Post-Holiday Decompression Journaling (With Printable Calendar)
With the holidays a week away, no doubt it’s where all of your time, effort, and focus has gone outside of the day-to-day of a busy life. It is always a lot to juggle the expectations, hosting, and still keep on top of food, your to-do list, work, and everything else.
Once the holidays are over, our post-holiday decompression journaling can be a great self-care activity for helping you process this busy time of the year and put a spotlight on the great memories you made. Once you’ve processed the holidays, you can start the new year with optimism using our January goal-tracking journaling or early morning January journaling.
The full set of journaling is ready right now as a printable. It starts on the 28th December and runs through to the 25th of January with daily ideas to write about. We hope you find it useful.
Post-Holiday Themes and Ideas to Write About
Here are all of the ideas and suggestions in the journaling calendar.
- Unrealistic expectations you put on yourself you can write on paper and scrunch up.
- What you’re proud of dealing with, no matter how hard.
- What you genuinely loved about the holidays.
- What about the past two weeks you’re leaving behind in December.
- What brings you calm right now.
- Everyday routines that ground you.
- Everyday ways you love your family beyond making the holidays special.
- Who you are beyond the person who everyone needs something from.
- Ways you’re going to reclaim your identity this month.
- Ways you can have 5 minutes of ‘me’ time.
- One thing you can let go of now that the holidays are over.
- People you’re happy you saw over the holidays.
- A joyful conversation or interaction you had.
- A vivid memory, any memory, from the holidays you’re happy you made.
- Even if it wasn’t said, the people who were appreciative of your efforts.
- What mattered most to you over the holidays.
- What should have mattered less.
- Something you overthought that, in the end, was completely fine.
- Fleeting moments during the holidays you were present.
- What was different, in a good way, about this past holiday period.
- What was the same, in a comforting way.
- Choose your three favorite photos on your phone from the holidays.
- People you trust who can support you more next year.
- Specific tasks you could consider delegating.
- Something you can do this month, just for you.
- Something kind you want to tell your December self.
- Specific things people seemingly loved about your holiday celebration.
- One thing you’ll do differently next year, just for yourself.
- Your top highlight of the holidays.
Get the Post-Holiday Decompression Journaling Printable here.
It’s okay if the holidays were a lot. Once the holidays have come and gone, use this activity to acknowledge how well you did and to put the spotlight on some wonderful memories. From there, you can start the new year with clarity.
