By: Collin King, LPC and Mindy Laroco, LPC
For many Oregonians, SUMMER (in all caps!) is what we’ve been waiting for.
“This is what I invested in during mid-February!” we might feel. “I’ve got to soak it up!”
But in the glory of all that Vitamin D, it can be easy to over-extend socially, or to feel pressure to make the most of every beautiful day.
Here are some check-in questions you can explore to help you craft a summer that leaves you both fulfilled and refreshed before the leaves start to turn:
What are your top one or two non-negotiable summer activities that genuinely bring you joy?
How do you typically feel after social gatherings during the summer? If you feel more drained, you may be somewhat introverted, or perhaps the setting isn’t your preference. How can you honor your social battery?
Beyond planned activities, what small, everyday moments of summer bring you peace or a sense of presence? How can you intentionally incorporate more of these moments into your week?
What does genuine rest look like for you in the summer?
Imagining yourself at the start of fall, what would make you feel that you’ve had a truly fulfilling and refreshing season?
“Checking in” doesn’t always mean thinking. Here are some creative ways you might learn to check in with yourself, both for these specific questions and more generally:
Rate your day: How many stars would you give your day out of 5?
At the end of each day, take some time to reflect on the day and give it a rating. Then, think about what that means to you (everyone’s rating system will look different!). For example, if today was a “3 star day”, what does that mean? What makes it higher than a “2 star day”, but not quite a “4 star day”?
Don’t be afraid to get creative!
There are various ways to cater this “rating system” to what you like! If not stars, use grades! (or whatever you would like!) Was your day an A+? B? C-? Why’s that? Make this system work for you so that checking in with yourself becomes a habit.
Having a “rating system” can be so helpful to continue to check in with yourself. It can be done at the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, or both! This is also a great way to start setting intentions for you day. If today started out at 5 stars, what could you do to keep that momentum? Conversely, if your day started out at 2 stars, what could be done to up that rating?
Take an inventory of your emotions
Keeping track of how you’re feeling is also an excellent way to check in with yourself. Start at the beginning of your day and write at least 3 feelings words that describe your current state. Then, at the end of the day, do the same thing and compare how your feelings have either changed or not changed from the morning time. (bonus points if you do this mid day as well!)
This is a great practice to not only keep track of how we are feeling, but to continue to practice being in tune with ourselves and our emotions. If the feelings you logged at the beginning of the day have changed, at what point do you think they changed? Why? If they stayed the same, what do you think helped you maintain that state? The cool thing about these exercises is that after a while. You’ll have a log that you can look back on! You’ll be able to see how you were feeling at certain times, what contributed to those feelings, and understand yourself in different ways. Happy Checking In!
