How I Found A Meditation Practice That Works For Me

Katerina Jerabkova

We could probably set a record for how many times we’ve heard about the benefits of meditation.

I don’t know about you, but I could probably set a higher record for the amount of times I’ve tried creating a meditation practice and quit it.

Meditation is not as easy as sitting there with your eyes closed quietly. I’ve found it does not come naturally to the busy bee or the impatient.

I’ve tried doing 5 minute meditations on my own.

I’ve tried using the Calm or Headspace apps and they got me a little further along.

During my yoga teacher training, I tried sitting in different postures and using different props to see if calming my body would calm my mind. That got me a little closer too.

But I just couldn’t get a meditation practice to stick.

It wasn’t until I did my reiki training that I was getting somewhere.

Reiki is a Japanese healing method that consists of a transfer of universal energy. A reiki practitioner will place their palms on or above a client and transfer the universal energy with the goal of getting the client’s cells to vibrate at a higher frequency. When your cells vibrate at a higher frequency, a person can become less susceptible to illness, disease, depression, etc.

This was a training I did during my yoga teacher training as reiki is a method some yoga teachers use during their classes. I was intrigued by the practice.

The way I describe it to people who have never heard of reiki is that it is like getting a hug from someone you love and that loving energy being transferred to you. A reiki practitioner or master doesn’t have any more magical power than anyone else, but is trained to transfer the energy in an intentional way.

So I started doing reiki on myself. I would sit straight and tall, and place 1 hand on my heart and 1 heart on my belly, breathe deeply into my hands, and I would send the universal energy to myself.

I’ll admit I was skeptical about reiki at first, but I found my mind starting to quiet for the first time.

I was amazed.

I thought why was reiki working for me, but meditation wasn’t? Are meditation and reiki the same?

It depends on how you look at it. Some would say they’re the same and some would say there are a world of differences, and I’m not here to debate the contrast.

I’ve learned that it isn’t about saying you’re doing meditation or saying you’re doing reiki, but it’s about finding something that works for you.

I wanted to quiet my mind and I found a way to do it.

I think we get tripped up about doing a method, like meditation, “correctly.”

It isn’t about what you’re doing, but the intent behind it. Both meditation and reiki are ways to help my body, mind, soul, increase the vibrations in my body, and create stillness.

One of my favorite authors, Brene Brown, shares her definition of stillness in her book The Gifts of Imperfection. Maybe it resonates with you too.

“Stillness is not about focusing on nothingness, it’s about creating a clearing. It’s opening up an emotionally clutter-free space and allowing ourselves to feel and think and dream and question.”

For more information on reiki, I recommend checking out this website or this book. Both resources were created by my reiki master, Cortney Martinelli.

The Habit Tracker That Keeps Me Consistent

The reason I stay on social media is for connection and inspiration, and I found that at the beginning of 2021.

My Instagram friend @MaryBrickerYoga (I did eventually meet her in person) had posted a tracker she was using to hold herself accountable for showing up to yoga in 2021.

I connected with her and told her how much I loved the tracker. She inspired me to expand more on it.

I created a tracker titled “Show Up For Your Body 2021” with 365 boxes on it . Each day, I challenged myself to do some form of movement for at least 30 minutes.

That could be a walk, hot yoga, vinyasa yoga, lifting, stretching, kayaking, etc. Each type of movement I assigned a color. At the end of each day, I colored a box with the color/movement I did that day.

Some days had multiple colors with yellow for my lunchtime walk and purple for my after-work lift. Eventually I added a color to the tracker that was designated for “trying something new” to allow myself to stray from the usual course.

As a go-getter, busy-bee, and perfectionist, this tracker has been a game changer for me and living the life I want.

Challenged me to show up

This tracker gave me a reason and a reminder to show up every day. It was the accountability partner I needed to make movement a priority.

Gave me options on how to show up

This tracker gave me permission to choose what movement felt good that day. It also challenged me to diversify my movements from day to day and do the cross-training that your body needs.

Helped me be graceful with myself

On the days where I just couldn’t get movement in, I left the box white and that was ok. It didn’t mean I couldn’t make it colorful the next day. After all, sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is create a little bit of white space.

Visually appealing & could hang up as a reminder

As the year went on, I loved seeing all the colors on the tracker come together. Might sound crazy, but I feel like I started creating art out of my life experiences. I hung it up in my home as an inspiration to add some more color to it and my life.

Did it with others so I knew I wasn’t in this alone

At the end of each month, I would post my progress to my Instagram story and Mary, along with some others, would post as well and tag each other. It felt like you weren’t showing up alone. Everyone’s tracker looked a little different, but we were all trying to show up for ourselves.

As 2021 comes to an end, I decided to create a tracker to use in 2022 and I’m sharing it with you all.

You don’t have to use it for accountability with your workouts, but really any habit or growth you want to focus on in the coming year. Could be showing up to journal, your morning routine, or focusing on the growth of your business.

2022 (and every year) is about showing up and this can be a resource to help you stay on track!

Get the tracker here and let me know when you start using it!

Why Your Hard Work Will Never Go To Waste

Conor Samuel

I was talking to someone the other day who had gotten their 200-hour yoga teacher certification.

Even though she had completed her certification a while ago, she wasn’t currently teaching.

She expressed how because she spent all this time and money on the certification, she felt the pressure to be doing something with it.

I could relate.

I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher certification earlier this year and I’m not teaching a regular class, but I feel the pressure to.

I convince myself sometimes that if I’m not doing anything with it right now, then all the time, money, and energy I spent was a waste.

I’ve heard people say that about the college degrees they get. They get their degree in music and end up doing something in the food industry, or they get a biology degree and end up doing something in business.

All the work can feel like a waste.

But it NEVER is.

I try not to use the word “never” or “always” in my writing, but this time I mean it.

Your hard work, time, and energy is NEVER a waste and here’s why.

Let’s take what I just said: I try not to use the word “never” or “always” in my writing.

Do you know how I adopted that “principle” into my writing? My yoga teacher training.

In my training, we learned to use words and phrases like “maybe or sometimes,” “shift or rearrange,” and “there is no right way to do it, find your way to do it” when we teach.

It can give the students taking the class permission to remove the way they think the practice is supposed to look and make it their own.

This approach is something I was able to take in my writing. I want people who are reading to know that they can change their minds and to find what works for them in this season of life when it comes to their wellness.

I also learned from yoga teacher training that I wanted to invest in more experiences like it. I want to have more experiences that allow me to dive deeper into something I already have a lot of passion for and connect with like-minded people.

So although I’m not teaching yoga right now, the training I got is definitely not going to waste.

The things you learn from one experience can be taken to your next endeavor, whatever that may look like.

Feeling like something is a waste also comes up when people talk about experiences or relationships that have come and then gone. If the experience or relationship has ended, it can feel like a waste of time or energy.

I like to think that if you loved something enough at that time in your life, whether that was a job,  a hobby, a friendship, or a person you were in a relationship with, then it was worth the time and energy.

It is a blessing to find something or someone that you love.

I think we yearn for that feeling our entire lives. If we have it and then we don’t, we don’t know what to do.

