Description
DEAR FUTURE SELF: Your End-of-Year Retreat Guide
Give yourself the gift of a personal retreat this December.
Each year, I seem to stumble and fall into the space between Christmas and New Year. I’m exhausted. I’m over family gatherings. Even the thought of another thing to tick off the task list brings out my rolling-eyes emoji. But during this stumbling season, I’ve learned to make space for an afternoon with myself. I retreat.
Away from my family, away from social media, I step towards possibility. I find a café, order coffee and a slice of cake, and I breathe. I walk the beach and pray softly, thanking God for the year that has passed, and I start to let go of disappointment.
That’s what this workbook is for.
Dear Future Self is your companion for a self-guided personal retreat—whether you take a full day, an afternoon, or even just a few stolen hours between Christmas and New Year. It’s 60 pages of journaling questions and creative exercises designed to help you close one chapter and step into the next with intention.
This isn’t about setting ambitious goals you’ll abandon by February. It’s about finding answers to the questions that keep you contained, releasing what you need to let go, and writing a letter to your future self about who you’re becoming.
60 pages of creative journaling exercises, including:
Reflection & Release:
– Questions to help you honour the year that was—the beautiful and the broken
– Space to name disappointments and let them go
– Exercises for processing grief, loss, and unmet expectations
– Creative prompts for celebrating what you did accomplish (even if it doesn’t look like what you planned)
Vision & Possibility:
– The “Dear Future Self” letter-writing exercise—a conversation with who you’re becoming
– Questions to uncover what you actually want (not what you think you should want)
– Clarity exercises for identifying your core values and aligning your life with them
– Creative visioning activities that go beyond typical goal-setting
Contemplative & Creative Practices:
– Guided prompts for prayer, meditation, and spiritual reflection
– Space for gratitude lists, wonder-collecting, and noticing beauty
– Exercises for connection—with yourself, with God, with what matters most
– Artistic and imaginative prompts that engage your whole self, not just your logical brain
Integration:
– Practical exercises for bridging the gap between retreat insights and daily life
– Questions to help you identify what needs to change and what deserves protection
– Space to make commitments to yourself (not resolutions—something deeper)
THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND RETREAT:
A retreat is defined as *”a period of time set aside to reflect, pray, meditate or study.”*
In a culture that runs relentlessly from one thing to the next, retreating is a radical act of self-care and spiritual formation. It’s saying: “I deserve time to think. I deserve space to feel. I deserve permission to rest.”
This workbook was created over 20 years of Amanda asking herself the same questions every December—and refined across 7 years of publication. Thousands of people worldwide now use this end-of-year retreat process to create their own sacred pause before the calendar flips to January 1st.
It’s not about doing the year “right.” It’s about being honest about the year you had, compassionate toward yourself in the disappointments, and open to what’s trying to emerge in you for the season ahead.
WHO THIS IS FOR:
Dear Future Self is for you if:
• You feel like you’re stumbling into the end of the year rather than finishing strong
• You need space to process everything that happened before you’re expected to “move on”
• You crave a retreat experience but can’t get away for a week (or even a weekend)
• You want something deeper than goal-setting and more honest than gratitude journaling
• You’re tired of performing productivity and ready for genuine reflection
• You need permission to grieve what this year wasn’t while still honouring what it was
HOW TO USE THIS RETREAT GUIDE:
The Full Retreat Experience (Recommended):
1. Block off 4-6 hours between Christmas and New Year
2. Go somewhere that feels like a retreat—a café, the beach, a quiet park, your favourite chair with the door closed
3. Bring this workbook, your favourite pen, and a drink that feels nourishing
4. Turn off your phone (seriously—this is sacred time)
5. Work through the prompts at your own pace, following your intuition about what needs attention
6. End with the “Dear Future Self” letter
7. Close with a prayer, a walk, or simply sitting in silence
The Shorter Version:
If you can’t carve out a full day, take 2-3 hours—even 90 minutes matters. Quality of presence beats quantity of time.
If you need Amanda to come alongside you for $127, you can have a private coaching hour with Amanda to help you use these tools with accountability.
The Ongoing Version:
Some people return to sections of this workbook throughout January or even into spring to reconnect with their intentions. There’s no wrong way to use it.
Join the Community:
Use the hashtag #FutureRetreating to connect with others taking a day this season to retreat. Share your favourite café spot, your insights, or simply the fact that you showed up for yourself and join Amanda’s Facebook group: HERE
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“During the past few Christmas and festive seasons, I’ve taken the time to work through several of Amanda’s workbooks. This year, Seeking Clarity has allowed me to take time out, reflect and reset for the New Year. December can be a challenging time when I can feel overwhelmed and exhausted by running a small business, and the responsibilities of having young children can be demanding. With Clarity, I’ve been able to see all I have achieved this year and refocus on what’s really important. Thank you, Amanda. Seeking Clarity has helped me bring time, space and joy back into my days.”
