Has loneliness due to the Covid crisis interfered with your life? Do you feel you don’t talk to people anymore or they don’t talk to you? Try journaling to help combat your loneliness. It really doesn’t matter what your issue is; if you want to overcome it, you can find a way to use journaling to help. You can set up a particular type of journal like a gratitude journal to help yourself become more thankful for what you do have, and you can also keep a bullet journal and set goals to overcome the loneliness you’re experiencing if more social connections will do it. The possibilities are truly endless.
Let’s look in more detail at how journaling can help combat loneliness.
Allows You to Explore Your Thoughts and Feelings
Journaling can help to simply focus on writing expressively your thoughts and feelings surrounding the loneliness that you are feeling. If you can write about each part of your feelings, and when you first noticed them, you may identify the core cause of the feelings. When you do that, you can develop a plan to solve the problem.
Gives You a Way to Express Your Thoughts and Feelings
Writing is a time-honored way of expressing thoughts and feelings safely. You never have to let anyone read it. You can write it down in the form of letters to people, or to yourself, or even to someone you don’t know that you keep for yourself when you’re done but completed to get it out in the light to study by you.
Provides a Way to Understand Your Thoughts and Feelings
Sometimes you may not even know what you are feeling. It can be hard to understand and express what we feel even to ourselves. But when you focus on writing it down, it can help you understand everything in a new way from a new direction that you may not have considered.
Helps Foster Social Connections
It might seem like a strange notion to consider, but writing can even help you foster social connections. The main reason is that as you read through what you’ve written, you’re going to discover ways to overcome your situation to find the healthy social connections you need.
Helps You See the Big Picture More Easily
Looking back at the things you’ve written over time about any topic can provide insight into the situation that you never saw coming. That’s because having the journal to look back on provides a way to see the bigger picture. You may feel super-lonely today, but it’s still less than yesterday, which lets you know it’s going to get even better from here.
Provides a Means to Understand and Organize Your Thoughts
Writing things down, especially when you choose a particular method like the bullet journal, will help you get your thoughts down in an organized and useful way. When your thoughts are a jumble, you might not see the real point but when they’re organized, it makes all the difference. For example, in writing it all down, you may realize that your loneliness is really due to being with the wrong partner who does not value you.
You’ll Sharpen Your Observation Skills
Once you start writing regularly and it’s become a habit, something amazing will happen. Your observation skills will be sharper, and you’ll have an easier time coming up with descriptive and expressive words to use in your journal. This is going to lead to even more breakthroughs due to having more clarity.
Focuses Your Gratitude Skills
Something funny happens when writing in a journal, even if it’s not specifically a gratitude journal per se. What happens is that as you’re writing (even if you’re upset), you’ll become calmer – especially when you read it back. You’ll become grateful for what you do have that is positive in your life, even if it’s simply the ability to breathe in and out today.
If you want to combat loneliness, consider writing about and exploring why you feel lonely. You also should remember to read the definition of “loneliness” to ensure that this is what you are really experiencing. No one ever needs to be lonely, even when they are alone, if they know how to work through their thoughts and feelings. Journaling can help with that.
This article is a self help article and is no way medical advice.
Keeping any type of journal will help with improving any mental health issues. However, if you really want to tackle a specific problem you’re having, it will help to determine the right type of journal to keep. Keeping a particular kind of journal may work best for your issue.
* Boosts Your Mood – If you really want to boost your mood, keeping a gratitude journal is where it’s at. All you have to do is once a day, preferably before bed, write down what you’re grateful for today. It might not seem like much but it’s very powerful for going to sleep, thinking positively about your life.
* Increases Your Sense of Well-Being – As you write out your thoughts, you’ll start seeing issues from a new angle just because you’re opening your mind to think about it. This is going to make you feel more capable of dealing with whatever happens.
* Lessens Symptoms of Depression – Understand that depression is something different from sadness, and that you likely need a counselor. Writing it all down can make it seem less horrific so that you can feel better. Plus, you can look back at days you thought life was “over” and see better days after.
* Reduces Anxiety – The problem with anxiety is that it was designed to help us get away from immediate danger. It triggers the “fight or flight” response. If each time you have that anxious feeling you choose to write in your journal how you are feeling and why, you’ll start to control it better.
