Tag: Journal

Mid-Year Check-In: Reflect, Reset, and Refocus for the Rest of 2025

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Growth & Expansion, healthy habits, Healthy Lifestyle, Journals, mental-health, Natural Solutions, Notebooks, selfcare, Writing
Reflect, reset, and refocus

Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year?

This is the perfect moment to pause and take a breath. Whether the first half of the year flew by or dragged its feet, a mid-year check-in gives us the opportunity to look back with honesty and look forward with purpose. Think of it as a gentle reset—a moment to stop, reflect, and realign with what matters most.

Here’s how to do a simple mid-year check-in, no complicated systems or planners required.

1. Reflect Without Judgment

Before we dive into making changes, we start by looking back. Grab a notebook, journal, or even the notes app on your phone, and ask yourself:

  • What goals did I set in January?
  • Which ones have I made progress on?
  • What surprised me—good or bad?
  • What habits or routines felt nourishing?
  • Where did I struggle, and why?

You don’t need to have achieved everything (or anything) to benefit from reflection. The point here is awareness. Maybe you pivoted your goals completely—or maybe life threw you a curveball. That’s okay. Growth often looks more like a winding road than a straight line.

2. Celebrate Your Wins—Big and Small

We often rush past our progress without taking time to appreciate it. So let’s pause and celebrate.

Did you start walking more regularly? Did you reconnect with a friend? Did you make it through a tough season? These moments matter. Write them down. Acknowledge what you’ve done well, even if you didn’t reach every goal.

Celebrating the small steps builds momentum for the bigger ones ahead.

3. Check in With Your Energy

How are you really feeling? Burnt out? Motivated? Distracted? Energized?

A mid-year check-in is about more than goals—it’s about your overall well-being. Ask yourself:

  • Am I getting enough rest?
  • Do my days feel rushed or peaceful?
  • What drains me? What fuels me?
  • Do I feel connected—to people, to purpose, to myself?

When you know where your energy is going, it’s easier to protect your time and make choices that serve your whole self.

4. Realign With What Matters Most

Over time, goals shift. What felt important in January might not make sense now—and that’s perfectly normal.

Use this moment to ask:

  • What still feels important?
  • What do I need to let go of?
  • What matters to me now?

Maybe you’re craving more calm and less hustle. Or maybe you want to take more risks and try something new. This is your reset button. Adjust your goals to match your current season—not the one you thought you’d be in six months ago.

5. Reset Your Routine

You don’t need to overhaul your whole life. But sometimes, a few small tweaks can make a big difference.

Here are a few gentle ideas for a fresh start:

  • Add a 10-minute morning routine to start your day with intention.
  • Set a phone-free hour before bed to improve your sleep.
  • Choose one day each week to meal prep, plan, or rest.
  • Revisit your calendar and block time for things that matter to you.

Small changes, repeated often, create big results over time.

6. Create a Short List of Next Steps

Let’s keep it simple. Choose three things you want to focus on between now and the end of the year. These should be meaningful, manageable, and motivating.

Here’s a helpful framework:

  • One personal goal (like walking daily or reading more)
  • One relational goal (like spending time with family or reconnecting with a friend)
  • One professional goal (like updating your resume or learning a new skill)

Write them somewhere visible. These are your compass points for the rest of the year.

7. Offer Yourself Grace

This is your gentle reminder: You’re allowed to change. You’re allowed to grow at your own pace. You’re allowed to rest.

A mid-year check-in isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about showing up with honesty, compassion, and clarity. You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you need to be to take the next right step.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Real

The second half of the year holds so much potential—not because you have to do more, but because you can choose more intentionally. More of what feels right. More of what brings peace. More of what helps you feel like yourself again.

So take a breath, check in, and choose what comes next—with care and courage.

You’ve got this.


📥 Want a printable Mid-Year Check-In Journal Page? Download it here and give yourself space to reflect and refocus for the months ahead.

I Have Cataracts. Now What?

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Journals, Low Vision, Notebooks, Visually Impaired
Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com


Having been recently diagnosed with cataracts, I naturally have some questions. The diagnosis wasn’t a complete surprise. I am “of the age”. Plus I smoked for decades.

**If you smoke, this is another reason to stop asap**

———————

In this article:

What are cataracts?
What causes them?
How to know if you have them.
What you can do about it.
What makes them worse.
What to do as prevention.
———————–

What are cataracts? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a cataract is when your eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy. Proteins in your lens break down and cause things to look blurry, hazy or less colorful. In other words, cataracts are the clouding of the lens of your eye, which is normally clear.

What causes cataracts? Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye’s lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy. Other factors can increase your risk of cataracts, such as genetics, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

How do you know if you have them? An eye doctor can give you a diagnosis. Regular eye exams are recommended, especially when you reach the age of 60. In most cases, that’s when cataracts start developing. However, changes in the lenses of your eyes can start to affect you in your 40s. Reading glasses anyone?