—Brooke Whitmore
“I purchased one of the end-of-year workbooks, not really understanding how significant an impact going through the workbook would be for me. The highlight of the purchase, though, was Amanda offering a 1-hour online session for 6 weeks to meet with her and other people who purchased the workbook, and to go through it together, page by page, helping me, encouraging me to reflect on my year and notice what I have learnt about myself…..good and bad! To have a go at journaling and assuring me there is no right or wrong way to write what comes out; it’s my story! I don’t have to write it perfectly, just write.Thank you, Amanda! I have loved it. You have gently challenged me to write/journal my story.
Here’s to my next chapter.”
— Jenny Hastings
“Amanda – thank you for this sacred and beautiful space you create for each of us to enter into as we close each year.
2024 has been a year, so I was initially apprehensive about reflecting on it, but it was such a beautiful and hopeful time.
Thank you”
— Jac Wraight
“Amanda, this resource is such a gift. Thank you for making and distributing a reflective tool that gently brings to account the season we have been in as well as plans for the season to come. I love that this journal is one that I can continue to pick up and add to as time, events & circumstances arise. I loved the reflecting sheets as they were great for processing what took place last year. Your creativity is such a blessing.”
— Kate Green
INVESTMENT: $12.95 AUD (Digital Download)
INSTANT ACCESS:
• Purchase now and download immediately
• 60-page PDF delivered to your inbox
• Print at home, local library, or Officeworks
• Use for your personal retreat or bring to a group gathering
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK: HERE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Is this a physical book?
This listing is for the digital PDF download that you receive instantly. If you prefer a physical book, you can order the paperback through Amazon, Booktopia, Angus & Robertson or this online shop.
Can I do this retreat at home, or do I need to go somewhere?
You can absolutely do this at home! The most important thing is creating a sense of retreat—turn off your phone, tell your family you’re unavailable for a few hours, create an atmosphere that feels sacred. That said, many people find it helpful to physically leave their house (café, beach, park, library) to create psychological distance from daily responsibilities.
What if I don’t have a full day?
Even 90 minutes matters. You don’t have to complete every page in one sitting. Take what time you have, work through what calls to you, and trust that what you need will emerge.
I’m not religious. Do you think this will work for me?
Yes. While the workbook includes space for prayer and spiritual reflection (Amanda is completing her Master of Arts in Divinity), the prompts are designed to meet you wherever you are. If prayer doesn’t resonate, you can approach those sections as meditation, intention-setting, or simply quiet reflection.
Does this have the same questions every year?
Some core questions repeat because reflection is a cyclical practice—asking the same questions each year reveals how you’ve changed and what patterns persist. However, each year’s publication also includes new articles, different creative exercises, and fresh prompts. If you’ve used previous editions (Reflect, Begin Again, Pause, New Days, Gentle Rhythms), you’ll recognise some questions while also discovering new content.
Can I share this with my book club or retreat group?
Each download license is for personal use (one person). If you’re facilitating a retreat or group and want to provide copies to participants, please get in touch with info@amandaviers.com for group licensing and bulk pricing options (available for 10+ copies).
Can I get a refund?
Digital products are final sale once downloaded. However, if you experience technical difficulties accessing your file, contact us immediately, and we’ll resolve it.
WHY NOW MATTERS:
The space between Christmas and New Year is sacred—but only if you claim it.
Without intention, these days disappear into leftovers, family obligations, and mindless scrolling. Before you know it, January 1st arrives and you’re expected to have your life together, set your goals, and hit the ground running.
But what if you paused first?
What if you permitted yourself to process before you plan? To grieve before you goal-set? To honour what this year taught you—the beautiful and the brutal—before rushing into the next thing?
Dear Future Self is your invitation to take that pause.
For $12.95, you can give yourself a retreat. Not someday. Not when life slows down (it won’t). Now.
This December, retreat. Reflect. Renew.
Your future self will thank you.
Amanda Viviers is an accredited Journal Therapy Coach, award-winning communications leader, and author of 15 books. After 25 years helping organisations tell their stories—including leading 160+ staff at Compassion Australasia—she now creates retreat spaces where women discover their own. Currently completing her Master of Arts in Divinity, Amanda believes the pen is both a healing tool and an act of reclamation. She facilitates retreats internationally and co-founded the Kinwomen radio program.
This end-of-year retreat process has been refined and published annually for 7 years and is now used by thousands of people globally who have made it their sacred December tradition.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FINE PRINT:
This is a digital product. Nothing will be mailed. Check your junk folder if you don’t receive your download email within 5 minutes. You can also access downloads from your account page. Each license is valid for personal use only (one person). For group licensing, retreat facilitation, or bulk orders: info@amandaviviers.com
Paperback versions available through Amazon, Booktopia, and Angus & Robertson.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.