It is no secret that I love to write and I live by my to do lists and random scribbles. I keep a diary, a notebook and a work log on my desk at all times, so when I was asked if I would like to review a journal I was really keen. However when it arrived it wasn’t the type of journal I was expecting, in fact it’s safe to say it is a whole lot more than just a journal but is more of a personalised safe haven, a place to record and make sense of your coping mechanism and fantastic tool kit to use as a mindfulness activity, that you can return to again and again, which works brilliantly with the lifestyle changes I have been making since I left teaching in January.
This is for you – A creative toolkit for better self-care was created and designed by Ellen M Bard, a Chartered Psychologist and Wellness Thought Leader. It is designed to be an interactive journal with 100 ways to take control of your life and make more time for you and as it is available from 3rd January 2019 it is the perfect way to start the new year.
Ellen created this book using her science and evidence based formula of 100 key exercises to help us re-frame our priorities and take better care of ourselves. She has separated the chapters into Body, Mind, Feelings, Relationships, Time, Work, Environment, Creativity and Change, which can be tackled individually and in any particular order, you can just gravitate to the chapter that speaks to you the most and start there. Each chapter asks the reader to consider different things they like, dislike, and various views they have on a whole host of things and gets you to note down your responses.
By doing so you have to switch off for a moment and look at yourself and enjoy some self care but more importantly once these have been filled in you can go back to them at any time and see what things you said make you happy, foods that make you feel good and songs that make you smile, and so you can turn to these when you need to be uplifted.
Ellen hopes this journal will do for others what it has done for her and help you “create a morning ritual to start the day in a meaningful way. Discover the true art of the to-do list. Learn to say “No” (or the equally important “Yes…but”). And identify the drains and radiators in your personal relationships.”
And I for one can certainly see how this could work. I have already started to work through mine and hope to have it completed by January the 1st so that I can start to refer to it in the new year with a fresh sense of determination to succeed and motivation to do so more efficiently.
This is for you will be available form 3rd January from Watkins Publishers for £10.99 an is the perfect new yer new you gift to get for yourself.
(I was sent a copy of the book to review and all opinions are my own).