* Lowers Avoidance Behaviors – Many people who have mental health issues practice avoidance behaviors such as not going to places that cause them anxiety, or not doing the things they need to do due to how they feel. When you write it out, it helps you get the feelings out but do the thing anyway.
* You’ll Sleep Better – Pouring your heart out into a journal is a great way to get things off your chest. However, for sleep, go to the gratitude journal and write down what you’re thankful for today and go to sleep thinking of that.
* Makes You a Kinder Person – Exploring your own emotional state and accepting your own feelings while you work through what makes you who you are in your journal is going to make you naturally more empathetic to others too. Letting go of judgment for self improves your thoughts for others also.
* Improves Your Memory – This is almost a situation where you want to say “duh” but it has to be said. Writing down things helps you remember them because you can go back and read it, but also because the act of writing something down enables you to recall it.
One thing that can really help you make your journaling work is to learn how to keep one effectively. Make some journaling rules, do it every day to create a habit, and keep it private unless you decide to let your therapist see it or you decide to use it to help others. This is for you and only you for the most part.
Journaling can help you achieve your goals because it will force you to think about them, consider the why and how, and delve deeper into the situation so that you can examine all sides of it. Read on to find out how journaling can help.
Quiet time for journaling
* It Forces You to Write Down Your Goals – When you start a journal, it basically is a way to force yourself to document your goals. Whether you write them down on paper or you use technology to get it all down doesn’t matter. Once they’re written, they are ready to tackle.
* It Makes You Consider Why and How – As you enter data into your journal, you’ll be forced to face the why and how of your goal. This is especially true if you write down a goal and focus on it in your journal.
* It Enables You to Examine the Opportunities and Threats – When you are focused on goal making with your journal, you’ll also explore opportunities and threats coming your way due to your goals. It helps you avoid roadblocks in advance.
* It Makes You Develop Steps for Success Based on Your Goals – When you see it written down, you’ll want to notice and pull out any steps you’ve developed in your journal and put them in your calendar for scheduling.
Take the steps to journal each day
* It Helps You Improve Goal Setting and Achievement – Each time you intentionally set goals, define steps to achieve the goals, and perform them, you are setting yourself up for being able to improve your skills.
* It Provides Accountability – Even if no one else is reading your journal, a private journal can help you become accountable to yourself. If you develop the habit of looking at your journal each day and put something else in there each day, it’ll work great for helping you become more accountable.
* It Provides a Permanent Record – Having a permanent record of the things you’ve done in your life, whether it’s personal or work, is a beautiful thing. Hardly anyone has a perfect memory, so you’ll maintain the lessons learned better with the record to look back at.
Permanent record to look back on
* It May Be Inspirational – Depending on the journal, you might even be able to take the information inside and compile it into a real book for others to read to inspire them. You might also take from it steps for your success for a project and turn it into a course to inspire someone else.
Journaling is an excellent way to work toward achieving all your goals. It will even help you make better goals because the process of entering facts in your journal will cause you to see them in a more logical way that is more useful.
When you begin journaling it will likely occur to you that having more than one type of journal might be the best way to keep everything organized better. When you have more than one type of journal, you can simply go to the specific journal to work on one issue at a time or keep something organized so you can make better decisions.
1. Bullet Journals – This type of journal is useful for anyone who has lots of to-do lists, loves using a pen and paper, and who enjoys goal tracking. Your journal should have a table of contents that you create as you add to the journal so you can find things. You’ll use symbols, colors, and lines to make your bullet journal. You should be able to understand at a glance what’s on the page.
2. Vision Journals – You may have heard of vision boards and this is essentially it, except it’s a journal that helps lead you to your vision. The way it works is that you set up the journal to have only one goal per page. Then you can write words, add pictures, or draw something that enables you to make plans to reach that goal. When you do reach the goal, be sure to go back and add the date of achievement.
3. Line a Day Journals – Basically this journal is what it’s called – you write down only one line a day. You will simply write in the journal a short line about what you did that day. It should be only a sentence or two at the most, and should not take up that much space in your journal. Some people like using a calendar and a pen for this.
