9 powerful journal prompts to help you reflect in a new world

This article aims to give you 9 powerful journal prompts to support you in starting to reflect on the recovery process and the evolution to a new normal.
 
2020 – the year defined by a global health pandemic and a calendar full of question marks.
 
There is no doubt about it, we are living through a time when our external worlds have never felt more out of control and most of our usual coping mechanisms have been limited or taken away entirely. As a result, we may have spent time, albeit forced, looking inwards at ourselves, time to pause and time to reflect. Even if your external world doesn’t feel like it’s changed a great deal, even just turning on the news can have a ripple effect upon your day. It’s a difficult time for everyone and everybody will be facing their own unique challenges.
 
Work may have changed for many of us; some will have been busier than ever, some will have been furloughed, some will be working their jobs from home, some will have lost their employment and others will be in key worker positions and on the front-line. People will be facing new stresses depending on their situation; social isolation, money worries, child care, home schooling, sickness, the economy, emotional overwhelm, and just general uncertainty, amongst much more.
 
So far, for me, life has been intensly busy with my other day job during this lock down; I’ve been redeployed to contribute to co-ordinating the Covid-19 response in my city. It’s been hectic and sometimes overwhelming but I’ve been struck by the power of people when they come and work together to support those in need.

Amongst all this, I have made some time to reflect on what has been happening and its sharpened in to focus on what is truly important in my life; the people that I love, my overwhelming passion for coaching and having the time and headspace to find joy in the small things; time spent in nature, time reading a book. Some other things however; the constant rush and always feeling the need to be somewhere or to be someone, has certainly lost its charm.


I’ve spoken to clients who are having very similar experiences – that this disruption, albeit entirely uninvited, into all of our lives, has provoked an opportunity to reflect in a similar way and ask a question… “As I move in to a whole new world, are there some things I’ll choose to leave behind?”
 
As the world begins to recover and evolve, perhaps many of us lovely humans will be doing the same; recovering and evolving alongside it.
 
In the rush to return to normal, I’ve written 9 powerful journal prompts to help you start reflecting on your current situation and to consider which parts of your normal are worth rushing back to.
 
Amongst a more than ever uncontrollable external world, there may be no better time to take control of, and start exploring our internal worlds, perhaps you feel that some things are no longer sitting right with your values, they may have been on your list of things to change for some time, or perhaps everything is on the right path and you’re a happy bean.

It might even feel too soon to start thinking about a new normal, but thinking your situation through reflection can certainly help you in a number of ways, least of all trying to restore some control in a seemingly uncontrollable world.

Regardless of where you’re at, there are several benefits to taking a bit of time out of your day to reflect and complete the journal prompts:

• To process what is going on so you don’t crash when it’s over by culminating all our stresses, worries and fears. Taking time to notice what you notice and feeling your feelings can help you to process and cope during and after.
• Spending some time reflecting and journaling might really support you to open your mind and unlock any limiting beliefs or unhelpful negative self-talk you’re stuck on – it will really help to raise your self awareness.  
• Journaling can really help to begin the process of navigating change and just taking stock of your current situation.
• Reflect on how well you’ve been doing and what you’ve learnt about yourself during this time – to help you focus on your own amazing resilience and capacity – an opportunity to remind yourself about how much power you have within you to overcome difficult situations.

So if you’re interested in letting your mind run a bit wild and seeing where it takes you, find some time, a pen and paper, a quiet and comfortable space and to consider the following journal prompts…
 
1. What personal strengths have I discovered about myself during the last three months?
2. Which aspects of my life have been more important to me than before?
3. What have I learnt about my situation; my physical environment, my relationships, my health, my financial circumstances and so on?
4. What brings me peace, happiness and excitement?
5. How do I define success? What does productivity mean to me?
6. What behaviour or pattern would I like to change?
7. What will it take to release the behaviours or patterns that are no longer serving me?
8. What will it take to be more dedicated to unfulfilled dreams or goals or to let go of then?
9. What will it take to integrate what I have learnt as I move in to a new version of normal?
 
Happy journaling!