What can you do about them? At first, stronger lighting and eye glasses can help. If impaired vision begins interfering with your usual activities, you may need cataract surgery. Likewise, your eye doctor may recommend it. In the U.S., the average age for cataract surgery is 73.

What makes them worse? Dehydration, alcohol, smoking, and obesity speed up the development of cataracts. Uncontrolled blood sugar or high blood pressure are also contributing factors.

Prevention, please:

Get regular eye exams. They are helpful in early detection.
Quit smoking.
Manage other health problems.
Choose a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruit and veggies.
Wear sunglasses
Reduce alcohol use.

Now we know what cataracts are, what causes them, how to know if you have them. We also know what you can do if you have them, what causes them to get worse, and some preventative practices.

Hopefully, this answers some of your questions, just as it did for me.

Do you know someone with cataracts? Share this post with them. Sharing is caring.

Do you suspect you have cataracts? Tell us in the comments so we know we aren’t alone.
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Being visually impaired or having low vision, doesn’t mean you can’t still journal, write, jot down notes, make lists, etc. As a journal creator with low vision, I have created a book designed just for us. It’s on Amazon. Here’s a link – https://www.amazon.com/Need-Vitamin-Sea-lined-notebook/dp/B09RNFY3GG/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=i+need+vitamin+sea+notebook&qid=1648062359&sr=8-19

Crossing Bridges

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Coloring Books, Gratitude, Growth & Expansion, Journals

Bridges help us cross difficult terrain, sometimes being the only way to get from here to there.

Are there memorable bridges in your life?

Speaking of bridges and crossings, and getting from here to there, I want to introduce you to a new endeavor I recently started. I am creating adult coloring books, journals, and to-do list notebooks. They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/author/suzannehorrocks

This new endeavor feels like crossing a bridge because it is a new avenue, a new path, a new road. Having a bridge connecting my wellness journey, my entrepreneurial journey, and my dream of creating a line of blank books is priceless.

What bridge have you built or crossed that changed your life? (Small changes count too.)



Gratitude – July 20, 2019

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Gratitude

Thank you Goddesses!

Today I am grateful that I am home, in my own home. I’m grateful that I have places to put my things – i.e. bathroom stuff, essential oils on the kitchen window seal, a desk – lots of things to be grateful for.

Thank you Goddess of Abundance! Thank you Goddess of Wisdom! Thank you Goddess of Harmony! Thank you Goddess of Trust and Truth!

Thank you for all of the teachers and their helpers! Thank you for all of the artists! Thank you for the internet and our access to friends across the globe.

Thank you friends and family!

Thank you Charlie! Thank you for liking my cooking and sharing meals.

Thank you Goddess of Abundance for all of my opportunities! Thank you for how far I have come in the last couple of years.

Thank you for changing my mindset, my outlook on life, my view point. Thank you for encouragement and understanding.

Thank you for collaboration over competition.

Thank you healers and helpers. May I be one.

Happy Birthday Pat!!

 

Gratitude – July 19, 2019

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Gratitude

Thank you Goddesses. I am on an amazing learning adventure. You know how I like to learn and you keep giving me new stuff. Thank you!!

Thank you Goddess of Abundance for the abundance of captivating topics. Thank you for all of my blessings too. I have an abundance of those.

Thank you Goddess of Harmony. There is peace in our house and it’s lovely.

Thank you Goddess of Wisdom. Thank you for my age and my wisdom. I may have been just as wise when I was younger, but now it is a more conscious wisdom. It feels more conscious anyway. Deliberate. Thoughtful.

Thank you Goddess of Trust and Truth. Thank you for holding steady and giving me a point to return to when things get fuzzy.

Thank you past lives, past personalities, past experiences. I’m learning that they have indeed helped create the person writing this – I am a creation. It feels funny to write that. It’s one thing to hear someone say “you are a creation.” It’s quite another to believe that I am a creation. How humbling. Thank you!

Thank you for reading this.

Gratitude – July 5, 2019

by Suzanne Horrocks Wellness, posted in Gratitude

Thank you Goddesses. Thank you Goddess of Abundance. Thank you for me having enough. Enough food. Enough space. Enough of everything. I lack for nothing. Thank you Goddess of Abundance!

Thank you Goddess of Wisdom. Thank you for knowing I needed to get back to gratitude journaling. Thank you Goddess of Harmony for peace in my life, in my house, and in my community. Thank you Goddess of Trust and Truth for, well, teaching me to trust in the truth.

Thank you my online community. Thank you for giving me so much to learn! Thank you for opening a whole new world to me.

Thank you friends! Thank you for the joy and the hugs I got last night while walking around in my community.

Thank you cats for counting on me to show up for you every morning with some food. Thank you for holding me accountable and giving me a reason to develop discipline. Thank you chores. Haha, what?? Yes, I feel grateful for my morning chores – feeding the cats and emptying the expelled RO water bucket. <<I will tell you more about that in a blog post. Ritual and routine are very comforting these days.

Thank you for reading this!