Prompts for before the change

  • Tell the story of how you decided, or how the change found you.
  • Describe the room, street or desk you're about to leave, in detail.
  • Talk about the worst realistic outcome and what you'd do if it happened.
  • Say who you need to tell, and how you'd like each conversation to go.
  • Describe what you'd carry into the new chapter if you could take only one bag.
  • Talk about a past change you got through and what helped then.

Prompts for the middle of it

  • Describe today in the middle of the change, the logistics and the feelings.
  • Talk about what feels out of your hands right now and what doesn't.
  • Say which routine from your old life you could keep, even in a small way.
  • Describe a moment this week when you felt lost, and one when you felt sure.
  • Talk about who is going through this with you and what they need.

Prompts for after the change

  • Describe your first full day in the new place, job or situation.
  • Talk about something that turned out easier than you feared.
  • Say what you've learned about yourself in the first month.
  • Describe a new routine that's starting to feel like yours.
  • Talk about someone you've met since the change and what they're like.

Prompts about who you're becoming

  • Say how you'd introduce yourself to a stranger now, compared with a year ago.
  • Talk about a role you've let go of, like colleague, neighbor or student, and what it meant.
  • Describe what you want to bring from the old life into the new one.
  • Talk about the part of you this change has made room for.
  • Tell the story of this change as you'd tell it five years from now.

How to use these prompts

Record before, during and after, and you'll have the whole change in your own voice. Answer the same prompt again a few months later and compare the two. In Dawn Light, On this day on the Today screen shows what you said on this date in earlier years. So the change comes back on its own next year.

Questions about journaling through change

What counts as a big life change?

Anything that reshapes your days, such as moving, a new job, retiring, a wedding, a divorce or a child leaving home. Good changes count as much as hard ones.

Should I journal about a decision before making it?

Yes, if the change is still a choice. Talking it through out loud often shows which option you're already leaning toward.

Keep a record of the change

Talk through the change as it happens and Dawn Light keeps every entry by date. On this day brings back what you said a year ago, so you can see how far you've come.

Get Dawn Light free

Unlimited entries, transcripts, search and iCloud sync. For iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Works with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later.