4. Classic Journal – This is simply a diary, and you can write whatever you want in it every day. It can be long, short, or you can skip days if you want to. The classic journal is just like the diary that you kept as a child. You write whatever you want in it daily.
5. Prayer Journal – This is a particular type of journal where you essentially act like your diary or journal is your higher power. Write God your prayers instead of saying them. Write them down so you remember them and can look back on them.
6. Dream Journal – Some people really like tracking their dreams because they believe that dreams provide signs for life. If you want to track your dreams, you have to train yourself to write in your dream journal every morning while you still remember the dream. Write about the dream and then research what it means and write about that too.
7. Food Journal – Write down everything you eat every day. Some people like to include the calorie contents and so forth. It can also help to write down why you eat it, how you felt about eating it, and things like that.
8. Travel Journal – A wonderful way to remember your travels is to keep a travel journal. Some people like making one for each trip so that it’s easier to remember. You can write your thoughts in your journal, but you can also attach tickets, pics, and memories.
9. Gratitude Journal – This is just what it sounds like. It’s a journal where you record each day what you’re thankful for and grateful for. Nothing can be negative in this journal because it’s designed to help you think more positively.
10. Project Journal – This is a handy journal to keep, especially for anyone who regularly works on projects. Keeping a journal of each project you work on that records actions taken, results, and data, will help you improve every project but will also help you look back on this one with excitement.
If you want to journal to help work through a problem, keeping specific journals for different things is an effective way to go about it. It’s also a great way to store your thoughts and memories for the future in a more organized and useful manner.
The way to ensure that journaling works for you is to do it long term. Long-term journaling gives you more insight into your life because you’ll be able to look to the past, present, and even the future (sort of) to get answers in your life. But first, you have to do it. And you need to do it daily to make it a habit. Let’s review a few tips for making journaling part of your daily routine.
Use the Easy Button
Make It Easy – Don’t make it a huge deal, and it’ll be simpler to get done. For example, it’s easier to use a notebook and paper than a computer for most people. You can have the book in your bag or on your bedside table or wherever you plan to write in it.
Choose a time that works.
Choose a Time That Works – The best times to do it are early morning, first thing, or the last thing before you go to bed. However, that might not work for some people. If you know a better time, do it. For example, some people like journaling while on lunch at work in the park. It’s up to you.
Get a Drink and Eat a Snack – You don’t want to have any excuses or extraneous thoughts while you’re writing in your journal. Make sure you’re fed and hydrated.
Create a Comfortable and Assessable Space – It’s easier to get into your thoughts if you’re comfortable and not thinking about how bad your tailbone hurts or your wrist hurts. Some people like using a desk, some a comfy easy chair, others their bed.
Combine It with Something Else You Enjoy Doing – If you enjoy cleaning the house, then reading in your clean house with the windows open and the breeze flowing in, why not journal at that moment? If it’s a daily thing, add journaling to it, and it’ll create a habit fast.
Add Some Relaxing Music to Set the Mood – Now it’s true that some people prefer silence, so that’s fine if you do. But consider trying some music that doesn’t have words and that is relaxing, to help you gather your thoughts and say calm and focused.
Get comfortable.
Use a Particular Type of Journal – For some people, using a style of journaling like bullet journaling, prayer journaling, project journaling, and more, works better since it defines some rules for entry.
Consider Using Journaling Prompts – You can also find journaling prompts online for any type of journal you want to use.
Reward Yourself – When you have been diligent for a month writing in your journal, take some time to read what you wrote, then reward yourself for doing it. You might buy some colored pens or some scrapbooking materials so you can add some definition and interest to your journal.
Reward Yourself.
To truly experience the full benefits of journaling, it needs to be done most days, which is why you need to find a way to incorporate journaling into your everyday life. The best way to accomplish this is to make it easy and turn it into a habit.
What is the first book that made you cry? November Blue by Amy Harmon. It broke my heart.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Trying to plot or deadlines. Either stifle my writing and I often get blocked if I force them.
