Cultivate Physical and Mental Wellbeing this Summer
Good morning! I wish each and every one of you un très bon Dimanche!
It’s FINALLY summer here in the southwest of France – we had one last horrendous storm on Wednesday night – but now the sun is shining with all its might, and temperatures are soaring into the low thirties.
Now that summer’s here, I’m determined to make the most of this until-now-elusive season.
It finally arrived with its golden promise of long sun-drenched days, and the intoxicating sense that anything is possible. Yet how often do we let these precious months slip through our fingers like sand, reaching September with only a vague memory of what could have been the most vibrant season of the year?
This year can be different. This year, you can manifest a summer that doesn’t just happen to you, but one that you consciously create through the powerful practice of manifestation journaling.
Why Summer is the Perfect Season for Manifestation
There’s something undeniably magical about summer. The abundance of sunlight naturally elevates our mood, our energy expands, and we feel more open to possibility. This heightened state makes summer the ideal season to harness the power of manifestation journaling.
When we journal with intention during these warmer months, we’re not just recording our days or making wish lists. We’re actively engaging our brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS), that remarkable filter that helps us notice opportunities aligned with our goals. By consistently writing about our summer dreams and desires, we train our minds to recognize and seize the moments that will make those dreams reality.
Think of manifestation journaling as creating a detailed blueprint for your ideal summer. The more specific and vivid your vision, the more your subconscious mind can work to bring it into being. You’re not leaving your summer to chance; you’re becoming an active architect of your experience.
The Science Behind Manifestation Journaling
As a scientist and someone who has maintained a gratitude journal for over a decade, I’ve come to understand that manifestation isn’t magic or wishful thinking. It’s rooted in how our brains process and prioritise information.
Your RAS constantly filters the overwhelming amount of data bombarding your senses, highlighting what it deems important based on your focus and intentions. When you regularly journal about your goals, dreams, and desired experiences, you’re essentially programming your RAS to notice opportunities that align with those aspirations.
This is why people who write down their goals are significantly more likely to achieve them. The act of writing creates neural pathways, reinforces commitment, and keeps your intentions at the forefront of your consciousness. Coupled with the reflective nature of journaling, you create a powerful tool for personal transformation.
Setting Up Your Summer Manifestation Journal
Before you dive into the prompts, let’s set up your journal for success.
Choose Your Medium: Whether you prefer a beautiful leather-bound notebook, a colorful spiral journal, or a digital app, select something that calls to you. Your journal should be inviting enough that you actually want to use it daily.
Create a Ritual: Establish a consistent time and place for your journaling practice. Perhaps it’s with your morning coffee on the patio, or during a quiet evening moment before sunset. Consistency activates the habit-forming pathways in your brain, making manifestation journaling second nature.
Set Your Intention: Begin with clarity about what you want from this summer. Is it deeper connections? Creative breakthroughs? Physical vitality? Adventure? Rest? There’s no wrong answer, only your authentic desires.
Write in Present Tense: This is crucial. Write as if your desired reality is already unfolding. Instead of “I want to feel more energized,” write “I am vibrant and energized, making the most of each summer day.”
Your Summer Manifestation Journaling Prompts
Use these prompts to explore, clarify, and manifest your dream summer. You don’t need to answer all of them in one sitting; let them guide you throughout the season.
Vision and Clarity Prompts
What does my ideal summer look and feel like? Describe it in vivid sensory detail. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in your perfect summer day?
If this were my best summer ever, what would I be doing regularly? Think about activities, habits, and experiences that would make this season truly memorable.
What emotions do I want to cultivate this summer? Joy, peace, excitement, contentment, passion? Name them and explore why they matter to you.
How do I want to feel at the end of summer when I look back? What sense of accomplishment, joy, or fulfillment would make this season complete?
Relationship and Connection Prompts
What kind of connections do I want to nurture this summer? Consider family, friends, romantic relationships, or even your relationship with yourself.
How can I show up as my best self in my relationships this summer? What qualities or behaviors would strengthen your connections?
Who do I want to spend more time with, and doing what? Get specific about people and activities that light you up.
What new friendships or communities might enrich my summer? Where might you find your people?
Growth and Development Prompts
What skill or knowledge do I want to develop this summer? Perhaps there’s a creative pursuit, physical skill, or intellectual interest calling to you.
What limiting belief am I ready to release this summer? What story about yourself no longer serves you?
How am I committing to my personal growth this summer? What practices, habits, or experiences will support your evolution?
