Write about a souvenir you have bought or received!
Let
me start by saying I don’t journal and I think this is a waste of time. I work,
a lot. Usually seven days a week and a lot of double shifts. That doesn’t leave
a whole lot of time for souvenir shopping, as I’m sure you can imagine.
Although, I do camp. I suppose that’s something. There aren’t many shops out in the woods, or any for that matter, but there are people. I meet some interesting people out in the woods. One overly nice young lady I met, April was her name, gave me a lovely gold necklace with a solitary diamond hanging from it.
I
suppose that should count as a souvenir I received, although I didn’t keep it.
It was to delicate and pretty for me to wear. I ended up giving it to my
girlfriend, Sophie. I’m not sure she fully appreciated what I went through to
get it for her. I suppose I couldn’t really tell her all the gory details,
now could I?
Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!
Write about a souvenir you have bought or
received!
Are you an author looking for inspiration or even guidance? Click on the images below for some great writing tips and guides from authors who have been where you are!
Are you an author who is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals? Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my writing process!
Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel
It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write.
Want help meeting your writing goals? Check out JUST WRITE: The Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal
Write about a time everything changed in the blink of an eye!
It
was back when I still lived with my mom… One of the last times I ever saw her.
We
were going to the hospital; I was scheduled for some tests because I got
headaches, all the time.
I
never made it into the exam room. I never made it past the lobby.
As
we were walking up to the hospital entrance, I saw a woman laying on the ground
behind the dumpster. She looked cold… tired… gone.
My
mom rushed me away from her. I wasn’t sure what she was so afraid of, not at
the time. When they finally wheeled her into the lobby, I could see it—the blood.
It was dripping down her arm and onto the floor. I reached out, barely touching
her hand as they passed by us. That was when everything changed.
The
room started to spin and my headache was instantly gone. I could see, clearer
than I had ever seen before, but it wasn’t the hospital lobby I was seeing. I
was surrounded by trees and I could hear screaming coming from somewhere behind
me. When I turned around, I saw him!
Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!
Write about a time everything changed in the blink of an eye!
* * * * *
Click on the links below for some of my favorite author tools!
Sitting in a quiet, comfortable space, I want you to
focus on your breathing. Once you’re fully relaxed – but not sleeping – think about
your day and how you’re feeling right now. What is happening in your life? Are
you anxious, frustrated, stressed, upset, angry, saddened, or disappointed
about anything? If not, I applaud you. If you are feeling any of these emotions
lets take a few minutes to accept them.
Whatever the cause, and it really doesn’t matter, you
need to understand that your emotions are natural. It’s okay to feel frustrated,
angry, sad. It’s okay to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. It’s how you deal
with those emotions that matter. Learning to accept them will allow you to deal
with them in a healthy, non-disruptive way.
As you focus on the negative emotions you might be feeling,
I want you to take long, slow, deep breaths in then release those breaths with
the mantra “It’s natural to feel this way. It’s okay for me to feel this way.”
Continue this for 3-5 minutes and repeat any time your
emotions start to feel overwhelming.
Keeping a
journal is a great way to connect with your emotions. This could be through a
joy journal, a gratitude journal, an acts of kindness journal, or even a rant
journal. If you’re wondering what a rant journal is… you’re in luck, because
that is today’s journaling exercise.
For five minutes, and only five minutes, I give you permission to rant… This is
useful when you’re feeling upset, angry, sad, overly emotional in any way. Avoid
writing down what you think is causing your emotions… avoid blame. Simply write
down the emotions you’re feeling. Recognizing your emotions and understanding
that it is natural to feel those things is the first step in allowing yourself
to accept your emotions without giving them the power to become overwhelming.
* * * * *
Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
What is the first thing you do when you wake up every morning?
My
name is Stella. Every morning I wake up, in my ten-foot by ten-foot white room,
to the sound of an alarm blaring just outside my door at precisely 5:45am. I
have fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and hair, and change
into a freshly cleaned uniform.
At
6:00am the guards open my bedroom door and escort me down a long corridor to
the stairwell. We don’t take the elevator; they say the exercise stimulates
active brain function. No, we take the stairs down seven floors into the
sub-basement of the corporate offices of Operation Atlas. Once there, and only for
about ten minutes while we change shifts, I get to see one of the other watchmen.
There
are four of us, four watchmen. We work in shifts of six-hours at a time.
I’m the youngest, so I start at exactly 6:30am and end at 12:30pm on the dot.
They never leave any of us hooked into the system longer than six hours. They don’t
say why, but I have a feeling I wouldn’t want to know the reason anyway.
At
12:20pm the next watchmen comes in and they start the shift change protocol.
I’m out of the room at exactly 12:30pm and escorted back up the staircase and
back to my room.
Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!
What is the first thing you do when you wake up every morning?
* * * * *
Would you like more sources for daily writing inspiration and prompts? Click on the images below for great writing journals and/or prompts I think you’ll really love!
Are you an author who is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals? Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my writing process!
Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel
It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write
Want help meeting your writing goals? Check out JUST WRITE: The Ultimate Author’s Bullet Journal
Track your project progress along with daily and monthly word count goals/actuals. Plan your writing and publishing goals, maintain your personal/business to do list, never miss another deadline or appointment again, keep track of writing ideas, schedule and log social sharing and blog post ideas, keep a record of books you’re reading or want to read, maintain a running playlist, etc.
Today’s
#MindfulnessMonday Tip: Did you know that a
great way to increase your own personal joy and happiness is to increase the
joy and happiness of others?
Use visualization to help make a habit of doing
at least one act of kindness each and every day!
Step 1: FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING – Settle into a comfortable position, either sitting or laying down. Focus on your breathing and allow your body to rest, but don’t fall asleep.