Who is one author are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Misty Provencher is an amazing friend and critique partner. We read one another’s work, are very honest about feedback, and help each other craft better stories. She’s pretty amazing. J
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Not to shy away from reviews, but to learn from them instead.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? I essentially knew nothing about the craft and was completely learning as I went, so I learned a TON between my first few books and now do things totally differently. Marketing is a huge thing I didn’t bother with. Now, I market my work as much as I possibly can. People can’t buy what they don’t know about, right?
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? If you have not made any money, dream about it? I’ve been very blessed that people enjoy my work. The best money I ever spend is on three things and I do not skimp on these – ever. The first is an amazing, professional cover designed by a graphic designer. The second is professional editing. The third is hiring someone to make my book description better. I’m not great at boiling a 100,000 word book down to a few paragraphs that intrigue but don’t reveal the entire plot, but know someone who is.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Hamilton. If you’ve seen the musical, one of the questions posed within it is ‘Why do you write like you’re running out of time?” And I guess that’s me. I have so many stories I haven’t had time to tell and more than I may be able to write depending on how long I am blessed to live.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? Too many to count. I’m not a plotter. I’m a discover writer and sometimes I have a scene in my mind that I explore, but can’t form a full story out of. I don’t mind having those, though. They each teach me something and learning that it won’t work for a full novel is fine, too. <3
How do you select the names of your characters? Pinterest or baby name websites! LOL!
What is your favorite childhood book? I loved anything Seuss and still do. I often read his books to my children.
Book Blurb
Available: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N9HMFCC
The sharpest blades are forged in fury.
A hard-earned shield.
Days before she is to take her place as a shield maiden, like her mother before her, two deaths alter the course of Liv’s future. One belonged to a witch who called her by name, the other a chieftain from the north. Vengeance for the chieftain’s death comes in a wild fury that burns her village and slaughters her family. Left for dead, Liv pleads to Skuld—norn and weaver of the future—to spare her. A deal is struck that will endow her with the dark magic needed to claim her vengeance. But this power comes at an unfathomable price…
Ink made from the ashes of loved ones.
After his home is attacked, Calder races to warn neighboring villages. Little does he know he’s traveling the path of fate that will lead him straight to Liv. Despite being broken, angry, and overwhelmed by power she cannot contain, it’s her willingness to defend others that draws Calder to her.
Armor forged from the bones of those held dear.
Together, Liv and Calder discover they are two sides of the same sharpened blade. Rising from the heartache and fury in their pasts, they see a future together worth fighting for. With their strengths and hearts combined, can they become a force powerful enough to defeat the fleet of darkness coming for them? Or will the thread of fate that binds them unravel?
With Shield and Ink and Bone is an Upper YA Viking Historical Romance perfect for fans of The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon, Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young, and Tricia Levenseller’s Warrior of the Wild. There are violent scenes within the pages.
Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn’t tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he’s the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy books, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page.
Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, the Frenzy series, and fairy tale retellings such as Riches to Rags, Savage Beauty, Unlocked and Brutal Curse. Learn more about her work at www.authorcaseybond.com.
Copyright Creating New worlds- Katherine E. Soto 2021
As writers we are well known for procrastinating on projects even those with tight deadlines. Follow these tips to help end procrastination.
The fact is, every single one of us procrastinates or has procrastinated at some time or another. Procrastination can add an element of excitement and motivation to a project or goal by making you rush against a deadline. Some people truly work better under this type of pressure. But if procrastination is just another way that you tend to self-sabotage, it’s a bad habit that serves no good purpose in your life! Best to just try to get rid of procrastination altogether.
There are lots of different methods and techniques that people use to end procrastination, but remember that since procrastination is a habit, changing that habit and replacing it with more positive habits takes time. Consistency is the key here, as consistently practicing the new habits will lead to them being the preferred choice when you have a decision to make – to procrastinate or not to procrastinate.
Chronic procrastination can cause all kinds of problems in both your personal and your professional lives. Imagine how your spouse feels when they’ve been hoping that you’ll do something that needs to be done, but you don’t do it. And how about the fights that happen because they go and do whatever it is themselves? At work, maybe there’s a project you’re working on that needs to be wrapped up, but because you fear you’re not knowledgeable enough, you continue to put it off until there is simply no way that you can complete it. Procrastination causes you to feel guilty, worried, fearful and stressed. And, it is a choice you make.
