Easter is supposed to be about hope. Rebirth. Light returning after the dark.
But sometimes, all that celebration feels bittersweet.
Because alongside the flowers and eggs and pastel everything…
I am also aware of the unseen.
(and perhaps you are too…)
We celebrate life…
while quietly taking it from others.
We gather around the table in love and gratitude…
while leaving entire species out of that circle, treating them not as someone,
but as something—a product. A symbol. A plate of food.
I know I’m not supposed to feel this way.
At least, that’s what people tell me.
“Just enjoy the day.”
“Stop being so sensitive.”
“Only 2% of people care about that stuff.”
“You’re not normal.”
Maybe not. But this is my normal now.
And I know I didn’t always feel this way.
But I changed.
Not because I’m disciplined or strong or somehow better.
(I can give you a long list of ways I’m not those things.)
I changed because something inside me said:
“I can’t keep looking away.”
And once I saw it… I couldn’t unsee it.
So this year, I’m not offering chocolate bunnies or perfect pastel recipes.
Instead, I made something quiet. Something small.
So this spring, I’m not giving away chocolate bunnies or perfect pastel recipes.
Instead, I made something different.
A collection of spring-inspired journaling prompts—designed to help you pause, breathe deeply, and reconnect with nature’s gentle awakening and what matters most to you, and your inner self.
If you already keep a journal, this won’t be new to you.
But even if you don’t, it’s something it’s worth giving it a try in certain times of year and life. Particularly when you need clarity, focus, or a perspective shift on your life or current events.
I have been using my journal recently mostly to write down my goals and things to do.
(Which sounds more like a planner, now that I think about it, lol.)
But also, things that frustrate me that I need to change—mostly in myself, by introducing new habits. (Some of my bad habits are driving me nuts, so I’m working on them. Without much success, I might add.)
But sometimes, I come back to the deeper questions, such as:
What do I want to be known for? What do you want to accomplish as your life’s work?
What do you want to be known for? What is the work that you want to be doing? What is my legacy?
What is the one thing that if I accomplish today it will make everything else easier? (That’s from the book “One Thing”.)
So, I tried to come up with a bunch of questions one might ask that pertain to spring, growth, renewal, and celebration of Easter. And here they are.
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🌱30+ Spring-inspired Prompts for Journaling and Self-reflection
Reflections on Renewal, Growth, and What It Means to Care
- Describe a moment this spring when you felt a sense of awe.
- What seeds—literal or metaphorical—are you planting this spring?
- In what area of your life do you feel called to begin again?
- What does rebirth or renewal really mean to you? (Not as a metaphor or the Pinterest version—the real, gritty kind.)
- What are some “old stories” or beliefs you’re ready to release with the ending of winter?
- What part of you feels tired, worn down, or done? What needs to be released this season?
- What part of you is quietly growing, even if no one else sees it yet?
- Think of a time when you went against the grain—even if it was messy. How did that feel?
- What truth about the world (or about yourself) have you been avoiding?
- Who or what do you want to forgive this season—including yourself?
- What role does silence or stillness play in your life? How can you create more of it?
- What’s something small that gives you hope?
- What breaks your heart—and what are you doing with that brokenness?
- Write a letter to your past self before you made a big change in your thinking. What would you say?
- Where in your life do you feel the most tenderness? The most tension?
- Who inspires you to be brave, gentle, or kind?
- Imagine a gentle, life-honoring celebration. No rules. No expectations. Just heart.
- What would it look like to include all beings in your circle of compassion?
- What emotions come up for you during traditional holidays like Easter?
- If Easter were a celebration of all life, how would you imagine it?
- What do you wish people understood about how you experience the world?
- Who or what do you mourn around the holidays—whether it “makes sense” or not?
- When you think about animals and the way they’re treated, what emotion rises up first? (Anger, grief, helplessness, indifference… something else?)
- What does compassion look like in real life—not the pretty kind, but the kind that costs something?
- Think of a time when you chose compassion, even when it was hard. How did it feel?
- What does “being a good person” mean to you now? Has that changed over the years?
- How do you wish our cultural traditions would evolve?
- If you could rewrite one tradition—Easter, birthday, holiday, whatever—what would you do differently?
- What parts of your life feel aligned with your values? What parts still feel off?
- What helps you stay rooted in your values when others don’t understand?
- What does it mean to live in alignment with your heart?
- What do you do when people dismiss your feelings—or make you feel like you’re “too much”?
- What would it feel like to stop trying to explain yourself?
- If you could whisper one thing to the world this Easter, what would it be?
May this be a quiet companion to your reflections this spring. 🙂
With love and leafy greens,
Take care,
Joanna @GreenReset
P.S. I’m thinking of creating a book with prompts with journaling and self-reflection. What do you think? Do you even journal?