I've always liked to write and while I love my blog, there's just something beautiful and magical seeing your own handwriting on paper. Growing up I kept a diary to help process my thoughts and keep track of those exciting moments. Now-a-days I see my journal work as a key component of my self-care practice. ​

​How, you ask? Check out these four different ideas on how to use your journal for self-care.

Those of us who keep track of Mercury's crazy cycle know how much we dread hearing those words, "Mercury's in Retrograde." Mercury is said to rule over communication, travel and technology and in our fast paced world those things going haywire can cause quite a few issues. Have you ever experienced flight cancellations and tech failures during a mercury retrograde? Those things alone can cause some communication issues...

But what if we took Mercury's patterns as a sign for us to look backwards and slow down?

When Mercury goes "retrograde" it appears that Mercury is moving backwards in the sky and lucky for us we just started another round on Sunday, July 7th. 

There are times our confidence gets a bit of a shake up and who can blame you in this fast paced world where information, opinions and facts are all flying at us at once from all sides! While I believe it takes time to build up your self confidence and a healthy dose of putting yourself out there, there are a few little tricks you can employ to feel confident at any moment. ​

When I think of this first one, I'm always reminded of that episode of Grey's Anatomy when the neurosurgeon strikes a pose before a super intense surgery. I'm not saying you have to be brain surgeon for this one to work, but perhaps this idea could gift you some of that confidence in the face of your challenge. ​

Back in November we took some time to check in with that gratitude mindset towards others and of course for yourself! We see a lot of posts on social media about gratitude during the holidays, but what about  connecting with that feeling when it's no longer being published in every social media post/etc. to remind us to do it?

1. Journal it out.
Always my first suggestion. Taking the time to write something out helps us to organize our thoughts and give us time to really feel it. Also, if you write it down you can go back to it later and remember that feeling of gratitude or joy. ​

First up, sigils, what the heck are they?!

Think of sigils as a very personal symbol or design that sparks emotion for the creator. A similar example would be the emotions, beliefs, and memories that are invoked by the symbol of the cross. However, in the case of sigils the symbol will probably only mean something to the creator (unless created for a group, like this blog post). The idea is similar to a vision board, where the overall image creates a reaction that surpasses words. 

I think if we walk through how to make a sigil, it will make more sense.... ​

First up, let's create a statement that helps improve our self talk. ​

One of my favorite traditions at my annual retreat (this year it was "Clarify") is to make a Vision Journal.

​So, what is it? If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how in love with journalling I am; so seeing my journal tends to happen more frequently then say a vision board would that might get left on the counter to collect dust. ​Thus a Vision Journal was created! Seems like a simple revelation, but seeing that 'vision board' on my journal has completely changed vision boarding for me.

If you've never made a vision board before, basically it's putting together a group of images on a poster board with a specific idea in mind. Usually this ties in with a goal your are working towards. Then said poster would be placed in an area that you frequent, so you see it often. ​