Raise your hand up if 2019 was a whirlwind of emotions for you. (I am raising both my hands up, tbh) Early in 2019, I re-visited my therapist with the hope of understanding my emotions, moods, behavioural traits and to answer the most important and nagging question, “Who am I?”
I’m still on the path to discovering myself & I believe this road is a long one because we are constantly changing. But along the way I began understanding a core aspect of my being — my emotions. I’ve began embracing every emotion as feedback. I’ve developed a relationship with my emotions, I’ve learnt to ask them difficult questions such as “Why are you here? What do you want from me?” And with practice (journalling, meditation & a quest within), they respond.
I’ve begun a lifelong journey of a relationship with myself, and I hope to share my journey with you 🙂
#NoteToSelf2020 is a journal calendar, there are 12 months that guide you through 12 emotions that we experience on a day to day basis.
All emotions are like feedback to our mind and body. This emotional feedback narrates stories about ourselves, waiting to unfold and discover a new you. Understanding our emotions better can help increase awareness towards feelings we experience everyday. This calendar will help leverage your emotions & treat them as feedback instead of problems.
Every month, we will focus on an emotion we experience in our day to day lives. Additionally, there are prompts that ask you questions. I urge you to maintain a journal to write in. Writing about your emotions helps your mind to complete the thought by completing the sentence on paper. This practice makes it easy to converse with yourself & familiarize your feelings.
A few Q&As:
Why is it called #NoteToSelf2020 ?
I aim for this calendar to be an experience & a reminder. Hang the calendar in a space you will definitely look at in the mornings & at nights (in front of your bed, inside your cupboard/ bathroom door, near your front door, etc.) Every page has an illustrated reminder — this is your reminder for the beginning and end of the day.
What are the journal prompts like?
Every month consists of 4-5 prompts. The first prompt asks you to describe what you feel – this is so you can be fully aware & present to your experience. The rest of the prompts are questions you ask yourself when you feel too much of an emotion.
Note: This calendar helps with prompts to help you begin the process of journaling by focusing on one emotion per month. However, feel free to journal about any uncomfortable emotion whenever you like – your journal is your free space!
Why is journaling important?
I urge you to maintain a journal (psst. We’re giving away 1 free journal notebook with every order, for pre-orders only!) & develop a habit of writing everyday. This is important because our mind is capable of many thoughts at once, it is difficult to stay focused on a singular thought (especially if it is an uncomfortable emotion). Journalling will help you stay focused and put your thoughts down on paper, this helps with clarity in thoughts — the first step to decluttering our minds.
Will this calendar help me sort my anxiety/ depression?
Everybody experiences different emotions differently. The techniques offered are from the artist’s experience & are not based on professional psychotherapeutic practices. Please visit a psychotherapist for professional help.
Let’s jump into a page from the calendar so I can demonstrate the journaling process:
Often it is difficult to identify an emotion, we tend to feel “low” but don’t fully understand why we feel the way we do. Identifying your emotions is the first step to awareness. Every month has a brief description of an emotion so you can understand it & be aware of it when you experience it.
In this particular month, we’re dealing with rejection. Let’s assume a situation wherein your effort was rejected at work. You feel demotivated & rejected, you’re unsure how to resolve this feeling.
At this point you can take your journal and answer the prompts:
1. Describe the feeling (What are you feeling, how does your body feel, when did you start feeling this way)
This is an important prompt because it helps to recollect the moment you first felt rejection. Being aware of this moment is like developing a practice so you can identify the emotion in the future.
Also, our mental state very often reflects on our physical state as well. Sometimes we experience aches or tingling sensations in our body when we’re feeling a certain way. Writing about your experience will be of great help in times like this.
2. Where does your fear of rejection/ feeling of rejection stem from? (external validation? lack of constructive criticism which leads to hurt?) What makes you feel rejected?
Once we identify an emotion, it is important to understand the trigger of the emotion. In this case, it could be because of the lack of validation or too harsh criticism. Being aware of why we feel the way we do can help us communicate better and understand ourselves better in order to make change.
3. What feedback does this rejection give you? Write fact based feedback. [Eg. Family rejects my mindsets. Feedback: We think differently (as opposed to I’m the black sheep, nobody loves me)]
Every emotion is giving you feedback about yourself. In this case, maybe the effort you put in was not awarded the way you wanted, the feedback here will be subjective to your experience and the situation. It takes time to understand how to view our emotions as feedback. Consistent journaling practice will make it easier over time.
4. List 5 qualities about yourself that you believe are meaningful to you.
This prompt is necessary because a part within you felt rejected. To be able to make any change for the future, it is necessary to know that you’re capable of the change. Listing down qualities about yourself can remind you of your strengths and help build your confidence.
2020 is the year of self care and navigating within ourselves to understand ourselves better. This calendar is available for pre-orders at a discounted fee (plus I’ll be sending across a free book for you to journal in!). I’m hoping to create a healthier lifestyle for myself & all those who choose to welcome this calendar in their lives! 🙂
You can also check out #12Months12Goals incase you’re looking for a table calendar. Click here to read more.
See you in 2020 <3