June Journaling Prompts

Just living is not enough…one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. Hans Christian Andersen

Summer is a season for making memories and taking some time out for reflection. Here are some ideas to fill the handmade journals and notebooks that you create with either writing, art or art journaling.

Fathers Day

Father’s Day is similar to Mother’s Day in that it’s not a celebration for everyone. It can be a time to mourn a father who’s no longer in our lives or one with whom we don’t have a relationship. Conversely, it can be a time to celebrate the first man in your life or the father of your children. Use this day as a jumping off point for journaling, in some form, an influential man in your life.

World Oceans Day

June 8 welcomes World Oceans Day and unless you’ve been living on a secluded island (lucky you) for the past several years, you know how human activity is imperiling our oceans. Why not dig out some old family beach photos and use them as a basis for a journal page? Or grab some art supplies and re-create a fantastic ocean scene to celebrate this life giving resource. Better yet, head to the nearest beach, sit on the sand and write a poem or reflection to the sound of the waves.

Compassion

Certainly much in the world needs fixing, and there’s much about the behavior of others we would like to change. But before we go fixing others, we must first accept and find compassion for ourselves. Doing so, we may begin to find that others don’t need ‘fixing’ so much as simple kindness.” Philip Simmons, Learning to Fall

Is it just me or do folks seem more angry at the moment and prone to espousing extreme political opinions? In some cases, I feel like many of these people are hurting and this anger comes from a wounded place inside themselves. And it’s this idea that has led me to have the concept of compassion on my mind recently and consequently for it to appear on the pages of my journal. What are your thoughts on compassion and more importantly, I think, self-compassion? If you want to do a little reading around the subject, I highly recommend Dr Kristen Neff’s book Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.

The Power of Being Outside

If you live in New England one of the joys of this time of year is being outside without the bugs and intense heat of high summer. Getting outside each day is such a joy for me and the benefits on my everyday life come up in my journaling practice again and again. What about you? What is your perfect weather for a stroll? How do you spend time outside, walking, gardening, reading, socializing? How would you feel if you were house-bound for months at a time? Below is a photo of my favorite canine, Daisy, enjoying our backyard last week.

Let me know your journal ideas for June in the comments below.