We’d like to give you some quality ammunition in your war against procrastination. To that end, we’ll discuss 18 different tips, techniques, and tactics to help end procrastination in your life – permanently! Add a few of these to your daily, weekly, or monthly routines, and watch your productivity skyrocket because you’ve chosen not to procrastinate. We think you’ll be amazed at the results you get.
1. Write down a list of the tasks you’ve been putting off. Keep this list in front of you, because “out of sight is out of mind.” Tackle each task, one by one, with intense focus, until you begin to see a reduction in the number of things on your list. Just crossing things off of a to-do list can be incredibly motivating. It’s a visual reminder that you really got to work and did what you were supposed to do.
2. Decide whether your procrastination is coming from fear, anger, or sadness. This might be uncomfortable for you, but will help you get to the heart of why you procrastinate. The reasons are different for everyone, and they may run very deep. Even things that happened to you during childhood can create a tendency toward procrastination. So examine these feelings closely.
3. When you’ve finally pinpointed the emotion behind your procrastination, do something physically dramatic to get rid of it. For instance, if you’re angry because you need to do something you don’t like doing, go punch a punching bag or a pillow, or grab a thick, dead tree branch and beat it on the ground. Doing this gets rid of the pent-up emotion and makes it easier for you to move forward, unencumbered by that emotion.
4. Learn to identify negative thoughts about a task, and when you have a negative thought, stop and turn it around into something positive. There is always a silver lining to every cloud – you just need to be able to perceptualize it.
5. Take the tasks you’re putting off, and break them down into more easily accomplished steps. It’s far easier to stay focused on small tasks than enormous goals, so breaking down your project will allow you to get much more done.
6. Allow yourself rewards for each step you accomplish – even the little ones. Figure out what motivates you, personally, and set up a timeline wherein if you accomplish a step on schedule, you obtain the reward. This is an excellent way to retrain your brain to see action as very motivating.
7. Expect the unexpected, and prepare for inevitable obstacles along the way. Look at the tasks you’ve broken down, and figure out where the holes are and what could go wrong. When you’re prepared, you’re much more able to deal with setbacks.
8. Expect to feel resistance to doing your tasks. You’ll feel tired, or in a bad mood, you’ll get a headache, or something will miraculously happen that puts you off the course of your intended goal. Don’t let any of those mind monkeys take hold. See them for what they are, and respond accordingly by staying on-task.
9. Let yourself feel good when you accomplish a task that’s on your list. Getting work done simply feels good. It’s satisfying. Allow yourself to bask in that satisfaction, and that feeling will spur you on in moments where you’re less-than-motivated. Celebrate your wins!
10. Make others aware of your goals. The more people who know what you’re goals are, the more motivated you’ll be to accomplish them. They’ll inevitably ask you about the goals you’ve told them about, and knowing that will happen will keep you on-track and moving forward because you’ll want to be able to give excellent progress reports!
11. Change the physical place where you work when you’re working on your goals. Create a workspace that inspires you, not one that makes you want to go and take a nap. And when you do change your environment, know that the “inspiration” will wear off after awhile, and you’ll need to do it again. Change it up, and create motivation where there wasn’t any!
12. Create a calendar specifically for your big goals. Write down deadlines. Then write down smaller goals and tasks, and the dates you’d like to have those done on. Create a complete timeline for the project at hand. This is going to tell you whether you’re on track at a glance and will help you plan for upcoming tasks so that you’re ready for them. It’ll also motivate you when you see days, and their subsequent tasks marked off.
13. Eliminate all distractions as often as possible while you’re working on your tasks. That means logging off of Facebook and other social media sites, locking yourself off the internet (unless, of course, being on the internet is necessary for you to complete the task at hand), and turning off your phone and email. Trust me, no one is going to absolutely have to get ahold of you right at this very minute. Eliminating distractions is one of the most powerful ways you can increase your productivity. Make it easy for yourself to get work done by allowing yourself the room to focus exclusively on the task.
