Welcome to Week One of The Pages We Avoid, my four-week journaling series.

Each week begins with one main topic, followed by five connected journal prompts. The point isn’t to answer one deep question, close the journal, and pretend we have everything figured out. Each day’s prompt will build on the one before it so that, by the end of the week, we can see the fuller picture taking shape across the pages.

Since we’re on Day Two, I’m putting our first two prompts together so we can begin from the same place.

Day One: What Am I Pretending Not to Know?

There are things we truly don’t know yet—and then there are things we know but aren’t ready to admit.

Maybe admitting it would require a decision. Maybe it would change how we see someone, something, or even ourselves. Sometimes pretending not to know feels easier because once we name something, we can’t exactly go back to not knowing it.

For this first page, begin with:

If I stopped pretending, I would have to admit…

Don’t try to make your answer sound pretty, logical, or acceptable. Nobody else has to read this page. Let it be honest, even if the honesty is messy.

Day Two: What Do I Usually Do When I Get Close to Admitting This to Myself?

Now that we have begun naming what we may be avoiding, today we’re looking at the escape route.

What happens when you get too close to the truth?

Do you suddenly get busy? Change the subject? Make excuses? Convince yourself that it isn’t a big deal? Start questioning something you already know? Sometimes avoidance doesn’t look like avoidance. Sometimes it looks like overthinking, procrastinating, joking about it, or finding one more reason not to deal with it today.

For this page, begin with:

When I get close to admitting this to myself, I usually…

Then ask yourself:

What does this response protect me from feeling, facing, or changing?

You do not have to solve the entire situation today. Right now, we are simply noticing what is there and how we move away from it.

Tomorrow’s prompt will take us one step deeper by asking what we fear might change if we finally acknowledge what we already know.

One page at a time. No performing. Just honesty between you and the page.