What does success look like for me this summer? Define it on your own terms, not society’s expectations.
Adventure and Experience Prompts
What adventure is my soul craving this summer? Big or small, what would make you feel truly alive?
If I could do anything without fear or limitation, what would I do this summer? Let yourself dream without constraints.
What new experiences do I want to say yes to? Where can you step outside your comfort zone?
How can I bring more spontaneity and play into my summer? What would help you recapture childlike joy?
Rest and Restoration Prompts
How do I need to rest and recharge this summer? What does true restoration look like for you?
What boundaries do I need to set to protect my summer energy? Where might you need to say no to create space for your yes?
What practices will help me stay grounded and present? Meditation, nature walks, journaling itself?
How can I honor my body’s needs this summer? Consider sleep, movement, nourishment, and sensory pleasure.
Purpose and Contribution Prompts
How do I want to contribute or give back this summer? How might your gifts serve others?
What legacy or impact do I want this summer to have? What will you create or change?
What brings me the deepest sense of meaning and purpose? How can you weave more of this into your summer days?
Gratitude and Abundance Prompts
What am I already grateful for as summer begins? Start from a place of appreciation for what is.
What abundance already exists in my life? Look beyond material wealth to relationships, health, opportunities, and beauty.
How can I cultivate a mindset of abundance this summer? What practices support you in seeing life’s fullness?
10 Non-Fiction Books That Make Perfect Summer Reads
Summer reading isn’t just for fiction. These non-fiction gems offer the perfect blend of insight, inspiration, and practical wisdom to complement your manifestation journey. Whether you’re lounging by the pool, nestled in a hammock, or enjoying a quiet moment on your patio, these books will enrich your summer and perhaps even transform your life.
1. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
If you’re committed to creating meaningful change this summer, this is your essential guide. Clear breaks down the science of habit formation into actionable strategies that work. What makes this book perfect for summer is its emphasis on small, sustainable changes rather than overwhelming transformation. You’ll learn how to build the daily practices that turn your summer intentions into lasting reality. The book’s clear structure and engaging examples make it easy to read in short bursts between summer activities.
2. “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron
Summer’s expansive energy is ideal for creative exploration, making this classic creativity guide perfect for the season. Cameron’s twelve-week program of Morning Pages and Artist Dates can transform your relationship with your own creativity. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, this book will help you tap into your authentic self and release creative blocks. Many readers find that working through this book during summer, when life often feels less constrained, leads to breakthrough moments.
3. “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chödrön
This Buddhist nun’s wisdom about embracing uncertainty and finding peace in chaos offers profound comfort and guidance. While it might seem counterintuitive as summer reading, the book’s gentle, contemplative pace pairs beautifully with quiet moments of summer reflection. Chödrön teaches us how to stay present and grounded even when life feels turbulent, skills that serve us regardless of season. Her compassionate voice feels like a wise friend accompanying you through your summer growth.
4. “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert
Gilbert’s love letter to creative living is pure summer joy in book form. She explores how to live a life driven by curiosity rather than fear, making this ideal reading for anyone wanting to infuse their summer with more courage and creativity. The book is structured in short, digestible sections perfect for beach reading or lunch breaks. Gilbert’s warm, conversational tone and personal stories make this feel less like self-help and more like an inspiring conversation with a friend.
5. “The Nature Fix” by Florence Williams
This exploration of how nature improves our health and happiness will send you running outdoors with new appreciation. Williams combines scientific research with personal narrative, revealing why time in nature is so restorative. Reading this during summer when outdoor access is easiest will motivate you to spend more time connecting with the natural world. It’s the perfect book to inspire more hiking, gardening, forest bathing, or simply sitting under trees.
6. “Rest” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
In our productivity-obsessed culture, this book makes a revolutionary argument: rest isn’t the enemy of achievement but its essential partner. Pang draws on scientific research and the lives of accomplished individuals to show how deliberate rest actually enhances creativity and productivity. Summer, with its invitation to slow down, is the perfect time to absorb and implement these ideas. You’ll finish this book with permission to prioritize rest without guilt.
7. “The Joy of Movement” by Kelly McGonigal
McGonigal, a health psychologist, reveals how physical movement is inseparable from joy, meaning, and connection. This isn’t a fitness book demanding you punish your body; instead, it celebrates how movement in any form enhances our lives. Summer’s warm weather naturally invites more activity, making this ideal seasonal reading. You’ll be inspired to dance, swim, walk, or move in whatever way brings you pleasure.
8. “How to Do Nothing” by Jenny Odell
This brilliant critique of the attention economy argues for reclaiming our time, attention, and lives from constant connectivity. Odell’s book is both philosophical and practical, offering a framework for resistance against the demands of productivity culture. Summer is when many of us crave more unstructured time, making this the perfect season to embrace doing nothing as a radical act. Her examples of bioregionalism and deep attention to place will transform how you experience your summer surroundings.
9. “The Comfort Book” by Matt Haig
Haig’s collection of short essays, notes, and reflections offers comfort and perspective on life’s challenges. The book’s structure makes it perfect for dipping in and out of throughout summer, reading one piece at a time. His honest exploration of anxiety, depression, and finding reasons to stay alive resonates deeply while maintaining warmth and hope. Keep this by your bedside for moments when you need gentle encouragement or a shift in perspective.
10. “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This stunning blend of indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and personal narrative explores our relationship with the natural world. Kimmerer, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, writes with such beauty and insight that every page feels like a gift. Summer is the season of growth and abundance, making this the perfect time to absorb her teachings about reciprocity, gratitude, and living in harmony with nature. This book will forever change how you see the plants and landscapes around you.
Bringing It All Together: Your Summer Manifestation Journaling Practice
Manifestation isn’t passive wishing; it’s the combination of clarity, intention, aligned action, and openness to possibility. Your summer journal becomes the container where all these elements come together.
As you work through the prompts and perhaps integrate insights from your summer reading, remember that manifestation works best when paired with action. Notice the opportunities your heightened awareness reveals, and have the courage to act on them.
Track your progress throughout the summer. Celebrate the small wins, the unexpected delights, the moments when synchronicity shows up. When challenges arise, use your journal to process them and realign with your intentions.
Most importantly, give yourself permission to adjust your vision as summer unfolds. Manifestation isn’t about rigidly controlling outcomes; it’s about co-creating with life, staying open to possibilities even better than what you originally imagined.
An Invitation
If this summer journaling journey calls to you, imagine what might be possible if you dedicated extended time to the practice of reading, reflecting, and restoring yourself.
I invite you to consider joining me at the Book Lovers’ Binge Reading Retreat in the sun-blessed southwest of France. This five-day sanctuary is designed for readers and reflective souls who crave uninterrupted time with their books, their thoughts, and themselves.
Picture yourself curled in a comfortable chair with natural light streaming through windows, surrounded by rolling Gascon vineyards, with nothing on your agenda except reading, walking peaceful stretches of the Camino de Santiago, and savoring delicious home-cooked meals. You can journal in the garden, by the fireplace, or in your cozy bedroom in my lovingly restored 200-year-old French farmhouse.
This isn’t a structured workshop with rigid schedules; it’s a gift of spaciousness where you finally have permission to read, rest, and reflect without guilt. Many guests bring their manifestation journals and find that the peaceful environment and supportive community accelerate their personal growth and clarity.
Whether you come solo seeking solitude or wish to connect with fellow book lovers, you’ll find exactly what your soul needs. The retreat operates monthly from March through November, with both five-day and seven-day options available.
Learn more about the Book Lovers’ Reading Retreat
Your Summer Awaits
This summer can be different. This summer can be the one where you stop hoping for a magical season and start creating it, one journal entry at a time.
Your perfect summer is waiting in the pages of your journal, ready to be discovered, articulated, and manifested. The prompts above are your starting point, but the real magic happens in your unique expression of desire, your honest reflection, and your willingness to align your actions with your dreams.
So grab your journal, find a comfortable spot where summer surrounds you, and begin. Your dream season is calling, and it’s time to answer.
My plans for the summer are ambitious. I want to rewrite my Write Your Way to Serenity: A Guided Journaling Retreat Inspired by Horses course. I will be doing that, sitting in a deck chair, soaking up the sun or in the shade of the 200-year-old lime trees next to the house.
What are your plans for the summer?
If you haven’t decided yet, how about responding to a couple of the prompts above?
Wishing you a sun-drenched summer,
Dr. Margaretha Montagu is a eight-time published author, transformational life coach, and host of retreats in the southwest of France. She combines her medical background with expertise in NLP, coaching, and mindfulness to help people create meaningful change in their lives. When she’s not writing or hosting retreats, you’ll find her with her nose in a book or walking the Camino de Santiago.