Returning to Yourself: A Journaling Ritual for Remembering Who You Are
Updated: Aug 30
There are seasons when we become so busy living our lives that we slowly lose sight of ourselves.
We become the caretaker.
The worker.
The partner.
The parent.
The problem-solver.
The person everyone can depend on.
And somewhere beneath all those roles is the person we were before the world began telling us who we needed to be.
She hasn't disappeared.
Sometimes, she simply needs to be invited back.
This Friday's Journaling Magic is an invitation to return to yourself—to remember what makes you curious, what makes you feel alive, and what belongs to you simply because you love it.
✦ Begin With a Little Magic
Find somewhere comfortable and bring your journal with you.
If you'd like, light a candle and place something nearby that reminds you of yourself—a favorite crystal, an old photograph, a piece of jewelry, a flower, a book, or even an object connected to a memory you treasure.
Take a few quiet breaths.
Then say softly:
“For these next few moments, I belong only to myself.”
Open your journal.
✦ Remember the Person Beneath the Roles
At the top of the page, write:
“Who am I when no one needs anything from me?”
Don't rush to answer.
This question isn't asking what you do for a living or what roles you hold.
It's asking about you.
What makes you laugh?
What are you fascinated by?
What do you secretly want to learn?
What did you once love doing?
What makes time disappear?
What makes you feel a tiny spark of excitement inside?
Let yourself wander through the answers.
There is no destination.
This is remembering.
✦ Follow the Breadcrumbs
Now think back to an earlier version of yourself.
Perhaps you loved painting, dancing, gardening, reading strange books, collecting beautiful things, wandering through nature, writing stories, singing loudly in the car, or dreaming about places you wanted to visit.
Write:
“I used to love…”
Keep going until you surprise yourself.
Then ask:
“When did I stop?”
You don't need to judge the answer.
Life changes us. Responsibilities arrive. Priorities shift. Sometimes survival leaves very little room for curiosity.
But noticing what disappeared can show us what might be ready to return.
✦ Meet Your Future Self
Turn to a fresh page.
Imagine yourself one year from today.
Not a perfect version of you.
Not someone who has accomplished everything.
Simply a version of you who has made a little more room for herself.
Ask her:
What did you begin doing again?
What did you finally give yourself permission to try?
What stopped mattering so much?
What became important?
What are you glad I started today?
Write the answers as though your future self is sitting across from you.
Don't worry whether they make sense.
Let imagination speak before logic has a chance to interrupt.
✦ Your Journaling Magic Prompt
Finish tonight's practice with one final question:
What part of myself is asking to be rediscovered?
Then complete these sentences:
I miss the version of me who __________.
I want to make more room for __________.
I give myself permission to explore __________.
This week, I will return to myself by __________.
Your final answer doesn't need to be something enormous.
Read ten pages of a forgotten book.
Buy the flowers.
Take the long way home.
Pull out the old sketchbook.
Dance in the kitchen.
Spend twenty minutes doing something that has absolutely no purpose other than making you happy.
Small acts can be powerful spells.
✦ A Little Magic for Your Week
Growth isn't always about becoming someone new.
Sometimes it is about returning.
Returning to curiosity.
Returning to creativity.
Returning to the dreams you tucked away because life became busy.
Returning to the strange, beautiful, imperfect pieces of yourself that were never meant to disappear.
Your journal can become a map back to those places.
Page by page.
Question by question.
Memory by memory.
And perhaps this week you don't need to reinvent yourself at all.
Perhaps the magic is simply remembering who you were before you forgot to choose yourself, too. ✨
Comments