I’ve learned to be thankful that we got the chance to love at all and know that you will find something or someone to love again.

When there is learning and loving, nothing is a waste of time.

How the Pandemic Changed My Beauty Routine

Amy Shamblen

In high school, I was like a lot of teenage girls that spent a good amount of the morning straightening their hair and putting on a full face of makeup.

In college, I did a similar routine, but maybe my hair pulled back if it had been a late night the night before. But I had to keep in mind that if I was wearing my sorority letters to class, I needed to make sure I looked somewhat presentable (or at least that is what I came to believe).

In my first job out of school, I would do full hair and makeup every day as I wanted to do everything to look professional as I felt I was already being looked at as the kid that just got out of college.

When the pandemic hit and work became work from home, I found myself spending less time on my hair and makeup.

I wasn’t really going anywhere and I didn’t need to be on camera for meetings for very long.

I went from doing a full face of makeup every day to “maybe I’ll ditch the eyeliner as it feels like a lot for not leaving the house.”

Then I started into “maybe I’ll wear my hair natural today.”

Now almost 2 years into working from home, there are some days I won’t do any hair or makeup. Maybe run a brush through the hair and a touch of face cream.

My hair is frizzy. My hormonal zits are visible. The natural red tint of my face can be seen.

Not doing my hair or makeup could come off as lazy. It could come off as unprofessional. Maybe there are some meetings I should make sure I really put myself together. Most of us are sitting there in the meeting in our sweats you have to remember.

But I realized that the pandemic and working from home gave me this opportunity to see what I look like in the mirror. Not with perfectly done hair and makeup, but see my actual self.

I technically always had this opportunity as no one was forcing me to do my hair and makeup, but I just never really took it.

For so long, I wouldn’t leave the house or let a soul see me without full makeup and hair done.

It was my default to get up and do the whole “beauty routine”. I didn’t see myself as beautiful without it.

I can’t help but ask myself why this was my default option.

Did I spend time on my makeup or hair because I wanted to?

Did I do it so I could be “presentable” to others?

Did I do it because that is what I’ve always thought I was supposed to do in order to look good?

As the pandemic and work from home continued even longer than we expected it to, I found myself not wearing makeup more than I was wearing it.

My default option was shifting.

I think there was some self-inflicted and external pressure that felt released. I was accepting myself without all of that for the first time.

I realized that I can feel confident and beautiful with and without the makeup and hair.

It really came down to what makes me feel good that day. 

On the days I have a really bad zit, sometimes I’ll put makeup on and sometimes I won’t.

When I have a big meeting where I need to be present to leadership at work, I’ll take more time getting my hair and makeup together.

The mornings I would rather spend my time on something else other than straightening my hair, I’ll leave my hair natural.

Or the nights I’m going out with friends, it is fun to get all dolled up.

The wall has come down for me when it comes to beauty and I’m finally seeing myself in the mirror. My default setting has changed and my confidence can come from both doing and not doing my makeup and hair.

If you look good you feel good, whatever that may mean that day.

It makes me wonder if I would ever have gotten to this point of acceptance with myself if it weren’t for the pandemic. I guess a good thing came out of a bad thing.

How I’m Using My Morning Muscle

Ellieelien

I moved into a new apartment recently.

That first morning waking up, I felt lost for a moment on what to do first in my new space and overwhelmed by how many boxes I needed to still unpack around me.

The stacks of boxes in my bedroom kind of looked like my life at the moment.

Problems I needed to address and things I needed to do piled up on each other. Then I went into the living room and there were boxes there too. There wasn’t any escaping it.

But waking up with this feeling of being lost or overwhelmed was familiar to me.

I’ve trained myself for these types of mornings because they happen more often than one would like and life is hard.

So I picked myself out of bed, tried to not trip over boxes as I made my way to the living room, sat down at the window and journaled.

I was going to choose how this day was going to start.

Despite all the boxes around me, I knew it was going to take doing just 1 good thing in the morning to set me up for other good things in the day.

My favorite Youtube trainer Sydney Cummings calls this the ripple effect. She says that a workout can be the drop in the water that makes the ripple effect of good choices for the rest of the day.

For me, that drop in the water is journaling and maybe for you it is something else.

I think it is about choosing to do something for yourself first thing in the morning that makes life feel manageable and reminds you that you’re capable of taking on this day.

It could be a walk, meditation, yoga, writing, or sitting with your coffee in silence for 10 minutes as you look at the window.

It all starts in the morning. Some would argue it starts the night before by making the choice as to how you’re going to start the next day.

You choose just 1 thing to do in the morning that is going to uplift you, and a lot of other things will fall into place.

I like to think about journaling as my “morning muscle” to get me through the day. I can train it, flex it, it can make me stronger, and give me energy.

The most important choice I make every day is what is going to be my morning muscle and how it is going to set the precedent for the rest of my day.

Trust me I’m going to need to flex that morning muscle so I can feel capable of getting all these boxes unpacked.

What is your morning muscle?

Why I Haven’t Gone Vegan

Tangerine Newt

I recently watched the documentary The Game Changers on Netflix.

It is about how switching to a plant-based diet significantly increased athletes’ performance. They interviewed cyclists, runners, ultimate fighters, weight-lifters, football players, and many more, both men and women.

The film also talked about the benefits athletes and non-athletes could get from eating plant-based foods like thinner blood to reduce blood clots, feeling better, having more energy, etc.

They used the term “plant-based'' throughout the entire film, and I wondered why they didn’t just say vegan. 

After some research, I found out a plant-based diet is eating mostly food that comes from plants, whereas a vegan is someone who strictly does not eat any animal products. It was a testament that you can learn new things from watching Netflix. And if you haven’t watched the documentary, I highly recommend it.

As someone who is curious about wellness and experiments with different methods to improve my life, switching to vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diets are things I haven’t tried.

I’ve kind of beaten myself up for not trying a different diet to be honest, and watching this film convinced me even more that it is something I should be doing since there are so many health benefits.

I feel this pressure. I feel this pressure to do anything and everything to improve my overall health because this is something I care about.

But there is pressure to do a lot of things.

Do the right exercise, eat the right thing, do the best skincare routine, drink enough water, take these supplements, do this therapy, meditate, journal, and the list goes on and on.

It can feel like if I’m not doing everything, then I’m doing nothing.

Of course that is not true, but the self-inflicted pressure tells me so, and not to mention social media or businesses that market their products.

Maybe the pressure is even made up in our heads.

I remember during my yoga teacher training, we were having a potluck and everyone was saying what they would be bringing. A lot of people were bringing vegan this, gluten free that, and zero-sugar dessert.

I started to worry that I did not fit in with this group and never would because I didn’t follow any of these things.

When we got to the potluck, we came to find out that maybe 1 person in the room was vegan.

People started speaking up and said they just assumed since we were operating in this yoga world, that everyone ate these diets. We were succumbing to the stereotype that being interested in yoga also means that you’re vegan, even though many of us didn’t fit that mold.

This showed me that even yogis, who I, and maybe some of you do too, view as some of the healthiest people, aren’t doing every single healthy thing.

