Winter as a Reset: A Gentle Journaling Guide for Closing Out the Year

This time of year can feel beautifully complicated. On one hand, it’s full of cozy traditions, twinkle lights, fresh snow, and the promise of a new year. On the other, it’s a season when many of us feel stretched - emotionally, mentally, financially, and physically.

I’ll be honest: every winter I feel pulled in a dozen directions. I’m juggling the pressure of finding or making thoughtful gifts, the quiet whisper in my mind that winter should be a time of rest, the fun of hosting holiday gatherings, the reality of budgeting, early alarms on dark mornings, closing out the semester in my teaching job, and the fact that this is the busiest time of year for our business.

It can feel like a lot.

And yet... it’s also one of my favorite seasons. Frost layered on our mountain. Friends and family passing through town. Seeing my students cross the stage at winter convocation. Helping our customers map out their 2026. Long, crunchy runs on frozen forest trails. Gorgeous high-country sunsets (even if they do insist on showing up at 5pm). Winter reminds me that we always have a chance to reset and let go of what’s weighing us down.

And that’s where journaling becomes powerful.

Why Winter Is the Perfect Season to Journal

Winter has a natural pause built into it. The days slow down, the sun rests longer, and many of us instinctively crave stillness—even if modern life doesn’t make it easy. Journaling gives you a way to claim some of that stillness for yourself.

When you put pen to paper, you create a small refuge where you can:

• reflect without pressure

• listen to your own needs

• reset your priorities

• release the clutter—mental, emotional, and otherwise

• and gently shape the year ahead

It’s not about writing perfectly. It’s about noticing what’s happening inside you as one year winds down and another begins.

A Winter Journaling Challenge

If you’re craving a reset, here are some questions and prompts to help you tap into this season’s energy of rest, reflection, and renewal. Set aside 10–20 minutes. Make some tea, light a candle, sit by a window—whatever helps you feel grounded.

Use any (or all!) of these:

1. What am I carrying that feels too heavy right now?

Is it a project? A habit? An expectation?
What might it feel like to set it down, or to mark it “complete,” even if imperfectly?

2. What do I want my winter to actually feel like?

Cozy? Quiet? Social? Productive?
How can you take one tiny step toward making that feeling real this week?

3. What joy or warmth can I intentionally create for myself in the darker months?

Maybe it’s weekend baking, a standing coffee date, early morning stretching, or simply leaving twinkle lights up longer than “necessary.”

4. What am I ready to leave behind in 2025?

Patterns, fears, mindsets, clutter—anything you’re ready to release.

5. When I picture myself on this same day in 2026, what’s different?

What’s changed about your habits, environment, responsibilities, relationships, or mood?
What small step today would support that future version of you?

Turning Reflection Into Gentle Action

Journaling is powerful—but pairing reflection with doable action is where change really begins. Try these small steps to guide the transition from reflection to movement:

✔ Choose one “letting go” item

Circle or highlight one thing you wrote that you’re ready to release. Decide what “letting go” looks like in a realistic, immediate way.

✔ Create one winter intention

Not a goal. An intention.
Something like:

• “I intend to treat my time with more softness.”

• “I intend to create small pockets of rest.”

• “I intend to show up for the things that truly matter.”

Write it at the top of a new page.

✔ Make a tiny January plan

Pick one supportive habit or action you can carry into the new year—something so small you could do it even on your busiest days.
Think: jotting three lines in your planner, a five-minute tidy, a nightly brain-dump, or a weekly “reset hour.”

A Season for Joy, Intention, and New Beginnings

We love making plans around here—and winter is one of the best times to create space for the plans that matter most. Give yourself permission to slow down, reflect, and imagine a fresh start.

I’ll be thinking of you as we head into 2026, and I’d love to hear what you discover in your journaling.  Here’s to rest, renewal, and a season that brings more joy than overwhelm.