - Oswald Chambers
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