Watching this film and having these experiences has made me think about that with all the health and lifestyle changes I’ve made in my life, why hasn’t going vegan made it into the mix?

I think there are 3 reasons.

I need a strong interest that stands out amongst the noise.

I make time to workout because it is something that makes me feel really good and strong.

I make time to journal in the morning because it starts my day with a good mindset.

I’m also thinking about the amount of sleep I’m getting, how much water I’m drinking, balancing my stress level, along with many other things

Going vegan is not something that has risen above my other interests at this time.

Doesn’t mean I don’t care about my health, but I try to remember I’m contributing to it in other ways.

Also doesn’t mean veganism could never be a way.

It takes the time and energy to understand what veganism looks like for me, the willingness to try it, and see the effects it has.

I integrated working out and journaling into my life by taking very small steps. 

If going vegan is something I became really interested in, I could take the small steps to make it happen.

We are also trying to take care of our mental health here people, and if we don’t have the mental capacity to take on lifestyle changes at this time, then are they truly making us healthier?

I need the perspective of abundance and not restriction.

For a long time I’ve viewed having a certain diet as restricting myself from certain foods.

In my experience, having a restriction mindset over an abundance mindset has not driven me to make certain health and lifestyle changes.

“Don’t eat sugar” has not helped me not eat sugar.

“Don’t be on your phone so much” has not helped me not be on my phone.

Those mindsets may have lasted for a day, but they weren’t sustainable.

The times I saw actual change were when I saw what the health or lifestyle choice could do for me, and not what it was keeping me from.

When it comes to going vegan, I would need the perspective that “I get to eat foods that are really going to help my body” instead of “I have to restrict myself from eating all these other foods.”

I need an environment that supports the lifestyle (or the ability to overcome the environment).

When I was watching this documentary, I continually wondered how people who eat a plant-based diet balance the aspect of social eating?

This is probably one of the biggest reasons I haven’t switched to a diet other than the one that I’m on. I am a social eater that wants to eat what is served at social events.

I know that there are now plenty of vegetarian and vegan options out there at restaurants and grocery stores.

However, currently no one I spend time with is vegetarian or vegan, so I’m concerned I would be a burden to them if I am. Although, that could be something I’ve convinced myself of and could not be true.

I think about that with dating too. Can you date someone that had a different diet than you? Some people could, some probably could not.

This is when your “why” of doing things truly gets tested. When you’re in an environment that is the opposite of the lifestyle you’re trying to live.

Although I know it is possible to make changes and sustain change on your own, it convinces me that being in an environment that supports your lifestyle would make you much more likely to sustain it.

So will I ever try being vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based? Maybe someday. There are other health and lifestyle choices I have more of an interest in at this time.

I like to think that if I’m doing what I can to stay healthy, then that is better than doing nothing at all.

There is always going to be the “next healthy thing” to do, but I think staying open to taking the small, manageable steps to being healthy can make a big difference.

Is there an aspect of health you’ve felt pressure to integrate into your life? Let me know in the comments.

Does Work Affect Your Mental Health or Does Your Mental Health Affect Your Work?

Liz Fosslien

The other day I got into a dilemma.

Someone at work messaged me if I could meet at 4pm tomorrow to discuss a project with some upper-level leadership.

I looked at my calendar and saw I had a virtual therapy session scheduled at that time.

I was torn. I knew I really needed this therapy session due to some personal and work things going on, and appointments aren’t the easiest to come by.

I also knew that we did need to have this meeting soon and I’m not necessarily one to say no to upper-level management. Work, however, does have a protocol to only have meetings between the hours of 9am-4pm, and only have meetings after hours if it is absolutely necessary.

So I asked myself, is this considered “necessary?”

It was a true test of boundaries and work/life balance.

It made me start to consider, is work or mental health more important here? Does work affect our mental health or does our mental health affect our work?

What should we be taking care of first? Maybe it is a “chicken or the egg come first” situation where you could argue both.

There have been times where work has been so frustrating or demanding, and has required early mornings or later hours where it does affect my mental health. And I know I am not alone in that.

When I talk to some of my friends, I am thankful for my situation because they’re working very late nights, weekends, and sometimes on their paid time off. Many of them say a requirement for the next job they get is to have something with more work/life balance.

On the other side of the coin, there have been times where my mental health is not in a good place where I can’t bring myself to be present at work and put in the level of effort and attention that is required for it. I know I am not alone in this too.

Especially with work from home, our personal and professional lives are tied together more than ever. Lack of sleep, family obligations, the covid uncertainty, and overall mental health issues that many people are experiencing can affect our work.

So what should truly come first, work or our mental health?

I think you can be devoted to both and have a balance, but it requires setting some boundaries, which is not always easy. Maybe it also requires caring less about work. Sounds crazy, but stay with me.

In Liz Fosslien and Molly Duffy West’s book, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, they have a whole chapter on caring less about work.

One excerpt says:

“‘Be less passionate about your job’ doesn’t mean ‘stop caring about work.’ It means care more about yourself. It means carve out time for the people you love, for exercise, and for a guilt-free vacation. It means remind yourself that few people look back at their lives and wish they stayed at the office until 10:00PM.”

I’m someone who has trouble not caring, but much of their book shows you it is possible to be committed to your work, but not sell your soul to it, and still succeed.

Liz Fosslien also has these wonderful and witty illustrations in the book, so if you’re going to read it, I recommend getting the actual book instead of listening to the audio version.

So what did I end up doing with this dilemma I was presented with?

I was transparent with the meeting organizer that I would not be able to attend the meeting because I had a therapy session during that time and appointments are hard to come by. I told her that I will see if I can get it moved to another time and let her know if I would be able to attend the meeting.

I was kind of nervous to say this. I wonder if I would have been as transparent about it if I didn’t have a relationship with the meeting organizer or knew her to be an understanding person. I know at the beginning of my career I would not have shared this.

She came back to say she totally understood and to keep her updated.

A few hours later, I found out from my therapist that something opened up at a different time, so I was able to go to both my therapy session and the meeting that day.

Now things ended up working out for me this time, but I know it is not going to work out like that every time and sometimes I’m going to have to choose between work and mental health.

It makes me think though that whatever action we take now will set the precedent for what others will expect from us in the future.

If we say we will cancel our therapy session to attend the after hours meeting, then others will expect you to do that in the future.

If we respond to emails and chat messages late at night, then others will expect that from you in the future, and maybe even new team members or people that report to you will think that that is the expectation.

If we take care of our mental health so much that it fuels us to go above and beyond in our jobs, then others will expect that from you and build trust in you.

So what comes first for you? Mental health or work? Maybe it depends on what is going on for you personally vs. professionally, or how your company is approaching things.

Let me know in the comments or send me an email how you or your employer is balancing this.

You can get wellness resources like this in your inbox every week! Drop your email here!

The 1 Thing I Want You to Know About Journaling

Toa Heftiba

I’m coming up on 4 years of journaling this month.

I can’t decide if it feels like I just started or if it has been forever since I picked up my first journal at TJMaxx and started writing.

