Balance is one of the nebulous concepts that we all yearn for, but aren’t really sure what it looks like. I think that’s because it’s different for all of us. What balance looks like for me, won’t be what it looks like for you and vice versa. This is because our lives, roles, responsibilities, callings, passions, and journeys are different.
A myth about balance is that to experience balance all things need equal amounts of time. This is an impossible goal. I have found it easier to think of balance as proper distribution of time and energy to various activities in life. For example I know for me balance means I have to use a lot of time on resting. The amount of rest I require would throw someone else way off balance but for me it’s what my body needs. Just something to consider it when thinking through this prompt.
Today’s prompt is all about reflecting on what kind of balance you are yearning for in this season of your life and what action steps you can take to achieve it.
Journal Prompt
What does balance mean to you?
List out the areas, roles, responsibilities, and relationships that you are giving your time and energy to during this season.
What areas of your life do you feel are balanced already and which do you feel are not balanced?
When thinking about your ideal week in this season of life…what areas would it feel more balanced to spend the majority of time on and what areas need less of your time?
What 3 steps can you take this week to increase your time on the areas that you noted need more of you to feel balanced?
What 3 steps can you take to withdraw your time and energy from things that are causing you to feel imbalanced?
I hope you enjoyed this prompt! Comment with thoughts and reflections below!
The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect! It’s an opportunity to reflect on the year that has past and to make plans for the new year to come. During this journal prompt we will do both of these things! This is going to be a great year!!
Journal Prompt
First we will reflect on our experiences in 2022. Reflection is a time to remember, ponder, and evaluate our experiences. Not all the things that we experienced over the last year were easy or enjoyable. There may have been more lessons or hard times over the last year then moments of laughter and joy. The purpose of this prompt isn’t to judge your experiences, but to simply reflect on how these experiences can help us create the best year in 2023. Consider these questions to help reflect on 2022:
What brought you the most joy in 2022?
What are three lessons from 2022 that you want to bring into the new year?
What goals did you work on during 2022?
Think back to how 2022 started for you and where you were in life…where are you in life now in comparison?
Now that we have reflected on 2022, let’s look ahead to our plans, goals, and hopes for 2023.
What are your top 3 goals that you want to work on in 2023?
What habits are you hoping to break or begin in 2023?
What 2 things are you looking forward to most this year?
Where do you want to be in life a year from now? What action steps can you take this year to accomplish this?
I hope you enjoyed this time of reflection! This is going to be a great year! We got this!
The seasons can bring so much inspiration and opportunity to reflect! Today’s journal prompt is all about Winter and reflecting on the lessons this season teaches us.
Journal Prompt
Winter is a season of rest. It is a season where nature has let go and is still before a time of growth and rebirth.
How can you choose to rest and be still during this season?
Nothing in nature blooms all year. How can you use this time to recharge and refocus in preparation for a time of growth?
This is a time to reflect on where you’ve been and we’re you are going. What growth have you experienced lately? How do you intend to keep pressing towards your goals in the next season of your life?
We start the year thinking and planning goals we want to accomplish, but as the year goes on sometimes our motivation and inspiration fades. It can be so hard to keep working on our goals. Today’s journal prompt is all about writing out affirmations that can help keep our inspiration going! Affirmations are helpful because … Continue reading “Journal Prompt: Goal Affirmations”
Starting to Create Again Have you ever gone through seasons where you felt uninspired and unmotivated to create? I’ve been going through that lately! It’s been driving me crazy!! I love to create and craft! I truly believe getting creative is so important for our self-care! But sometimes finding the energy to do it can … Continue reading “Creative Life: Where To Start”
It can be uplifting and a source of hope to have a dream vacation in mind. Whether is dreaming of the beach, the mountains, new places, or new experiences keeping these things in mind can add excitement to our lives. Todays prompt is all about reflecting on what a dream vacation looks like for you! … Continue reading “Journal Prompt: Dream Vacation”
Aging is a topic that I am very familiar with because most of my social work career has been spent working with seniors. Because of that this article caught my attention and am excited to share with you what I learned from it. The article is named ‘New study finds 6 ways to slow memory … Continue reading “Factors that Contribute to Aging Well”
This is my favorite type of journal prompt! It is simply a check in to see how life is going, what we are learning, what’s happening, and how we are feeling. This prompt is a series of questions and statements to get you thinking about your life in this current season. Journal Prompt Take a … Continue reading “Journal Prompt: Life Lately”
Often as we are living our day to day life we don’t realize how much we are growing and blossoming. Today is all about paying attention and reflecting on how we are growing!
Journal Prompt
What areas of life are you growing?
How are you striving to bloom and grow?
