Prefer to choose for yourself?
Not everyone wants to leave it to chance. You can browse all six sections below, choose whichever feels most relevant today, or read through the whole entry at your own pace.
Some sections offer one idea for when the day is going well and another for when it has been one of those days. Others contain a technique you can use whatever the weather.
1. ☀️ Sunny Days
Sunny days can bring an unexpected pressure to make the most of every minute.
Sometimes the memories that stay with us are the ones we simply noticed rather than tried to create.
☀️ Today’s going well…
Notice one small summer moment you’d like to remember on a winter’s day.
🌥️ Today’s one of those days…
Try something like taking your drink outside for ten minutes before the day ends.
2. 👤 Flying Solo
A day mostly on your own can feel wonderfully restorative. At other times it can feel lonely — and sometimes it’s a mixture of both.
We can’t always choose the experience, but we can choose what we do next.
If you’ve not come across the Bullseye before, it’s a simple exercise that helps us notice whether we’re moving towards the life we’d like to be living.
You can read more in my earlier blog, Bullseye: One Way to Look at Your Own Psychological Wellbeing.
☀️ Today’s going well…
Take a moment to notice where your darts are landing today.
If they’re close to the bullseye, keep doing what you’re doing.
🌥️ Today’s one of those days…
If today’s darts aren’t quite landing where you’d like, choose one small step that nudges one of them a little closer to the centre.
3. 🦋 Social Butterfly
Summer often brings more invitations, gatherings and time with other people.
Among a crowd, it’s often easy to lose track of our own internal experience. Sometimes it’s useful to consciously pay attention to that.
After all, it’s at the heart of how we experience the world.
☀️ Today’s going well…
What would your future self thank you for doing tomorrow to help keep this going?
🌥️ Today’s one of those days…
Take a moment to reflect on today.
Was there anything that didn’t quite feel consistent with the person you’d like to be?
What one small action tomorrow would move you a little closer?
Perhaps:
reaching out to a friend;
getting something off your to-do list;
taking some time to recharge.
4. 🤹 Juggling Act
Summer can sometimes feel like a juggling act.
Family, friends, holidays, jobs around the house and making the most of the sunshine can all compete for our attention.
It’s easy to spend so much time keeping all the balls in the air that we lose sight of the ones we’d most like to catch.
☀️ Today’s going well…
What’s worked well today?
What did it tell you about what matters to you?
Is there something you’d like to repeat, or make time for again tomorrow?
🌥️ Today’s one of those days…
Looking back on today, was there anything you wish you’d made more time for?
What one change tomorrow would help you move a little closer to what matters most?
5. ⛈️ Storm Clouds Gather
Sometimes it can feel as though we’re caught in the middle of a summer storm.
Thoughts, worries and emotions can arrive thick and fast, making it difficult to see clearly.
This time, rather than asking you to think about how today’s going, I’d like to share a simple technique you can use whatever kind of day you’re having.
It can help you pause, reset and choose what you’d like to do next.
☀️🌥️ Whatever the weather…
Take a moment to acknowledge what’s here.
Notice what you’re thinking and feeling, without trying to change it.
Feel your feet on the ground or your body against the chair.
Then gently bring your attention to one thing you can see, hear or feel around you.
6. 🌦️ Rain Stopped Play
Sometimes our plans are interrupted. At other times, it’s our minds that keep us stuck.
We can find ourselves replaying the same thoughts over and over until they start to feel like facts.
Here are two simple techniques you might like to try.
☀️🌥️ Whatever the weather…
Repeat it
Choose one word from the thought and repeat it out loud for about 30 seconds.
If you’re feeling brave, try saying it in:
a cartoon voice;
a robot voice;
or as though you’re singing it.
Notice what happens.
The thought may still be there, but it often loses some of its impact.
Take a Step Back
See what happens as you move through these four statements:
It’s awful.
I think it’s awful.
I’m having the thought that it’s awful.
I notice I’m having the thought that it’s awful.
What changes as you move from one to the next?
One small moment. One small reset.
You don’t have to make the most of every minute, solve everything today or force yourself to feel differently.
Whether you rolled the moon die or chose a section for yourself, take the idea that feels most useful and leave the rest for another day.