To note (because I get asked this a lot), I didn’t just pick up my journal 4 years ago and start writing every single day since. It took some time to figure out how I was going to use my journal and when it served me best.

Come to find out, it was something I could benefit from doing every day and I’m getting close to journaling every day for the past 2 years.

I like to journal in the morning so it's been a lot of early mornings of showing up to write, check in with myself, and process what was going on in life.

My journals have seen a lot over the past 4 years.

A college graduation, breakups, 3 moves, the first 3 years of my supply chain career, starting a podcast & eventually a blog, many travels, the loss of family members & pets, a yoga teacher certification, a global pandemic and so much more packed into 11 journals over the past 4 years.

I wanted to write something in honor of this milestone. So I asked myself, “what is the 1 thing you want people to know about journaling?”

I’ve created a lot of resources around journaling in the past couple of years to help people start their own journaling practices. You can find a lot of these on my website.

While a lot of those resources are helpful, the one thing I want you to know is that journaling can be the home that you take anywhere. Home is wherever my journal is.

For all the things that change in life, it’s the place to come back to. I don’t think it is a location or attachment to a material thing, but more of coming back to yourself.

Even the mornings where life felt really hard and I was so anxious or depressed, journaling made life feel just a little more manageable.

And maybe that is what we are all looking for. 

We aren’t looking for everything to be better or perfect, we just want to know that it is going to be manageable. That we are strong enough, capable enough, and maybe even sane enough to take on the day.

It is a place where we can first express our ideas, hopes, dreams, fears, frustrations, and maybe even the things we aren’t willing to say out loud.

It is a practice that can make you feel heard and seen, even if it is just being heard and seen by yourself. Listening and paying attention to what is really on your heart.

Have you tried a journaling practice? If so, what is your 1 take away from it? Let me know in the comments or send me an email.

My Favorite Breakfast That Gives Me Energy

I’m not the biggest breakfast person, but I’ve learned that what I eat for breakfast (or if I eat breakfast at all) determines how the rest of my morning goes.

I’ve gone through phases where I’ve only had coffee, or I’ve had a coffee and a smoothie every morning. Both kind of left me hungry or didn’t give me energy.

So, I tried oatmeal. I always thought oatmeal was boring, but I messed around with different things I liked and found something I loved.

I’m not a nutritionist or dietitian so there may be ways to make oatmeal that are healthier, but here is my favorite morning oatmeal recipe:

½ cup of Oatmeal, 1 cup of water, heated in microwave for 1.5 minutes

1 scoop of Jif crunchy peanut butter

1 banana, cut into slices

1 handful of raspberries & blueberries

1 dash of cinnamon

—

Is there a breakfast you love that gives you energy? Tell me in the comments.

3 Statements That Stuck with Me After 1 Year of Therapy

NordWood Themes

A year ago, I only told a few trusted people that I had started therapy.

It probably wasn’t until a few months ago that I started writing my therapy appointments on my kitchen calendar. Before, I didn’t want anyone who came into my home to know I was going.

But here I am 1 year into going to therapy and I’m talking to you about it today. Small steps people.

I think these small steps happened because I saw how much of an impact it was making on me over time. It wasn’t something to hide or be ashamed of. It became such a resource for my mental health and I feel so thankful to have found it and had access to it. And accessibility to therapy is something I really want to dive into in a future post.

I wanted to share 3 statements that have stuck with me after 1 year of therapy with the hopes that maybe they could stick with you too.

Can you live with that?

I’ve struggled a lot with wondering if I’m doing the right thing and trusting myself to make decisions.

Something that has helped me live my life with more acceptance and less judgement is asking myself if I can live with a fact or situation.

Whether it’s an aspect of a job, relationship, or home, there are things that we can live with and things we can not. 

Different people can live with or tolerate different things, and doing things differently doesn’t always mean you’re doing it wrong.

Some people can move away from their family so they can pursue their career and some cannot.

Some people can date someone that has a different religion as them and some cannot.

Some people can live with their parents after college and some cannot.

I’ve learned that what you’re doing is not right or wrong, but it is about whether you can live with the fact. And specifically if you can live with it, not someone else. 

Does it matter if people get it?

I’ve used this one when I’ve struggled with caring about what people think. I wish I didn’t care about what people think, but I do and I’m intentionally working on it constantly.

Sometimes I catch myself justifying my decisions to other people so they get it. I want people to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing so that I don’t come off as unintelligent or naive. 

But is everyone in the world going to “get it” or agree with your decision? No.

I’ve learned that is because we come from different experiences and we’ve developed different belief systems based on those experiences.

If not everyone is going to get it, do I need to spend my time explaining myself? Does it matter if certain people get it? Maybe or maybe not.

Each person is going to take what they want from what you’re saying, interpret it themselves, and leave out the rest. This may leave them with a positive outlook or a negative outlook on what you’re saying, but why assume the worst when you could be talking to someone that is in your corner cheering you on?

What makes you better keeps you better.

There have been a couple of times throughout my 1st year of therapy where I’ve considered no longer going because things were getting better or were better.

But just about the time I thought that, I found myself texting my therapist asking if she had an open appointment tomorrow so we could talk through something.

I explained this scenario to her and she said “what makes you better keeps you better.”

It reminded me of the importance of consistency when taking care of yourself. I don’t think it has to be therapy. I think it could be the consistency of working out or eating well or journaling. If it is making us better now, it is likely it will make us better going forward.

Do you have any statements that have stuck with you from going to therapy or talking to a trusted person in your life? Let me hear them in the comments.

What is Helping Me Drink in Moderation

Kelly Sikkema

Right now, we are in the middle of football tailgating season and I love a good tailgate.

I also love a good brewery, holiday get-together, wedding, or meet-up with old friends.

All these fun things usually involve more than the average amount of drinking, or least for me it does. Having some drinks is a social norm for a lot of people I spend time with and environments I’m in.

But then there is the day after a large amount of drinking. My stomach hurts, my head hurts, and most of all, I get anxious. Anxious to the point where my physical feeling matches my mental feeling in terms of how much it hurts.

When I was in college, I kind of just dealt with the anxiety over and over because it felt like such a way of life. I've found now in my adult life that that endless cycle is unsustainable and doesn't contribute to what I'm trying to accomplish in life.

Some would say just cut out drinking entirely and I have thought about it.

However, I really do enjoy a beer at a brewery in any city that I'm visiting. In college, I did a brewery tour for college credit to get educated in the beer process and supply chain of it, and I’ve now been to close to 90 breweries. There is more to beer than just drinking it to me.

I love going to my parents’ house and having a pre-dinner cocktail with my mom like it is a ritual that I'm home.

I love rolling up to a Penn State football tailgate and being the bartender for everyone.

I think there is a way to still participate in the drinking at these events but drink in moderation. As always, there is a balance to everything.

I don’t always get it perfect, and my family and friends know I’ve had my share of rough nights. However, I want to share some tactics I’ve been using recently to help me drink in moderation, have fun, and not end up with a headache or anxiety the next day.

Ordering a water anytime I order a drink.

If I’m at a bar or restaurant, anytime I order a drink, I try to also order water. This has made drinking water more accessible and more likely for me to consume it.

