I’m overwhelmed by bad news and uncertainty. How can I journal with this quote to stay realistic without losing hope?

Try a two-column balance. In your journal (Stoic works well for this), write two headings: 1) Peril and dark places, 2) Fair and still good. Under Peril, list 3 concrete concerns (not predictions). Under Fair, list 3 present goods you can verify today (a safe room, a caring text, a skill you still have). Then add a third mini-section: Small stewardship. Choose one protective action within your control for the next 24 hours (limit doom-scrolling to 10 minutes, donate $5, call a friend, prep a meal). Close with: “Even with peril, I can steward ____ today.” Repeat this a few times a week to train your attention to hold both truth and ballast.

I’m grieving but I don’t want to shut down love. What journaling prompts help me hold both, like the quote suggests?

Use a “Love + Grief dialogue.” On a fresh page, draw two short paragraphs: 1) What Grief needs (permission to feel, rest, boundaries). 2) What Love can still do (tiny kindnesses, remembering, showing up for one person). Keep each to 3 sentences. Add a bridge line: “Love grows greater when I…” and list one reachable act (send one message, visit a place, light a candle, keep a memory alive). End with a body check: note one sensation that says you’re here (warmth in hands, breaths counted). In the Stoic app, you can revisit this prompt on tough days so both parts have a voice.

Work feels risky—potential layoffs and pressure. How do I apply this quote in a quick journaling routine so I don’t spiral?

Use a 5-minute “Peril/Fair/Move” check-in. 1) Peril: name one specific risk at work (keep it factual). 2) Fair: list two current supports or assets (a teammate’s help, your track record, a deliverable you can finish). 3) Move: write one 10–20 minute action that protects your position or prepares you (finish a page, book a 1:1, update resume). Add a closing reframe: “Love mingled with grief today looks like…” and name one respectful act toward yourself or others (clear communication, kind email, lunch break). Use Stoic as your daily space to keep these entries short and steady.

QUOTE

The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

Published on

Mar 15, 2025

Written by

J.R.R. Tolkien

Journal in Stoic

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