✍🏻 Journaling for the Holidays, Slowing Down, and We're Turning 1🎉!
Multiple Prompt options and January workshop offerings!
Hello Friends!
I hope you’re all well, rested and ready for a cozy, joy-filled and meaningful last couple of weeks of the year. Happy belated Chanukah to those who just celebrated! If you’re readying for Christmas and Kwanzaa, I’m sending merriment your way!
I came upon this larger than life holiday scene Sunday night and had to share it with you. It made me smile.
Please feel free to share pictures of your tree, lit menorah and decorations in the comments below! Let’s spread good cheer.
Our little family of three all got the flu (and then bronchitis). A wave hit New York City earlier than usual this season. You might have noticed I had a tickle in my throat on that last Substack Live- it was a foreshadowing cough. Thankfully, we are mostly on the mend.
What the flu brought beyond exhaustion was a forced slow down, as much as one can with a toddler.
There’s this idea that our bodies tell us when they need a pause, and bring it to us, whether we like it or not (ha!). This is what the flu brought to me this year, a pause.
There was no energy to whiz through everything I hoped I’d get done by the end of the year. And that’s okay. It provided me with an opportunity to hone in on what’s most important, and what’s highest on that priority list after family.
You don’t need to get sick to take stock of priorities and intentions for the end of the year, and year ahead.
I’m happy to be offering a very special ✍🏻 journaling workshop to lean into your most authentic you in 2026. We’ll create a vision for the year ahead, from a place of intentions driven by our values and what matters most. January 8th, from 12:30-1:45 pm ET. Open to all levels of experience. This workshop is complimentary for folks within the paid membership.
ALSO in January, I’m teaming up with Janine De Tillio Cammarata 🖊️ from Pathways of Connection to ✍🏻 co-facilitate a Journaling workshop where we’ll share different ways to journal AND celebrate our Substack anniversaries! Janine is celebrating two years on Substack! Woo hoo 🎉!
January 13th (Tuesday), 2-3:15 pm ET - January Journal Collaboration and Celebration with Janine and Jennifer! To join us, register here.
If you have any questions about either of these workshops or the paid membership, simply reply to this email. However you show up, thanks for being here!
Breaths and stretching before the prompt offerings:
Let’s tune into our bodies through the breath and gentle stretching, as we do at the start of (most of) our Journaling workshops.
Begin by stretching anything that needs some tender care, from a place of ease. Listen to your body and go gently. Maybe your shoulders need a raise and lower, or your head a nod from side to side. Do a quick body scan, noticing any areas of tension. Squeeze and release.
Feel your feet on the floor in front of you, the weight of the chair, floor or couch supporting you.
Gently close your eyes or maintain a soft gaze on a spot in front of you. Put one hand over your belly and another over your heart. Begin by noticing how you’re breathing, without judging it or shifting it just yet. Just notice. Take three cleansing breaths, making the exhale longer than the inhale. Feel your breath move in and out with each inhale and exhale.
When you feel ready, gently open your eyes.
Read through these prompts. Choose the one that calls out, “Pick me!” first.
For a contained write, set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Go longer if you wish and can.
Prompts
To lean into joy and light:
· Write about a moment from the past week that brought you joy OR a moment you’re looking forward to in the week ahead. You can write in the past or present tense, in first person for less distance and third person for more distance.
Use all your sensory details here, a la a Captured Moment. Describe smells, sight, what you hear, what you can taste and touch.
To reflect on the past year:
· Write a list or a free write of some of your biggest takeaways from this past year. Include learnings, moments of awe, small moments you want to remember, challenging moments and more. Read over your write and choose one to write about in more detail.
To focus in:
· Begin with any of the following sentence starters:
What’s most important now is…
What I need to say is…
My body is asking me to…
After your write:
Read over what you wrote and write a reflection, beginning with any of the following:
As I read this, I’m curious about…
As I read this, I’m surprised by…
As I read this, my questions are…
Write a next step if that feels right to you.
HAPPY holidays!
Wishing you lots of love, ease and light in 2026.
As always, share in the comments if you’d like.
Warmly,
Jennifer