Mental Health, Parenting Support, Self Care

End-of-Year Reflection Guide for Mums (Free Journal Prompts + Playlist)

Article by Louise Barton + Elisha Wildblood (Not Another Onesie) 14th December 2025
End-of-Year Reflection Guide for Mums (Free Journal Prompts + Playlist) - Featured Image

A Soft Landing: A Gentle End-of-Year Reflection Guide for Mums

The end of the year can feel like a whirlwind, especially for pregnant and postpartum mothers. While the world speeds up with celebrations, to-do lists, family dynamics, and pressure to “make it magical,” many mums quietly feel stretched thin, overwhelmed, or emotionally pulled in a dozen directions.

If this resonates, you’re not alone.

Modern motherhood is big. It’s layered. It asks a lot of you,  mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally. And the end of the year often becomes a mirror reflecting everything you’ve carried.

This gentle guide is here to help you slow down, take a breath, and soften into a kinder ending. A moment to honour the year you lived, the glimmers that kept you going, and the version of you that is emerging.

Whether you’re a pregnant mum preparing for a new season, a brand-new mother settling into the fourth trimester, or a parent deep in the early years, this is your invitation to pause and reflect.

Why End-of-Year Reflection Matters for Mums

Reflection isn’t a luxury, it’s a grounding practice that supports emotional wellbeing, nervous system regulation, and self-connection.

For mothers, especially in the postpartum period, an end-of-year reflection can help you:

  • recognise how much you’ve grown

  • honour both the challenges and the tiny wins

  • process the invisible load you’ve been holding

  • create clarity for the year ahead

  • gently release things that no longer serve you

  • reconnect with your identity outside the daily demands of parenting

In a world that pushes mums to be everything for everyone, reflecting allows you to reclaim space for yourself.

This slow, mindful pause is a gift, to your mind, your heart, your family, and your nervous system.

A Gentle Reality Check: What Mums Don’t Have To Do This Season

Before you dive into journalling, here’s one truth we want to anchor in:

You don’t have to do it all.

Not during the holidays.
Not at the end of the year.
Not ever.

You don’t have to:

  • overcompensate

  • say yes when your body is begging for rest

  • stretch yourself thin to meet everyone’s expectations

  • create a perfect festive season

  • break your own boundaries

  • pretend you’re fine

  • host everything

  • carry the emotional labour for the whole family

  • put yourself last

You can choose simplicity.
You can choose rest.
You can choose to say “no” without explanation.
You can choose nervous-system-friendly traditions that actually support you and your children.

Taking care of yourself is not only allowed,  it’s essential.

Your Motherhood Year in Review: Journal Prompts to Reflect + Reset

These motherhood journalling prompts are designed for pregnant mums, postpartum mums, and mothers in the early years. They support mental clarity, emotional healing, and mindful motherhood as you close the year.

These can be downloaded here so you can have them with you to write in your quiet moments wherever you find yourself…

Reflection Prompts:

Looking Back

  1. What were the highlights of my year,  big or small?

  2. What tiny glimmers kept me going?

  3. What moments surprised me?

  4. What am I proud of myself for?

  5. What were the moments I would love to go back and experience again?

  6. What brought me joy, even the smallest joys?

  7. What challenged me more than I expected?

  8. What softened me this year?

  9. Where did I grow in ways I didn’t anticipate?

  10. What unexpected support did I receive?

  11. What support did I wish I had?

  12. How did my relationships shift,  with myself, my partner, my friendships?

Letting Go + Moving Forward

  1. What am I ready to leave behind?

  2. What beliefs or expectations no longer serve me?

  3. Where did I abandon myself this year, and how do I want to show up differently?

  4. What boundaries do I want to hold more firmly next year?

  5. What routines, rituals, or habits truly supported me?

  6. What drained me more than I realised?

  7. What am I craving more of in the year ahead?

  8. What version of myself is emerging?

Anchoring Into Next Year

  1. What do I want to bring with me into next year?

  2. What would help my nervous system feel supported?

  3. What do I want motherhood to feel like next year?

  4. What do I want my relationships to feel like?

  5. What are three words that sum up my year?

  6. What are three words I want to guide me next year?

These prompts are powerful for postpartum reflection, emotional regulation, and reconnecting with your identity outside motherhood. They make a beautifully mindful ritual to end the year gently.

A Softer Way Into the New Year

Pregnant and postpartum mums often carry an enormous emotional load. This reflection practice is a chance to set it down,  even for a moment,  and acknowledge the fullness of your experience.

Here’s your permission slip to finish the year slowly.
To step into the next season lightly.
To claim gentleness as your right, not a reward.

As mothers, we deserve endings that soothe us and beginnings that welcome us.

And because we want this moment to feel special,  a ritual, not a task,  we’ve created a beautiful playlist to accompany your reflection time. Think soft, grounding, slow-breath songs that help your nervous system melt into stillness.

Make a cup of tea, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, press play… and let yourself return to your own body.

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