This Too Shall Pass: 10 Journaling Prompts For a Rich and Resilient Summer

It’s the little things in June that start the unraveling: the endless wrap-ups, the smell of the heat, the fresh raspberries, the search for white-pink dance tights, the earnest last minute thank-you cards on tables streaked with sun. My family is barely clinging to the tracks when the bell rings for summer break. And then a soft sigh as my mind turns to a different challenge: a refreshed tension between giving my children the sweet freedom of summer while honouring the commitments and routines that keep our train chugging.

When evenings call me long past my bedtime and bright mornings beckon me to take a moment alone, my pace can seem to take on a life of its own. I yearn to find a new rhythm, a sweet spot between letting go and holding strong. Where do I soften and where do I strengthen? I often come back to the phrase “this too will pass". These words hang in my master bedroom pressed into a wooden frame, a gift from a dear friend when I was going through a dark season. These words remind me of the impermanence of hard and wonderful things. I can let rules soften for a season knowing that rhythms will return with time. Similarly, I can savour joyful moments with a hint of sadness, knowing that these too will pass.

Journaling can be a clarifying and expanding practice. I discuss it with almost all of my clients. It is magical to have a method of processing that is so accessible and also free from others’ opinions. Journalling at the beginning of summer, the start of Q3 and the second half of the year, can chart a course for richness and resiliency. This is a list of journaling prompts to explore, I invite you to book a date with yourself, take your phone or your journal, go outside, and write. Mark this moment on the page, joyful or sorrowful, as this too shall pass.

Prompts For Summer

1) Generally, what are your ideal sleep and wake times in summer?

2) What are your favorite ways to exercise in the summer? Can you schedule a couple right now?

3) What do you want to read this summer?

4) What are the minimum core habits that keep you grounded? Think sleep, exercise, groceries, laundry, cleaning, connecting, church, volunteering, work habits, reading, sex, organizing etc. Anything you can improve in your systems?

5) When you are feeling low, what habits are the bare-barest minimum to keep you moving?

6) What was your favorite thing about summer as a kid?

7) What is one thing you can do this summer to take care of yourself?

8) What if you woke up tomorrow and it was magically Aug 31st, what summer adventures were most important? Is there something you are grateful you stopped doing? If so, how did you stop?

9) Who are the people you feel both powerful and authentic around?

10) Close your eyes. What are you thankful for right now?

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