The Journaling Room

Welcome back to The Journaling Room. I’m Kendall, and today we’re doing something that can feel both vulnerable and incredibly freeing:We’re looking back at the past year with kindness.Not with comparison. Not with criticism. Not with the “I should’ve done more” soundtrack that so quickly takes over this time of year.But with compassion. With truth. With grace.This episode is for the woman who looks back at her year and immediately sees the gaps. The places she fell short. The goals left undone. The moments she wishes she’d handled differently.If that’s you, then take a breath and settle in—because today is not about judging your year. It’s about rewriting the story you tell yourself about it.We’ll be talking about:How to journal your wins—even the tiny onesHow to reframe “failures” as evidence of growthAnd how to write a compassionate letter to your past-year selfAnd we will do it all with Christ’s gentleness shaping our perspective.Journaling Prompt #1: What are three wins—big or small—I can name from this past year?Journaling Prompt #2: What did I learn from something I once called a failure?Journaling Prompt #3: If I wrote a letter of kindness to myself about this year, what would it say?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Welcome back to The Journaling Room. I’m Kendall, and today I want to talk about a feeling many women quietly grieve during the holidays:The loss of wonder.You know… that spark. That sense of awe. That moment where your heart lifts and you feel the beauty of the season.But maybe this year—wonder feels far away.Maybe you’re a mom deep in logistics, schedules, wrapping paper, and emotional load. Maybe you’re an empty nester whose home feels a little quieter and traditions feel different. Maybe this season holds grief or fatigue or stress that makes joy feel out of reach.Whatever your story—if you’re longing for delight again, longing for something to stir your heart—this episode is for you.Today we’re going to journal toward wonder. We’re going to talk about remembering it, reconnecting with it, and gently inviting it back.And we’re going to root it all in Christ—because true wonder begins and ends with Him.Journaling Prompt #1: When was the last time I experienced true wonder?Journaling Prompt #2: What did that moment teach me about joy?Journaling Prompt #3: What is one simple way I can create space for wonder this Christmas?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Welcome back to The Journaling Room. I’m Kendall, and today’s episode is for the woman who feels alone—especially during a season that tells her she should feel anything but.You know that strange ache that shows up in December? The one where you can be surrounded by people—family gatherings, school events, church services, Christmas parties—and still feel completely alone?If that’s you, you’re not failing at Christmas. You’re not broken. And you’re not the only one feeling this way.Holiday loneliness is a very real thing—even for women with full lives, full homes, and full calendars. And one of the kindest things we can do is name it, honor it, and let God meet us in it.Today we’re going to talk about:Naming your holiday loneliness without shameUsing journaling to practice self-compassion and connection with GodAnd building one small bridge toward connection—just one safe personThis episode is meant to be a place where your heart can breathe.Journaling Prompt #1: Where do I feel the ache of loneliness most right now—especially in this holiday season?Journaling Prompt #2: What words of compassion would I offer myself if I were a friend?Journaling Prompt #3: Who is one safe person I could reach out to this week?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Do you ever feel like you’re falling short during the holidays?If you do, welcome to The Journaling Room. I’m Kendall, and this episode is especially for the mom who feels like everyone else is doing Christmas “right,” while she’s just trying to keep the laundry moving and the kids fed.If you’ve ever thought:“I should be doing more.” “This should feel more magical.” “I’m not giving my family the Christmas they deserve.”…then take a deep breath. You’re in the perfect place today.We’re going to talk about the “perfect holiday script” we all quietly carry—the one that tells us how it should look, how we should feel, and how everything should turn out. And then we’re going to gently rewrite that script with grace.We’ll explore the story you’re living out, the pressure it creates, and how journaling can set you free from perfection and move you toward presence.And most importantly, we will remember that Christ does not measure your worth by your performance—but by His finished work.Journaling Prompt #1: What “perfect holiday script” do I carry in my mind?Journaling Prompt #2: How has chasing that script left me feeling?Journaling Prompt #3: If I rewrote my holiday story around presence, what would it sound like?