We are just about to close the doors on the year 2021 and welcome a beautiful blank canvas of a new year: 2022! In these last days of the year, a deep reflection and integration of all that 2021 brought your way is a lovely way to process the year you’re leaving behind, and get intentional about what you’re taking with you in the year ahead.

Set aside a dedicated space and chunk of time that will allow you to go as deep as you want, answering as many questions as feels right.

When you’re ready to begin this heart-lead practice, make it a ritual. Set the mood, and a timer if you wish (around five minutes per question). Relax into it, give yourself a few minutes to take some slow deep breaths before you sit down with your journal. Read the questions out loud if that’s available to you. Put pen to paper and just start writing, with curiosity, see what comes up.

• 2021 was…

What was the overall feeling of this year? Start your journaling with these two words and continue from there. 2021 was beautiful, was challenging, was overwhelming. 2021 was the year I…
Fill this in with all that this year represented for you. Write as long as feels right for you to encapsulate the overall feeling of 2021.

• 2021 In Review

Summarise the highlights of the year, the events that stood out to you. The week it snowed in February, the camping trip you took in May, when you started your new job in September, the spontaneous excursion to go see tulips in April, the new friends you made in December. I recommend going month by month listing down these key moments of the year as way to recall and bring to mind all the unforgettable times you’ve had in 2021.

• In 2021, what am I most proud of?

Celebrate yourself for all that you’ve achieved! Small, big, all the things that you have accomplished this year deserve their time in the spotlight. This is your chance to really love on yourself for completing that project you have been working so hard on, for prioritising your rest and self-care, for learning a new skill, for setting that boundary, for making time to move your body, for just making it through another year. Go!

• In 2021, what was difficult?

What were some of the challenges you faced this year? List out these difficult moments you experienced and navigated through this year. Let out all the hard shit that has come your way, get it all on the page and feel the relief for having made it through it all.

• In 2021, what was simply wonderful?

Which were the moments that brought you pure joy and happiness? The times that filled your heart, reminded you of what was important. It might come easier to journal on the difficult and tough times but the beautiful ones deserve even more acknowledgement. Overflow and soak in all the unimaginably great things that came your way this year.

• What are the biggest lessons learned in 2021?

The big teachings from this year. The realisations, the lightbulb moments, the breakdowns, the breakthroughs. What did you learn about yourself, your lifestyle, from the challenges you went through this year? What did the wonderful times teach you?

• What am I leaving behind?

What are you no longer carrying with you into the new year? What are you really done with, have no more space for, no more energy to drag with you into 2022? Get clear on what you truly are saying goodbye to and will no longer tolerate in your days ahead.

• Gratitude for all things 2021 brought me

Take as long as you want for this prompt to really thank this year for all that it brought you, for all the things you truly are grateful came your way. Could be the amount of time you spent outdoors in nature. Or your friends and family for their unwavering support through difficult times. Or for the knowledge you’ve accumulated. Gratitude is a beautiful energy to anchor into so list as many items as you like here.

• What am I taking with me into 2022?

What is the energy, the emotion, the practice, the advice you are definitely going to bring with you into the new year ahead? If you could bring one thing with you into 2022, would would that be?

And with that, we can close the doors on this chapter. Ready to embark on the next part of the journey. Shake out your body, take a big stretch and a final deep breath to close this practice.

When you’re ready to start imagining and bringing to life 2022, I invite you to dive into this post:

Inviting a New Year: 2022!