14. Surround yourself with those who inspire you, and are at a higher level than you are. By doing this, you’ll strive to reach their level, and you’ll also get a first-hand look at how they work, what they do, and how they think. Hanging around inspiring people will influence your behavior and motivate you!
15. Get an accountability partner. Seek out someone who has similar goals as you do, and you’ll learn a lot from each other along the way. Having someone to be accountable to will help you stay on track, stay motivated, and work out problems when you come up against road blocks. It also helps if you have different skill sets, so you can learn techniques from each other for things you may not already know how to do.
16. Is there someone you know who has already accomplished what you want to accomplish? Connect with them, and let them know why you’re doing so. Seeing someone doing what you want to do and living the way you want to live is incredibly motivating, and you’ll learn from them, too.
17. If procrastination seems to be chronic, maybe your goals need to be reviewed. They may not be in line with where you want to be any longer, and you may need to change them to match the work you’re doing. Consider what you want to achieve, what it’s going to take to get there, and whether doing what you’re currently doing is going to get the job done. If the answer is no, realign your actions with your goals.
18. Become acutely aware of your perfectionism and where it thwarts your forward momentum. You may think perfectionism makes you do a better job, but it’s far more likely that you overcomplicate and overthink your tasks so that they’re never really complete. Work to end perfectionism in your life, and you’ll be simply amazed at how much you’re able to accomplish.
What it really boils down to is that you need to simply do it. Do whatever it takes to motivate, pressure, or cajole yourself into doing it, but get it done whatever it happens to be. The only cure for your inaction (procrastination) is you taking action, and we think you’ll find that once you start getting used to being in action, procrastination seems like a waste of time.
As writers we often find our self worth under attack. Bad reviews, poor sales, and frustrating writer’s block are battles authors face in their careers. I found a video you might like about keeping your self worth with seven helpful tips.
Watch the video first, then read the transcript. The video will come up in a new window.
Having a healthy sense of self-worth can change the way you feel about your life. Positive self-worth sets you up to have the energy and confidence to be your best you, to take on challenges and seize opportunities when they come up. Self-worth means you can have your best possible life.
The basis of self-dignity is an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses. That allows you to capitalize on your strengths and to be objective, not defensive about your weaknesses. It gives you the tools to take control of your life.
Having a happy, successful life and feeling good about yourself is not a matter of luck. Positive self-worth is a fundamental part of the Law of Attraction – if you feel good about yourself and believe you deserve to be happy or wealthy or have good relationships, you will attract those things into your life. The experiences we’ve had in our lives, starting from a very early age, alter our self-dignity, either improving it or eroding it.
The good news is we can do something about it if we want to have a stronger self-worth. Although it isn’t always pleasant, it’s well worth the time and effort to raise your self-worth.
Here are some key aspects of the positive role self-worth can have in your life.
You will be more satisfied with life because you will see the good things in life, rather than focusing on the things that are disappointing.
You won’t be undermining yourself with negative self-talk. The Inner Critic will always be there, but you will know how to keep it in check and how to harness that analytical capability to keep increasing your self-awareness.
Self-knowledge is a key part of good leadership. You are more likely to be successful at work when you have a healthy sense of self. You will be able to deal with problems before they get out of proportion, for example.
You will be less needy, less reliant on other people’s good opinion of you. You will be strong enough in your self-worth not to compare yourself with others.
Your relationships will be stronger and more fulfilling because you’ll be building them with honesty and self-knowledge.
It will be easier for you to be flexible when situations change. The result is that fewer external circumstances impact your happiness.
You will be more compassionate with yourself and others. When you make mistakes, you’ll be able to view them as lessons rather than failures.
There is a theory that we live in a multiple universe. Each decision we make spins off a different world that lives on its own. Every now and then we step through to a different sphere and our lives change. With this theory in mind, it becomes possible to create new worlds every day.
I am a writer. I created an entire new world in my books about Grey Dawn of Dharaven. New characters and places come to life under my fingertips on my computer keyboard. Writing is an art form that creates within itself.
I also draw and paint. I enjoy doing it and it helps keep me in a creative flow. I like to see colors blend together to create background on which I can paint anything my heart or brain desires. It does not matter if it is a large piece or a small card piece, art begats creativity.