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Before we jump in today, I want to share something that might surprise you: not every Christmas feels like Christmas. And if that’s where you are right now—you are not alone. Welcome back to The Journaling Room. I’m Kendall, and today’s episode is for the woman who feels… numb. Disconnected. Weary. Maybe even guilty for not feeling “festive enough.”If your joy feels thin, if you’re moving through December like you’re watching your life from another room, this episode is a gentle place to land.Let’s take a breath. Let’s take the pressure down. And let’s sit with the truth: your numbness is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of being human.Today we’re going to journal through the numbness. We’re going to talk about small sensory anchors that can bring us back into the moment. And we’re going to talk about choosing one meaningful practice—not a perfect Christmas, but a faithful, grounded one.Most of all, we’re going to remember Christ—whose presence is not dependent on our emotions. He is steady even when our hearts feel quiet.Journaling Prompt #1: What does numbness feel like for me right now?Journaling Prompt #2: Which small sensory details—sights, sounds, smells—bring me even a moment of comfort?Journaling Prompt #3: If I chose one small, meaningful way to mark Christmas this year, what would it be?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Maybe your family dynamics are complicated. Maybe the pressure to make everything perfect feels heavy. Maybe you already know that certain conversations, certain people, or certain patterns will be stressful… again.And you’re dreading it. You’re tired before the season even begins.If that’s you, take a breath. You’re in the right room. And I want this episode to feel like relief — like someone turning on a small light in a crowded, stressful space.Because here’s the truth: Your holiday does not need to be perfect to be meaningful. And you don’t have to carry everything you’ve been carrying.Today we’re going to explore the expectations weighing on you, what’s yours to carry and what’s not, and how journaling can help you craft a “good enough” holiday — with peace, with clarity, and with Jesus right in the center of it.Let’s revisit your prompts as you move into this season:What expectations are weighing on me right now?Which of these are mine to carry, and which are not? 3. What would a “good enough” holiday look like this year?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Before we begin today’s episode, I want to say this: if you clicked on an episode about gratitude but you aren’t feeling grateful… you are still welcome here. This space is for you, exactly as you are.Welcome back to The Journaling Room Podcast. I’m Kendall Snyder, your host, your fellow journaler, and someone who has lived through seasons where gratitude did not come naturally — not even a little bit.Today’s episode is for the woman who feels numb. For the woman who feels a little bitter. For the woman who feels weighed down. Maybe even guilty for not being “more grateful.”Maybe life is technically “good,” but your heart hasn’t caught up with that truth. The holidays are approaching, and you want to feel excited — but you don’t. Something in you just feels… flat.If that’s you, hear this clearly: there is nothing wrong with you. You are not “less spiritual.” You are not failing at gratitude. You are not broken.You are human. And God is tender with humans.So today, we’re talking about how to find gratitude when it doesn’t come naturally — and how journaling can create a safe place to be honest, to breathe, and slowly take steps toward softening again.What makes gratitude feel hard for me in this season?What small, ordinary thing can I notice and write about today? 3. If I let one piece of gratitude soften me, how might that change my day?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Today we’re talking about something that shows up quietly every November — the pressure at the Thanksgiving table.Whether you’re a mom juggling everyone’s food preferences and emotions… a college student heading home trying to navigate family dynamics… or an empty nester wondering what to do when the table feels a little too quiet — this episode is for you.Because no matter your stage of life, there’s one thing we all tend to bring to the table that isn’t on the menu — pressure.Pressure to make it perfect. Pressure to keep everyone happy. Pressure to be grateful even when things feel complicated.And today, we’re going to journal through that.So as you head into Thanksgiving, journal through these three prompts:What unspoken rules or expectations am I trying to live up to this Thanksgiving?If I could release one pressure, what would it be?3. What three emotions or experiences do I want to “serve at the table” this year?You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.comFB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoachingPodcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategiesMusic by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