Describe a time lately when you have noticed how much you have grown.
Working towards long-term goals is essential to getting to where we want to be. Todays journal prompt is reflecting on the daily activities we are doing now to work toward our long term goals.
Journal Prompt
What is your long term goal?
Why is this goal important to you?
What daily activities can you do to support your long-term goals?
My journey to learn bookbinding was a long one! It took me years to finally learn it! I wanted to share this story with you today because I was thinking about this beautiful blanket my grandma gifted to me a couple of years ago. It is a quilted blanket with scraps from all the journals I had made. It was such a beautiful gift and it filled my heart with so much joy to see the pieces of all the journals I have gotten to make.
I am a life long journaler!! It is a hobby that is very near to my heart because there have been times in my life when it felt like my journal was one of my dearest companions. A safe space where I could keep my secrets, share my feelings, write my prayers, express my thoughts, and tell my stories. Because of this passion for journaling I wanted to learn how to make journals. I enjoyed crafting but was not skilled at any particular craft when I was first looking into making journals. I did not even know where to start. I wasn’t sure what to use for the cover, what paper to use, how to bind the journals, or what tools I needed. I tried many many many different ideas!! It was a messy process!! I’m so thankful for the friends who stuck by me through all the trial and error. It was rough! Below is a picture from college when I was trying to figure out how to make a journal out of this used book. I had seen something on Pinterest about how to get bad smells out of books by putting them in the microwave. Needless to say it was in the microwave for way too long! I grabbed the book out of the microwave and there was a lot of smoke and the pages were burning. We thankfully put it out quickly in the bathroom sink, but it was not my finest moment.
After I graduated college I was still doing research about book binding and various tools that you can use. The whole process was so hard for me to wrap my head around and I didn’t have a lot of resources to pay for materials to experiment with. One night I was about the give up and I found a video on YouTube that made all the difference. All the sudden it made sense and I learned how to do the long stitch. I figured out that I could take apart old books, recover them, and sew in new pages. The video was of a woman in Australia who was making a junk journal out of a cereal box. She took so much of the pressure off by saying to just use what you have in your home, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and make it your own. I felt so empowered!! I didn’t have to have any special tools I could just use what I had and create!! I am forever grateful for that video!!
After I learned this I understood the types of tools I could use for making journals. I went to Walmart and got a sewing awl and went to hobby lobby and got waxed thread and large needles. I experimented with various glues for recovering old books with fabric and just started creating!!
Then I learned about the Coptic stitch. It was finally all coming together!! I bought a large printer and was able to print my own lined pages and planners.
I am so thankful to have made and sold so many journals. I have now expanded to book disc and metal spine binding as well. Once I learned this craft, it seemed to open up a whole new world for me of creativity. I began to have more confidence in my work and allowed myself to explore new crafts!
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this journey is to not give up!! There were so many ups and downs but I am so thankful that I kept pressing forward!! Bookbinding is one of my greatest joys!! Keep pressing forward and working towards your goals!! You never know what kind of opportunities it will lead to!!
Yoga is one of the forms of exercise that I enjoy the most. It is strangely invigorating and calming all at the same time. It helps strengthen and stretch our muscles. It is also a great way to build inner physical and mental resilience!
My Yoga Journey
I first started looking into yoga after going to Pilates class at the Kroc, in Dayton. I have since then enjoyed doing various yoga workouts at home, at the gym, and with others. During the pandemic I researched a yoga workout that would work well for me and began doing it as a part of my home workout routine. After that I started going to yoga at the YMCA and learned even more poses and exercises that have been beneficial for my body. I am not an expert, but merely an enthusiast that has seen the many benefits of doing yoga practice. It has improved my flexibility, increased my strength, provides a sense of calm and relaxation and allows me to focus better. There are times when I am tired and can hardly focus at work, so I take a brief break to do a short yoga pose flow and it allows me to refocus my mind.
When I first started doing my routine at home I took it very slowly. I first focused on how to do each pose and having the correct alignment. Once I had the poses down I was then able to focus on the flow of transitioning from one pose to the next. I grew more in my comfortability and understanding of yoga while taking classes at the YMCA. I appreciated that the yoga instructors always encouraged participants to listen to their bodies and to do moves and poses in a way that fits their own body. I love that it does not have to look like the person next to you and can still have great benefits for your body. The slow and intentional pace of yoga allows your body to adapt and change.
Below is an illustration that I licensed from Adobe Stock that has one of my favorite yoga flows. I do grow tired of downward dog after a while, but I love the feeling of this flow of movement.
Thank you for reading about my yoga journey! I would love to know how yoga has impacted you! Comment below!
Blooming Resilient 