I’m the girl at the bar that tells herself that the next thing I’ll order is water and gets peer pressured into ordering another drink instead. Or I’ll be sitting there empty-handed, and I feel like I need to order another drink just because it feels weird to be standing there with no cup in my hand.

By ordering a water each time I order a drink, I’ve made it easier for myself to stay hydrated, not default to just drinking more alcohol every time I finish a drink, and not have anyone saying I’m “lame” for only ordering a water the next time I go up to the bar (which is not lame by the way and is you just taking care of yourself).

Putting a non-alcoholic drink in a glass cup.

Sometimes after a long day at work, I want to sit on the couch and have a drink. I will let myself have one during the work week occasionally, but I know drinking doesn’t help me sleep and doesn’t get me re-charged for the next day.

Something I’ve found that holds me over and tricks my brain into thinking I’m having a drink is putting a non-alcoholic drink in a wine or cocktail glass. It makes me feel fancy without the headache.

I especially like putting fizzy or carbonated drinks in my glass like sparkling water, or my personal favorite, Bai Bubbles (which is rarely available to me at my local grocery store so if you see this somewhere at a reasonable price please help a girl out). Friends and family have also recently introduced me to Zevia and Fresca. 

Bringing non-alcoholic drinks that aren't water that I enjoy.

If I’m going to a tailgate or some type of house party, sometimes I will bring myself pop, sparkling water, or Gatorade to have between drinks or when I really don’t want any more alcohol.

Sometimes water between drinks feels boring and I want something with flavor, but I don’t want any more alcohol.

Having something non-alcoholic available that I enjoy helps me not default to drinking alcohol I really don’t need to have.

Is there anything you do that helps you drink in moderation? Tell me in the comments below.

Does Where You Workout Matter?

Yulissa Tagle

Before Covid, I went to the gym or yoga studio almost everyday.

When we went into lockdown, I had to figure out how to workout or do yoga from home.

When the lockdown lifted, I was probably one of the first people to get to the gym despite the extra protocols you had to follow while there. However, I continued to do about half my workouts at home out of pure laziness of not wanting to take that extra step to leave the house.

Working out from home just became so accessible all of a sudden, something I'm super thankful for and maybe something the world needed.

There were a lot of at-home options that I loved.

I found my favorite Youtube workouts. I recommend Sydney Cummings for challenging dumbbell workouts or The Studio by Jaime Kinkeade for a great dance workout.

I found my favorite Youtube yoga teachers. My favorite has been Yoga with Kassandra, especially her yin classes.

I also got to support my local yoga studios and teachers by doing their online zoom classes. I found this to be a great option for before work or during the lunch breaks when you just can't quite make it to the actual studio.

For the last year and a half, I've been on this hybrid workout schedule.

However, I've felt this need lately to start making more of my workouts happen outside my home. 

Like I said, I love the option of working out at-home, but there is something about getting to the gym or doing a group class with other people.

There is this extra motivation that hits me. There is a feeling of belonging, and not isolation. There is this feeling that I'm not the only one pushing through this really hard workout (or any other hard life thing).

Motivation and belonging are things I lost during covid and I want to get them back.

I think working from home, resting at home, and doing just about everything else at home made getting into the workout mindset not easy as well.

It is something about place identity and my body and brain doesn't like doing my workout in the same space I do my work all day or rest at night.

So I’m in the process of doing some "gym shopping" and trying to get to the yoga studio more. I've already had some better workouts and met some new people.

While me going to the gym or yoga studio may require extra time, effort, and money, maybe doing something that contributes to my health and happiness is exactly what I should be spending my energy on.

I want to challenge myself to get out of the house more for workouts as I think it is something that will improve my overall mental and physical well-being. However, everything is a balance and there are days where working out at home is going to serve me more.

Ultimately, I'm very thankful for the multiple options out there to move my body in whatever phase, feeling, or season I am in.

What do you prefer right now, gym workouts, at-home workouts, or a mix? Tell me in the comments below.

My Reflections on 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training

I had heard yoga teacher training (YTT) will change your life.

Even though I heard how great it would be, I was open-minded going into the experience.

I think that is how I got as much out of it as I did.

They say you should wait and let the dust settle before sitting down and writing out your experience. I'm glad I did.

I'm glad I waited because I'm seeing the effects that the training had on me more today than I did when it actually ended.

There is a lot that is different about me than when I first started the training. The biggest change has been doing things with a softer heart and a more focused mind.

Not being so quick to respond, leading with hope instead of fear, trusting myself more to make decisions, and embracing the people in my life are a few examples.

I knew I wanted to write about this experience to help me process it. However, I didn’t want to just process this experience. I wanted to celebrate this chapter. I wanted to honor this chapter of life.

Every trainee has their own story. This is mine.

May 2020

I was living at my parents’ house in Columbus for 7 weeks. My parents were unemployed, my sisters were home from college, and I was doing my corporate job from my childhood desk.

I don't have to tell you that we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for my future self, that was the time period.

Not a situation I expected to be in.

I found myself landing on my yoga mat day after day. It gave me certainty, stability, and support when I needed it most.

I had been doing yoga for a little over a year, but this time made me truly fall in love with the practice.

This is when I first considered teaching.

June 2020

I was back living at my apartment in Copley and I started researching where I wanted to do my training. I didn't really have a home yoga studio at this point, so I was open to options.

I looked and practiced at a few studios in the Akron area. I landed on doing my training at Yoga Squared.

The schedule and price fit my life, and there was a strong sense of community where I felt like I could truly grow.

I signed up to start in October.

October 2020

I start my training and I already knew I was on to something.

I loved the connection of the body and the mind. It felt like I was here to celebrate that.

For a while now, I'd considered myself a self-healer. I take it upon myself to work through hard things and find creative ways to move forward.

During the second week of training, I realized that there were past traumas I'd been trying to heal for a long time that I hadn't been able to heal on my own.

I knew in this training I would learn a lot about myself and that it may be emotional, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

I ended up finding a therapist the very next week to help me work through some of my traumas. It has been 6 months since I started seeing her. She is a new type of support I hadn't considered before and am thankful to have found her.

Whether YTT intended to teach me or not, I learned that healing happens in all shapes and forms, and you don't have to do it alone.

It can be through journaling, talking to a supportive family member, going to a yoga class, taking a walk, or talking to a therapist.

As a yoga teacher, I was learning to guide people in their healing, whatever that may look like.

November 2020

COVID got really bad. Everyone knew someone who had it. Some of my family members got it. There was a time I was exposed, but had tested negative.

The only two places I could be found was at home or the yoga studio. Training became such a bright light during a dark time. Even though we had to take the precautions of masks and social distancing, being together in a room with people was a powerful thing.

I will say that my YTT experience would have been very different if it wasn't during COVID. There were no social events going on, I was working from home, and the world felt like it was in turmoil.

YTT was a space to work through it together. We weren't only there to learn to teach yoga and support people in healing, but we were able to connect with others when everyone felt alone. I will never forget those moments of leaning on my fellow trainees.