We’re surrounded by cultural images of the “perfect” holiday table — smiling families, gratitude flowing, laughter in every corner. And sometimes it does look like that. But often, it doesn’t.Maybe there’s an empty chair. Maybe there’s a rift that hasn’t healed. Maybe you’re walking into tension that’s been simmering for years. Or maybe you just don’t feel joy this season because grief, exhaustion, or disappointment are louder than gratitude.Here’s the truth: we can’t always fix it. We can’t bring people back, force others to change, or erase years of brokenness in a single meal. But we can write our way toward peace — peace with what is, even when what is feels far from perfect.Step One: Name What Is Radical honesty is the first step toward acceptance. Instead of minimizing, notice and write what’s actually true.👉 Prompts:“What feels unfixable right now is…”“The grief I’m carrying into this holiday is…”“The tension I feel around my family is…”“If I stopped minimizing, I’d admit…”Naming reality doesn’t make you weaker. It makes you more resilient, because you stop fighting shadows and deal with what’s real.Step Two: Release the Illusion of Control In CBT, we call this differentiating controllables from uncontrollables. Much of our suffering comes from overestimating what’s in our control and underestimating our ability to choose our response.👉 Prompts:“What I wish I could change about this situation is…”“The expectation I keep holding onto is…”“What I’ve tried to fix but can’t is…”“The part I need to release is…”Carmichael again reminds us:“He said, ‘I will accept the death of dear desire, Imprisoned higher, No longer mine to claim. I lay it down. And in its silent place, There burns a steadier flame, A light of peace.’”Step Three: Choose Peace in the Middle of It Acceptance is not resignation. It’s active. It’s saying, “I don’t control everything, but I do control how I think, how I show up, and what I anchor in.”👉 Prompts:“Even though this is hard, the way I want to show up is…”“The anchor truth I choose to hold is…” “My intention for this holiday is…”Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

It’s that quiet bitterness that builds up when we feel unappreciated, overlooked, or wronged. Sometimes it shows up in marriage, sometimes in parenting, sometimes in friendships or even in the workplace.Here’s the hard truth: resentment always promises to punish the other person, but really, it punishes us. The other person may not even know we’re resentful—but we carry the tight shoulders, the ruminating thoughts, the loss of joy.Today we’re going to walk through a journaling practice to help you move from resentment to release. I’ll show you how to:Name the resentment honestly.Explore what you wish the other person would do.Take ownership of what’s yours—and release what isn’t.And through it all, we’ll anchor back into the truth of who you are in Christ, because only His love is big enough to free us from bitterness.Step One: Name the ResentmentStart by writing it exactly as it is—raw, unfiltered, un-pretty.👉 Prompts:“I feel resentful because…”“The story I’m telling myself about this person is…”“The thoughts that play on repeat are…”Example: “I feel resentful because I do so much around the house and no one notices. The story I’m telling myself is that my efforts don’t matter.”Step Two: Explore What You Wish They Would DoResentment is often a signal of an unmet desire. We don’t just resent someone in a vacuum—we resent because we long for something we’re not getting.👉 Prompts:“What I wish they would do is…”“What I long to hear or receive from them is…”“If they could meet me in this, it would look like…”Example: “I wish my spouse would say thank you. I wish my kids would notice my work. I long for appreciation and partnership.”Naming this doesn’t mean the other person will suddenly change. But it gives you clarity about your own heart.Step Three: Take Ownership + ReleaseThis is where we shift. Ask: What is mine here, and what is not mine?Mine: My feelings, my expectations, my choices about how I show up.Not mine: Controlling the other person’s response, making them behave how I want.👉 Prompts:“The part of this I can take ownership for is…”“The part I need to release is…”“Lord, today I release ___ into Your hands.”Example: “I can take ownership of my desire for appreciation by communicating it clearly instead of stewing. I can also anchor myself in God’s delight in me. I release the expectation that my family will always meet my needs perfectly.”Scripture anchor: Colossians 3:13 (NIV): “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay