Autumn journaling

Autumn brings a new routine for many people, but even if your routine will stay the same, the changing of the season tends to bring a newness that invites reflection. Fall is my favorite season, it brings to mind the sound of crunching leaves underfoot and geese honking overhead, cozy sweaters, warm drinks, the smell of bonfires, and the taste of pumpkin bread. Of course, not all fall memories are sweet; it also brings to mind the dreaded fall allergies, and a few bittersweet feelings about autumns past. Whatever your feelings about fall, it can be a great time to pause and reflect.

I invite you to grab your journal and reflect on the end of summer and the beginning of fall. If it feels helpful, use the journal questions below to start.

Graphic with journal prompts for fall. Green background, black text, black rectangular border. — Share on Pinterest

Journal topics for reflecting on the end of summer

What is your favorite memory from this summer? Why was this a special moment? How did this moment make you feel?
What was the hardest part of your summer? What made this experience so difficult? How did this experience make you feel?
What will you miss about this summer? What will you not miss about this summer?
What song do you most associate with this summer? Why? Does the song bring to mind any certain memories or feelings?
Are there habits or routines that were part of your summer that you want to leave behind this autumn?

Journal questions for the fall equinox

If you had to choose one adjective to describe fall, what would it be? Why do you associate this word with autumn?
What sound do you most associate with fall? Why? When do you first remember making this association? What feelings and memories do you associate with this sound?
When you were a child, what fall activities did you enjoy? When you were a child what autumn activities did you least enjoy? Do these preferences carry over in any ways in your life today? Are there ways you can incorporate the fall activities you enjoyed as a child into your life now?
What is your favorite all time memory of fall? Describe the memory in detail (visual, emotional, scent, sound, etc.).
What movie do you most associate with fall? Why? What feeling does the movie give you?
What positive impacts does the fall season tend to have on your mental health? What negative impacts does the autumn season tend to have on your mental health? Are there ways that you can accentuate the positive impacts and mitigate the negative impacts?
When you were a child, if you celebrated Halloween, what was your favorite Halloween costume? Why did you choose this costume? Are their aspects of this costume choice that still resonate in your personality today?
When you were a child, if you celebrated Halloween at any point, how did you celebrate Halloween? Did how you celebrate Halloween change over the years because you got older, or because of other changes in your life? How did you feel about those changes when you were a child? How did those changes impact you then? How do you feel about those changes now?
What food do you most associate with fall? When did you start to associate this food with autumn? What memories do you have of eating this food in the fall?

Photo of mug of coffee with cinnamon and cinnamon stick next to orange blanket, stack of wood, and fall leaves. — *Photo Edita/stock.adobe.com*

When you were a child, what did you like about going back to school? What did you not like about going back to school? Do any of your childhood back to school feelings tend to resurface in the autumn now? How does this impact your life today?
If you had to choose one image to encapsulate how autumn feels to you, what would the image be? Describe the image in detail. What feeling does the image give you?
What scent do you most associate with fall? Why? When do you first remember making this association? What feelings and memories do you associate with this scent?
What is your favorite thing about fall? Why? When did this start to be your favorite thing about fall?
What book do you most associate with autumn? Why? What feeling does this book give you?
If you celebrated Thanksgiving as a child, what were your Thanksgiving celebrations like? What did you like about Thanksgiving as a child? What did you not like?
Are there activities you do in the fall that you don’t do other times of year? How do these activities influence how you feel about the autumn season?
What song do you most associate with fall? Why? What feeling does the song give you?
What are you most looking forward to this fall?
If any of the autumn journal topics above prompted pleasant feelings, how can you incorporate more of whatever prompted those feelings into the fall season this year?