Later in the month, my mom asked if we could start practicing yoga together over zoom. I could practice my teaching, she could develop her yoga, and we could have a standing mother/daughter meeting each week.

It’s been 6 months of practicing together after work on Monday evenings and I love getting to do it.

December 2020

I started asking where I fit within the yoga community. What clothes do yoga teachers wear? What food do yoga teachers eat? Does a teacher wear brand name clothes or shy away from them? Are all yoga teachers vegan?

These are the questions I asked myself as I tried to figure out where I belonged. I started to think about what parts of myself I was going to bring to the yoga space or if this was a place I could truly bring my whole self.

Thanks to my wonderful teachers and fellow trainees, I learned that this was a place I did not need to mold myself.

I could wear what made me feel comfortable and eat what made me feel nourished.

They wanted the real me. My future students wanted the real me.

I took this into account as I started to teach at the front of the room during training. Teaching yoga is harder than it looks and I started to have the greatest respect for those teachers I admired.

January 2021

We got the opportunity to take reiki level one training. Reiki is a Japanese healing method, with “rei” meaning higher consciousness and “ki” meaning life force energy. Some yoga teachers incorporate reiki into their classes.

Reiki training opened my eyes to the vibrations of the cells in our body and how we can use reiki to increase the frequency of the cells to promote healing.

I was skeptical about reiki at first, but as I explored it more, I saw how impactful it can be on the body, mind, and spirit. 

I went on to complete my reiki level two training and now have a morning reiki practice that I perform on myself.

As I learned about reiki and other tools to use in my yoga teaching, I realized how creative yoga could be.

There is a theme of the practice. There is the music and lights. There are poses and sequences. There are props. There is the level of your voice and the energy you bring. There is the environment in which you're practicing.

There are so many things that go into it that you can create something new each practice you teach. We just need to let our creative spirit out.

February 2021

I started exploring what it means to find your dharma. In the yogic teaching, your dharma is your duty or purpose.

I was really thinking about my purpose, so I loved exploring what my dharma was.

I don't think we have to go searching for our dharma, but we find it by doing the things we are drawn to. It isn’t one specific thing, but an overarching principle or purpose that spans across a lot of things.

I think my dharma is to support people in finding resources that better their mental health, like yoga, journaling, reiki, and certain lifestyle choices.

I have struggled with anxiety and knowing there are resources to help has been powerful in improving my well-being.

Everything we do depends on the state of our mental health and if I can support someone in finding grace, acceptance, and compassion for themselves and others, that would be so rewarding.

Maybe my dharma will change. Maybe it won't.

As I explored my dharma more, I started to see how similar yoga and journaling were. I had been journaling for the past three years and I kept finding these synchronicities in yoga. Yoga and journaling are tools to help us be the person we want to be. They're safe spaces to work through things without judgement.

This is when I first came up with the idea to create a yoga + journaling workshop to introduce yogis to journaling.

I ended up hosting my first workshop in May 2021 at Yoga Squared and it was everything and more I wanted it to be. It was as if all the work I had put into my journaling and yoga was coming together.

March 2021

It was time to bring everything I learned from YTT and teach my first demo/class. It was a final examination, but felt like a celebration of becoming a teacher.

I was going to get to share everything I learned from my six months of training with my family, friends, and fellow trainees.

About an hour and a half before the demo, a family matter boiled over and I was in full tears.

In that moment, I had to decide if I was going to carry this into the yoga studio with me. I decided I was going to put it off to the side for now and revisit later because teaching this demo was too important to me.

The demo went better than I could have even expected. Being in the front of the room teaching, I felt I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Maybe I needed a good cry to be able to let go and teach from the heart.

April 2021

My fellow trainees gathered with our teachers to celebrate all the hard work we had done and the bonds we had forged. I couldn't believe it was actually ending. It was a life changing experience, especially alongside a pandemic.

I’m not sure what my yoga journey looks like in the future. Is it teaching, hosting workshops, additional teacher training, or continuing to be a student?

Many people ask, “well don’t you go through yoga teacher training so that you can teach?” Yes and no.

I began training because I wanted to teach and learn more about yoga as a practice.

I learned through the training that teaching yoga is no small feat and the best teachers have to put their heart and time into creating these wonderful sixty-minute experiences.

If I learned anything in YTT it is this: It doesn’t have to be this OR that. It can be this AND that.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It can be a little bit of everything. Everything doesn’t have to happen all at once or right now.

Nothing is permanent. We are always changing, shifting, and re-arranging.

I see myself continuing to practice with my mom, maybe do some more workshops, and be a yoga student. Maybe I’ll shift into teaching a regular class in the future or maybe I won’t.

I will just be forever grateful for the opportunity to experience this 200-hour yoga teacher training and I can’t wait to see where I go on my yoga journey. 

A Few Special Thank Yous:

My teachers, Nikki & Kate Woodford-Shell -- Thank you for sharing your wisdom and holding space for me to learn and explore. I know I will continue to learn from you.

My fellow YTT trainees -- While we went on this journey as individuals and each had our own deeply personal experience, we also went on this journey together. I can't imagine doing it without you guys.

My boyfriend Chris and roommate Emily -- Thank you for listening to every little thing I learned through this experience, even if you didn't always understand it.

My mom -- Thank you for being my first student and practicing with me every week over zoom.

My dad and sisters Ally & Lilly -- Thank you for your constant support and cheering me on endlessly.

How I Get My Journal Practice In While On Vacation

Unsplash | Ethan Robertson

Going on vacation can feel like the ultimate test to my consistent journaling practice.

I'm out of routine, in a different environment, and trying not to feel like I have to do or worry about anything.

I see vacation as a time to recharge and relax, and continuing to journal on vacation has let me do that even more.

It gives me time to reflect on what my priorities are and what I'm thankful for.

Here are 3 ways I still get my journal practice in while on vacation.

Take note beforehand how long it usually takes for you to journal.

Before I leave for my trip, I get a gauge on how long my journal practice usually takes. This can give me information on how much time I need to give myself on vacation and helps me plan accordingly. 

Do it first thing when you wake up.

A lot of times my trips are filled with full days of hiking or full days at the pool. Either way, the day can be busy and tiring.

I try to get my journal practice in before the days starts so it is more likely to happen. This is also a nice moment of alone time, especially when spending every other moment of the trip together with people.

Pick a cozy or secluded spot that makes you feel safe to journal.

On vacation, I'm in the rare situation where I'm journaling somewhere other than my home. That can feel unsafe or uncomfortable since journaling is such a vulnerable practice.

Due to that, I try to pick a cozy or secluded spot that makes me feel safe. My favorite place is a spot to gaze out at a lake or pool. Sometimes I have to settle for the hotel bathroom to get some alone time, but hey create a safe space where you can.

My Favorite Personal Development Books That Are Less Than 200 Pages

I'll admit, I'm a self-help nerd.

I find it interesting all the ideas and ways we can better ourselves and development into the person we want to be.

I've read my fair share of personal development books, but I'm specifically drawn to ones that have short, organized chapters that are digestible.

Here are my 3 favorite personal development books that are less than 200 pages.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements are agreements you make to yourself.

