journaling prompts: compilation for the end of summer

SELF-CARE, Psychology

In June/July, WFT (Word for Thought, not "what the fuck," by the way) hosted our "Do Nothing" Challenge, part of which included sharing a short list of journaling prompts to help you sort out your thoughts. And as the summer begins to wrap up, I thought it helpful to use the time we have to reflect on what we've accomplished so far, on our goals looking ahead, and how we can harness the remaining time to maximize our ends. As promised, a more complete, updated journaling resource will be shown in The Corner later.

*Note: these are a compilation of prompts that has personally been helpful, and am simply sharing them; they are not drawn from or supported by any professional source. of course, we are all experiencing different things, and parts of this magazine page may only apply to certain people. if it's not for you, just pass on by!

Reflect

- What did you want to have achieved by the end of this summer? Why did you want those things?

- Did you fulfill any of those?

- How did you grow in these past few months--physically, artistically, intellectually, emotionally, philosophically?

- How do you feel when you "don't get anything done" one day? Write down the following statement as many times as you need to upon contemplating this: "My quantitative productivity does not define my qualitative worth as a human being." When writing statements like these, not only do you organize your brain, but you ultimately retain that information better (scientifically proven;). And as you write them down in present tense, you are showing your brain you are in the process of doing it now, you are making a promise to your brain in a way.

Instead of constantly telling yourself, "should do," "should be doing," let all that go. Isn't it exhausting? Aren't you tired of having to fit everything on a deadline? Isn't it wrenching your chest and breath from all the imposed pressure? Either way, know that everything will work out in the end. This moment and this feeling is not temporary.

Instead, show yourself, "I can," "I choose," and create this new outlook. Choose to look at life this way. Read to the end to see another way to implement this.

- Write a list of all the things that you are proud of this summer. It can be successfully making a new recipe, learning a piece on an instrument, meeting friends, or keeping up your nighttime routine, participating in our "Do Nothing" Challenge, practicing self-compassion, anything. For a portion of people, this can be difficult (Girl I did not achieve anything, I did nothing, I did this but it was nothing, etc.). But oh my goodness how important it is for you to learn to appreciate the "small" things, to realize the harm of downplaying "being a human." You clearly got up today, you read a bit, you at least kept your skincare routine, etc.

Remainder

- What is it that I still want to do with the remainder of my summer? How can I utilize my time, energy, and time towards those?

- What kind of goals do I want to set for this school year? What kind of person do I want to be at the other side of this year?

- Break it down. Fall, Winter, Spring. What would I like to have, be, have accomplished, etc.? Make this one real pretty, because it's going to be important for you in the future. By creating these sorts of timelines for yourself, it can help you feel less overwhelmed and give you a feel for the timeframes you have to ensure you get what you want to get done done.

- What's the best scenario? What happens if it all works out this time?

Realize and Recognize and Reset

- Where do I see myself in a month? In three? Visualize yourself. Write about every single aspect of that life. What kind of clothes do I wear? Who do I surround myself with then? How do I talk to my family, my friends? What is my workload like and how do I handle it? How do I speak to myself?

- Every morning, right after you wake up, grab a piece of paper. Write down five things you want--a bagel? a partner? a six-pack? a new pair of shoes? to be happy? anything, you write it. This practice brings you closer to your inner world and your desires; the first step towards harnessing what you want is to recognize what you want. Make it creative too! Fold papers into fours and staple them to make a little booklet, I don't know, but create something that motivates and excites you in this area.

- How can I reset and restore and rejuvenate myself for these?

- Observe your inner world intensely for a few days: try to be conscious/aware of how you speak in your mind, is it reflected through how you talk to other people? Free-write and write anything and everything on your mind; find similarities and patterns in thinking structures. Ask yourself: am I going to extreme ends, jumping to conclusions, generalizing, etc.? Does this way of thinking reflect positively on my actions, is it helping me get to where I want? Does it make me at peace. If not, how can I reset my mindset? A practice I like to do is the following: write out a list of things you look forward to, even with the smallest things. Here's mine for example:

Things I look forward to:

1. autumn (apple orchards, warm coats, long pants, warm apple cider, the fall loneliness and range of new emotions from experiencing a new season)

2. state fair, even if i'm not going

3. rain this week

4. going to exercise

5. sleep

6. going outside for walks

7. school and seeing everyone again (to an extent) and learning

8. early mornings with calm quiet and birds, curtains gently rustling

Out of these, ask yourself, what about each of these things excite me, or make me happy? Do they bring me closer to "feeling alive"? Do they distract me? Do more of whatever that is.

Make a dedication to do this for yourself, and trust in the process of journaling; it reaps bundles of clarity and joy eventually. More to come on the psychology of it all!

Stay kind to yourself,

WFT