December is my favorite time of year…and it’s not because of the lights and music and movies. It’s because December is a time when I reflect on the year that is passing and on what I want for the coming year.

There’s something about reflecting on the year gone by that lets you really appreciate how much you have changed, what you have accomplished, what you have learned. And you feel connected to yourself in a deep way.

I start off by going through Facebook posts, my Amazon wish lists (when I get interested in a topic I look for books on that subject and put them on my wish list), and my planner. I make a list of all the significant things that happened that year, and what I was interested in, who I connected with, and what I and my family did.

That list helps me really think about what I accomplished and what I learned. And it gives me a springboard for responding to journal prompts about the year that is finishing up.

This December, I’m going to give you two sets of prompts. The first set will be prompts for reflecting on 2021. The second set will be about looking forward to 2022.

This month we’re going to be exploring anxiety. It’s a rare person who doesn’t struggle with anxiety, at least some of the time…whether that’s nerves before giving a presentation at work, to worry about how the pandemic might affect you, to waking up in the middle of the night thinking about choices your kids are making, to barely controlled fear about people judging you, to unexplained panic attacks.

This doesn’t fall under the realm of journaling, but I just want to put it out there: therapeutically, you can’t beat exposure when dealing with anxiety. Exposure means deliberately facing the things you are afraid of and allowing yourself to experience the anxiety so that your brain and body learn that the feelings are uncomfortable but not dangerous. If you’re looking for a resource on how you can work exposure into your life and recover from anxiety disorders, I recommend Drew Linsalata, who runs a Facebook group, has a podcast, and wrote a book called The Anxious Truth.

Having put out there that there’s no substitute for facing down your fears, there’s a lot journaling can do for anxiety. Journaling can help you:

               Become more aware of your triggers

               Take a more mindful stance toward your anxiety