This was a great book to pick up when I was feeling stuck, doubting myself, or worrying about what people think as it focused on finding personal freedom.

The Four Agreements are be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, always do your best.

Linking to it here.

How to Not Always Be Working: A Toolkit for Creativity and Radical Self-Care by Marlee Grace

When I was feeling burnt out or uninspired, this was a great book to pick up.

It took me through healing my creativity and time by creating boundaries in my life. This has great journal prompts at the end of each chapter to help me reflect.

The book took me through identifying what is my work, where do I work, what is not my work, what are the gray areas of my work, how to now work when not working, taking a break, and more.

Linking to it here.

The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele

Although this is a book about yoga's ethical principles, this can be read by non-yogi's as well.

This book was great to focus on developing 1 aspect of myself at a time. It really dives deep into ethical principles I can focus on apply to my own life.

This book took me through nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, nonpossessiveness, purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender.

Linking to it here.

Are You Focusing on What You Want to DO or What You Want to BE?

I am fascinated, and maybe a little too fixated, on how we spend our time and energy.

But maybe this is something to be proudly fixated on.

Life is short and my time and energy is valuable. I want to live life to the fullest.

If I'm trying to figure out where to put my time and energy, do I focus on what I want to do or what I want to be?

DO vs. BE

My answer to this has changed over time. Here's why.

BEING

When I decided to get into podcasting in late 2018/early 2019, I decided I wanted to focus on BEING a podcaster.

DO vs. BE

I took a podcasting course from one of my favorite podcasters and adopted every single aspect she suggested. I studied the way my other favorite podcasters were doing things and adopted their processes as well.

While this was extremely helpful with getting started BEING a podcaster, in the spring of 2020 I found myself DOING things that I didn't really like and weren't really me. I felt burnt out and unauthentic.

I didn't like what I was DOING. Probably because I was doing what other people liked to do.

MAYBE BEING COULD OF WORKED

I've realized that focusing on BEING could have really worked out for me, but the way I was approaching it wasn't the best.

It wasn't what I was trying to be, it was how I was trying to be it.

I was trying to mold myself into being what a podcaster looked like for other people, instead of asking myself what podcasting could look like for me.

I chose to take everything the people I looked up to were doing and automatically adopted it since I saw that is what was making them successful (or at least in my eyes it was).

I learned something here…

Just because it is working for other people doesn't mean it will work for you. Observe and learn what other people are doing, and take the bits and pieces that you think will fit your personality, goals, and lifestyle you want to live.

I learned that it is important to learn, understand, and DO the things you like.

DOING

When I eventually asked myself what podcasting looked like for me, I wasn't really sure because I was clouded with what everyone else was doing.

I chose to take a step back and instead of focusing on what I wanted to BE, I started focusing on what I wanted to DO.

DO vs. BE

When I started focusing on what I wanted to DO, I saw that my favorite part of podcasting was writing the solo episodes. I loved writing.

The more I thought about it, it made a lot of sense. I loved journaling and as a kid my teachers always had to give me a page limit because I would write so much.

By focusing on what I wanted to DO, I found out what I was really interested in, I felt more creative, tasks became fulfilling, and I felt like I was creating my own path for growth.

I started writing more and this led me to starting my blog in May 2020.

In November 2020, I wrote a blog post on the importance of focusing on DOING instead of BEING. You can read it here.

WHAT COMES AFTER DOING

Since I wrote that blog post, I have continued to write and my thoughts on doing vs. being have really evolved. I'm happy they have and makes me feel like I'm living with my eyes open.

Now that I have a true understanding of what I like DOING, I feel like I can figure out what I want to truly BE based on my interests.

DO —> BE

I can take my love of writing and use that passion to bring my whole self to BEING a blogger.

Most importantly, I can be my version of a blogger.

I feel like what I'm doing and what I want to be are finally aligning.

Knowing what you like to do can be valuable information to becoming the person you actually want to be.

WHAT ABOUT GROWTH

So where do I go from here? How do I grow as a blogger or expand into other things?

I've strategized and experimented with many different ways to grow as a blogger. I've even thought about being a speaker, author, entrepreneur, educator, advocate, etc.

So I asked myself, if I'm going to BE this person (whatever it is), what does that person DO?

 DO <— BE

What do they DO to BE who they are?

Speakers speak. Authors write. Educators educate.

Am I willing to do those things?

It makes me consider how I want to spend my time and energy to become what I want to be.

What am I willing to do to be the person I want to be?

What am I willing to sacrifice? What am I not willing to sacrifice?

How can I create the time and the energy that is required to become the person I want to become?

You can BE anything, but you must define what you are willing to DO to make it happen.

A key part of this is still taking into consideration what you like to do and the bits and pieces you have learned from others that could work for you. 

I've found myself wanting to apply this to more than just being a blogger.

What does an exceptional yoga teacher do? Am I willing to do what is required of that?

What does a supportive girlfriend do? What time and energy can I create to be that?

What does a promotable employee do? What am I willing and not willing to sacrifice in my personal life in order to make that happen?

--

So when it comes to your time and energy, do you focus on what you want to DO or what you want to BE first?

I don't believe there is a wrong answer.

Based on my experience and talking with others, you may go about this based on how your brain works and the path that is going to get you to your version of success.

For me, my brain processes like this:

DO —> BE —> DO

Others' brains might work like this:

BE —> DO

Whatever way you like to figure out how to spend your time and energy, I’ve realized it is about aligning what you want to do and what you want to be.

do = be

How to Get The Most Out of Your Journal Session

Unsplash | Gabrielle Henderson

If we are going to carve out time in our busy day to sit down at our journal, we have to make it worth it.

Our time is valuable and we want the work we put into our journal to pay off by helping us become more present, confident, and able to dream bigger.

While there is no right way to journal, here are 4 strategies to get the most out of your journal session.

Create an action item for yourself.

You may find yourself writing out a lot of feelings or problems that you're dealing with. Many of us use our journal for that.

While writing down these feelings or problems can be extremely beneficial when processing them, following this up with an action item can allow you to put what you're working through in your journal into practice in real life.

Action items could be:

• An affirmation you're going to start saying to help you change your mindset

• A task you're going to complete to help you get closer to fixing the problem or going after your dream

• A conversation you're going to have to gain more understanding or support in a situation

This can be a challenge to do and can take practice, but many more things happen when a plan is put in place.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

It can be a challenge to find any time in a day to journal. However, if you were to pick a time, try to pick a moment where you won't feel rushed to get through the entry because you have to be at the next thing on your schedule.

Try to find a moment that you can be in the present and not in the past or future.

A strategy you can try is to give yourself 10 more minutes than you think you will need to journal. This can give you time, space, and permission to work through more thoughts if you want to.

And if you don't use it, you have that extra 10 minutes in your day to breathe.

Limit Distractions

To help you really be able to dive deep into your journal session, try to limit the chance for distractions as much as possible.

Maybe this looks like trying to find a time to be in a room by yourself. Maybe it is having your phone in the other room.

Both of these can seem like a long shot with someone always needing something from us. Try to create an environment for yourself that allows you to tap into thoughts, feelings, and ideas, whatever that may look like.

