If I could sum up my intentions for 2016 it would be restful. Especially restful in mind. For the last ten years, perhaps more I've had a brain that won't much to my increasing despair stop thinking, panicking, overthinking, stop.
I stumbled across Meera Lee Petal's Start Where You Are Journal while flicking through page after page of books claiming to solve all my problems. Perhaps it was the gorgeous cover, the bold colors, but probably more of the notion of opening the pages and starting that quest for mindfulness and "self exploration" finally ticked the box.
The journal is comprised of around 50 or so questions, suggestions, projects and the like, each with it's own bold and wonderfully colorized water-colored illustrated quotations from Thomas Jefferson, Roald Dahl to Shakespeare and other figures, writers and artists alike. And while I'm not someone who is big on quotations, they all seem fitting to the following work page. Such questions and prompts as drawing self portraits using colours and patterns, coloring in world maps to listing sources of happiness are designed to set you upon the path of navigating the daily chaos that is life.
The questions and projects are simple enough that you don't feel like you're digging too deep in learning about ourselves. In fact it's a very quiet and completative journal, it's simple in reminding us that by taking the time to spend five or so minutes to come to know ourselves better, we're not only appreciating the world, our dreams but ourselves.
Which is probably why, after several weeks I'm still working my way though my self-exploration, unlike other previous journaling attempts. Which for me, is a bit of a big deal and the reason why i'm even sharing it on my blog. I'm not normally one to take stock, reflect, like I mentioned, I'm not a restful kind of person. But this journal, fitting in the prompts, reflecting on the quotations, it's helping me get there.
What is your journaling story?
Rachael
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