Recovering From the Summer Prayer Life Blues

I know that with the end of summer typically comes the end of open schedules.

Days start getting busier, your planner actually starts serving you on a daily basis, school schedules return, extra activities begin, and your days start to see structure again. 

Maybe this summer has been the best for you and your faith life. Maybe you’ve had a ton of time to go through different books of the Bible, to do an online Bible study or two, or to develop a prayer schedule that includes praying the Liturgies of the Hour.

Or maybe, the open time hasn’t transferred to your faith life.

Maybe it’s been harder to get to Mass because you’re not near your usual parish. Maybe your sleep schedule has completely shifted and with that has come the absence of prayer according to the time of day. Maybe summer trips or simply the desire to just take a break have left your prayer life wanting more, and you just don’t know where to start. 

When I was in college, my faith life was awesome. I was going to Mass almost every day (except Saturdays), I was going to social events at my Newman Center, attending the weekly Adoration where the priest also heard confessions. I was in-tune with the Holy Spirit. Feeling the presence of God was easy. I loved it.

And then during the summers, I would go home to another state where my family lived, all of whom were non-Catholic. I was surrounded by people who simply didn’t plan Mass, Adoration, Confession, and prayer into their routine. Talking about how the Holy Spirit is moving in your life has never been a dinner table topic in my family. And being outnumbered, and back at home, I fell away from the schedule that I realized I had worked hard to establish. And that I realized I cared about more than I thought. 

After the first summer of little to no conversation with the Lord, I returned to school spiritually and emotionally parched.

I knew I had been without something that my mind and heart not only wanted but needed. I didn’t even know where to begin. Would I have to start over? This year brought a whole new schedule from last year. I honestly felt like I needed to spend two days straight in the chapel to “fill” myself back up again. It was the worst feeling.

So I met with the priest and I was brutally honest.

And as someone who doesn’t like to admit they could have done a better job at something, it was a humbling experience for me. But the conversation I had was a fruitful one, and one I’ve held onto throughout the rest of my years in school, and life post-college too.

So whether you are navigating a new school schedule, another new season coming up in life post-school, or just want to get back on track, I have faith that these tips can help you, too...

1. Plan your schedule around your local parish offerings of the sacraments.  Use Sundays (or some preferred day of the week) to plan your week, and hold those hours of access to the sacraments right up there with that doctor’s appointment, afternoon class, workout class, etc. They are typically set in stone, and although you could look at that as a stiff-schedule negative, you can actually use it to your advantage too: something reliable, something you CAN schedule in.

2. Use half the gaps in between classes and work for busy work, and half the gaps for prayer/silent time.  If you’re in school, gaps between classes are sometimes the only reason you get homework done or quizzes completed on time. At least, that’s how it was for me. Or, if you’re working or are a parent, the gaps throughout your day can be the only time you get errands or chores accomplished. And so these gaps are definitely precious blocks in your day. One way you can fit in more time with the Lord? Don’t give them all up, just a couple throughout the week.

Use those minutes—because it’s okay if it’s just minutes—to sit in front of the tabernacle or go somewhere quiet to journal or pray. It’s a win-win, you don’t have to give up those important minutes where you get the little things done, and you get to fit in a little time with Jesus. And as we know, He can do a lot with a little.

3. Actually show up to events.  This was always something I put off until the second or third month. My excuse was that I wanted to get settled before adding in anything extra in my schedule. I was advised to throw that caution to the wind. And instead of becoming overwhelmed, I was met with time that was actually fruitful for me because it wasn’t wasted. It was spent meeting people that I considered “my people,” while spiritually and emotionally feeding myself. It also set up super easy meet-n-greets that weren’t forced or awkward. I didn’t have to plan it, I just had to show up!

4. Find one hour in the week for a Holy Hour. This you can do no matter where you are in life. ONE HOUR, sometime in the week. One year, I had to split that into two 30-minute sessions. And each semester (or new phase of life) the hour falls on a different day of the week. Some weeks it changes every week. But it is sometimes all that gets me through the week too.

You will be AMAZED at what time with the Lord will do for you. For your mind, for your heart, for your peace, for your worries. Every saint says to not underestimate the power of time with the Lord. And saints typically know what they are talking about. 

5. Ensure you go to Mass every Sunday, and hold yourself accountable with someone else, so homework isn’t able to take over as an excuse. Sundays are usually homework days, or do-all-I-didn’t-do-yesterday days. The hours are precious. And the overwhelm for the week ahead easily sets in. Sometimes Mass seems like an hour taken away from the tasks you must get done.

But I will say, I’ve never regretted going, no matter how much I had on my do-to list. And I have always regretted not going. But accountability is KEY and it’s as easy as having a friend text you to remind you or someone to actually go with you. Maybe they need accountability too. 

Rebuilding your prayer life is a marathon, not a sprint.

Resetting your schedule, whether that’s on a weekly basis, a semester basis, or a yearly basis, is one of those things where you get out what you put in. It’s like working out. Sure, walking on the treadmill for 15 min doesn’t make you sweat too much, but do you feel the same way after as if you’d run for 20?

For me, there’s a difference. It’s hard to start running, but you get your stride. And you find your pace. And when you get to stop and move on to the next item on your agenda, you feel really good about the work you put in. It takes work to get your heart pumping, but then your heart is pumping and you can keep going for much longer than you ever thought possible.

The same goes for your faith life. It takes work and planning, but no one (that I’ve talked to) has ever expressed regret.