Not in Same Spot Where You Do Work

This is key. When you journal at the spot where you handle your work responsibilities, your brain is in work mode.

This can mean different things for different people. Journaling in the same spot where you work can lead your brain to see journaling as a task you have to do, something that needs to be a certain way, or needs to be professionally or properly written.

Journaling is a place to do something you want to do and in any way you want to do it. Imperfection encouraged.

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How the Pandemic Made My Journaling Practice More Important Than Ever Before

Unsplash | Tonik

It has been 1 whole year since we entered the pandemic. I agree when people have said it has been both the fastest and slowest year of their life.

I've noticed how much my life has changed, I have changed, and my habits have changed.

My journaling habit has stuck though and this past year has showed me exactly why to keep going with it.

Here are 3 ways the pandemic re-enforced my journaling habit:

Something constant when many things were changing.

I remember the second week of March 2020 very vividly. I showed up to my journal each morning amazed at how fast things had changed from the day before.

We've heard before that change is constant, but it had never been more true that week or even the months we had ahead.

We lost the sense of predictability and certainty.

I had my journaling practice going, but I had really gotten steady with it right before the pandemic. It is like the universe knew I needed to prepare to have something constant in my life.

Journaling became one of my only constants and gave me some sense of predictability and certainty. I didn't know if I was doing anything else I planned to do, but I was certain that I was going to show up to my journal.

Became a safety net when things went wrong.

People say that when you enter new challenges or life transitions, it is smart to have a safety net of people to support you through it.

While I was thankful to have supportive people around me during the pandemic, I know those people were having a tough time too.

Finding the energy to support ourselves was hard enough and didn't leave us a lot of energy left to support others.

Journaling was always a support for me, but it really became my safety net. My safe space to let out every feeling I had for this thing none of us had been through before. It was the outlet that served me most during this tough time.

Kept record of key events, feelings, and happenings during that time.

I knew when this started happening that this was going to be a very important time in history.

I started writing down all the little things I could so that I could remember what it was like down the road. I attribute so much of my memory to writing things down in my journal.

Although there may be sad things we may not want to remember, I've tried to remember the good things that made this time in the pandemic so unique: having dinner with my family every night for 7 weeks, designing a work from home space, doing yoga outside to get out of the house, and more.

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I'm feeling extra thankful for this journaling practice right now. This past year encouraged me to keep it up and ensured me that I have an outlet to go to when next challenge comes my way.

4 Strategies For Creating A Consistent Journaling Practice

Unsplash | Jess Bailey

Starting a daily journaling practice is one thing, but creating a consistent journaling practice is another challenge.

Some days we don't feel like it. Some days we forget. Some days life gets in the way.

How can we ensure we show up to our journal for even 5 minutes?

I journaled for 2 years before I would say my practice became truly a consistent one, so I know it isn't easy.

Here are 4 strategies I used to create a daily journaling practice that stuck.

Plan a time you're going to journal.

If you don't put it in the plan, your journaling practice is likely to get lost in the day.

Plan out the night before when you're going to get in your journaling practice the next day.

Everyone is different on the time of day they like journaling, but if you've never journaled before, I recommend adding it to your morning routine. Journaling in the morning makes it less likely for it to get overshadowed by other things that pop up throughout the day.

Do it before or after something you already do.

Adding a new habit or practice to your day can seem challenging. If you link journaling to something you already do, it can make adding a new thing to your day seem a little more manageable.

Place it before or after making your morning coffee. Maybe you do it before you kick off your work day. Maybe it is before you go to bed every night.

Put it somewhere in your day where it feels good and you can see yourself making it happen.

Use daily journal prompts.

Journal prompts can be a question or statement that you answer in your journal.

Having a daily question or statement to answer can make you more likely to show up to your journal. It can make journaling not feel like such an open-ended task, but a rewarding task that can be accomplished. It can also be a great way to kick off your journal entry if you don't know what to write.

You can think of answering a daily journal prompt as an accountability partner to showing up to your journal.

I have created some daily journal prompts you can use here if you want a place to start.

Look at is as a "get to do" instead of a "have to do."

There are probably a lot of things that you have to do in your day. It is a long list, and yes, planning out your journaling session may feel like it is adding to the list.

How long is your "get to do" list? Do you have a "get to do" list? Adding your journaling practice may be a good place to start.

It may not feel like a "get to do" when you first start journaling as it can still feel challenging, but viewing your journaling practice as something that you get to do for you will make you more likely to show up to it each day.

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3 Ways Journaling Can Help Elevate Your Career

Unsplash | Damian Zaleski

When we think of journaling, we may think of it as a place to process feelings or ideas that we have. It is a very personal process and the words we write aren't usually shared with others.

The thing about journaling is that what we do behind closed doors affects what we do when we open the door to the world. We can use journaling as a tool to help us understand who we want to be and what we want to do.

This can include in our careers. Journaling about our feelings or ideas about our current or future careers can help us show up in the way that we want to.

Here are 3 ways journaling can help elevate your career.

When you have a big meeting or hard conversation coming up, journaling can prepare you to present concise points confidently.

There can be a lot of anxiety leading up to a big meeting or hard conversation. Journaling can be a place to let all the feelings out.

Letting that out can give you a clear head and get you ready to take on whatever may come.

When it comes to preparing for a big meeting or hard conversation, you can journal out the key points you want to get across. This can keep you on track and away from using too many filler words.

You can think about what kind of tone you want to speak in, as well as the tone you want to respond to people in.

Most importantly, journaling this out can give you the confidence that you're capable of delivering the message and the vision of the meeting or conversation going well.

When you’re facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem,  journaling can encourage you to take action or change your perspective on it.

Sometimes we let decisions or problems sit on the backburner for a little, which can be good for processing them. However, if we let them simmer too long, often things will boil over and create a bigger mess either for us emotionally or externally.

If you're facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem, your journal is a safe space to let the feelings out. If you find yourself writing these feelings out day after day about these decisions or problems, it becomes clear that not much action is being taken.

Journaling can help you switch from being problem-focused to solution-focused. If the decision or problem is still bothering you, you can brainstorm how you could take action on it. If things are completely out of your control, you can decide if and how you're going to change your perspective on the situation.

Your journal is a space to diligently work through your decisions and problems and possibly lead you to a more fulfilling and successful career.

When you are deciding the next steps in your career, journaling can help you get clear on what you need to be doing & who you need to be talking to.

Journaling is a great place for a brainstorm session. Whether it is a bunch of jumbled sentences of a bulleted list, your journal is a great place to let out all the ideas, even the ones that may feel crazy.

If you're contemplating the next steps to take in your career, your journal is a great space to brainstorm all your ideas. Maybe you want to grow on the team you're on.  Maybe you want to move to a different department in the company you're at. Maybe you want to take a totally different path. Get all the possibilities out there.

As you brainstorm, you can start seeing what becomes appealing to you. You may also start figuring out what career moves might best fit with your interests, compensation expectations, family-life, etc.

Once you have an idea of what you're aiming for, you can gain some clarity on what you need to be doing and who you need to be talking with to help you get there.

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