Step 2: REFLECTION – Reflect on the people in your life that you will be seeing today, or tomorrow if you’re doing this exercise in the evening. Is there something you could do to help them, make them a little happier, or take some of their stress away?
Step 3: VISUALIZATION – Visualize yourself doing an act of kindness for that person. What would that act of kindness be?
Step 4: EXPLORE YOUR FEELINGS – How does the idea of doing this act of kindness make you feel? Explore these feelings.
Step 5: ACT OF KINDNESS – As soon as possible, do this act of kindness for this friend, family member, co-worker. If you are to busy to do it right away, make sure you write the idea down and plan to do it sooner rather than later.
Utilizing the steps above, focus on your breathing and
then, once relaxed think of the people in your life. Who do you know that might
need a little help, something to make them smile, or just a call to say hello
and brighten their day? Once you have someone in mind decide what you can do,
right now, to help increase their joy.
2. Mindfulness Joy Journaling:
I want you
to write a list of the people in your life that you think could use a little
help or a boost in joy. These can be your friends, family, or even co-workers.
Once you’ve
created your list, write down one or two things you can do for each person
within the next two weeks. This could be as simple as a call, a hug, sending a letter
or a card, or meeting up for coffee.
Then all
you have to do is find time over the next couple weeks to complete each of the
tasks on your list.
* * * * *
Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
As an avid reader of fiction (and an author who one day hopes to make the list) I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE checking out the New York Times Best Seller list. So, here it is… The independently ranked top 10 Fiction selections for JULY 2019!
If you’ve read any of the TOP 10 selections and recommend them, please comment below and let me know. If you see something you like and plan to pick up a copy, you can do so by clicking on the title or the (BUY IT HERE) button.
#1 Summer of ’69
by Elin Hilderbrand
The Levin family undergoes dramatic events with a son in Vietnam, a daughter in protests and dark secrets hiding beneath the surface.
Today’s #MindfulnessMonday Tip: Mindfulness can be very beneficial when dealing with loss and getting through times of grief.
Three Mindful Strategies to Help You Recover from Loss and Get You Through Times of Grief:
Quiet
Reflection – Sometimes the best way to get past loss
and deal with grief is by facing it head on. Find a quiet place to reflect on
the lost loved one, remember them as they were in your life, hold onto those
memories and allow yourself to feel the sadness and embrace it. Once you have
accepted the grief you may find it easier to move past it. That loss may never
go away, but your heart will start to heal making it a little bit easier each
and every day.
Center
yourself – When the waves of sadness and grief
fell overwhelming use slow deep breathing to get through the helplessness that
often comes with the grief. This will help you stay grounded and bring you back
to the present moment.
Practice
Mindfulness – Loss and grief are cyclical, like the
seasons. Even when we are in the middle of an extreme winter, we know that summer
will eventually come. We learn to push through those cold, sometimes
unbearable, winter days because we know there is something to look forward to
on the other end. The same is true for grief. Today, your grief may seem
unbearable, but a month from now… six months from now… a year from now… little
by little that pain will start to subside and eventually, you’ll be able to
look back on the memories of your lost loved one with joy and not sadness.
Your breath is a great tool to help train your mind to
focus your thoughts, center yourself, and push through stress, anxiety, pain,
loss, and of course grief. Whenever you start to feel your mind wander or
become overloaded use this two-step meditation to bring you back to the
present.
Step 1 – Notice your breathing. Pay attention to the sensation of the air around you; how it feels as it enters your nose then travels down into your lungs. Pay attention to the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen as the air moves in and out of your body. Don’t change the way you breathe, let the air move in and out as it normally would, just be aware of the sensations involved with the act of breathing.
Step 2 – Count your breaths. The first breath in and out is 1,
the next breath in and out is 2, continue until you reach a full ten to fifteen
breaths. As you relax, your breaths will get longer. This exercise should take
you about a minute to complete. If you’re still feeling stressed after ten to
fifteen breaths, continue the exercise until those feelings have passed.
Mindfulness Grief Journaling:
Step 1 – Take 5 minutes to write down what you’re feeling. There is no wrong way to complete this exercise so don’t worry about being judged. This is for you and you alone.
Step 2 – Take 5 minutes to write down how the person you lost makes you feel when you think of the memories you shared.
The point of this exercise it to acknowledge the grief and accept the feelings you’re having, but to also remember the good times and end on a positive note that honors your loved one.
* * * * *
Check out
my #MindfulnessMonday YouTube Series and don’t forget to click subscribe so you
never miss an episode!
I’m certified in Holistic Stress Management and Mind/Body Fitness. I’ve been practicing Mindfulness for 10+ years and am passionate about helping others in their pursuit of a more mindful existence.
I'm drunk ~ Not on alcohol or even love. I'm drunk ~ Grief pulls me under and rattles my shell. I'm drunk ~ It's not a tipsy sort of dizziness. I'm drunk ~ It's a heavy, sinking feeling sweeping over me. I'm drunk ~ Hollow... Senseless... Desperation I'm drunk ~ Vacant... Void... Agony I'm drunk ~ Plummeting... Falling... Sinking I'm drunk ~ It's the sting of your loss pulling me under! I'M DRUNK!
Dedicated to my Uncle Dan (Danny Tapaninen Feb. 19, 1955 – June 24, 2019) You will forever be in my heart!
Alright,
now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires in
you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing.
Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!
What are you feeling, right now?
Are you an author who
is looking for ways to stay organized and on track with all your writing goals?
Check out my author workbooks below. They are full of all the tools I use in my
writing process!
Are you working on a manuscript, but need a little help getting organized? Check out SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK ~ An Indie Author Guide to Outlining and Planning Your Next Novel
It isn’t just for indie-authors. I have filled it with all the tools I’ve learned over the years and use on a regular basis with each book I write
Nina Soden 