How's your progress so far?
Just four weeks ago, I declared that NOURISH would be my theme for the year.
Nourishing myself with self-care, nourishing my relationships, nourishing my relationship with money, nourishing my creativity and passion for learning, nourishing both my body and my spirit.
It has been amazing to look at my life through this lens.
And today I’d like to share my favorite practice with you:
Each morning when I sit down to journal, I ask myself six questions that help me set my intentions for how I’ll nourish myself:
What will I do to feel nourished at home?
How will I make living in my body a more pleasurable experience?
How will I demonstrate love for myself?
How will I nourish my relationship with money?
How will I manage my energy?
Who do I need to connect with?
It has been powerful, learning to put myself first.
I’m learning to sit quieter, longer, as I wait for the answers to find me. I’m finding ways to move past the time anxiety that’s usually buzzing in my brain (Move faster…you have to hurry…there’s so much to do!).
I’m connecting with myself in ways I never dreamed possible.
My answers to these questions look different every day, which makes sense because I’m a little different each day.
And I’ve been able to really get clear on what I need to do to nourish myself so I can give the best of me to those I love.
What have I gained this month with this practice?
I feel a growing sense of calm, no matter how busy or frazzled I get.
I’m more connected to my body, more appreciative of what it does for me, and I’ve gotten better at listening to what it’s telling me she needs.
I’m finding more comfort and joy at home.
My relationships are stronger because I’m more intentional about the time and energy I’m spending on them.
I’m increasing my capacity for giving myself grace - if I don’t check off everything on my list, it’s okay. I can extend my (arbitrary, self-imposed) deadline and get it done tomorrow.
And, more than ever before, I am liking the person I see in the mirror every day. She’s kinder to herself, which gives her capacity to be kinder to others, to love others more, and she has more to give.
If you had asked me on January 1 if I would be seeing such results already, I wouldn’t have thought I’d gain so much, so fast. But I’m so grateful.
On Friday, I was sitting at my desk working, and I was overcome with joy - joy for being alive, for the life I lead, for how well I’ve taken care of myself, for all of the good things.
And while I loved this feeling, I soon grew uncomfortable. Itchy, irritable, overwhelmed, like I didn’t know what to do with so much joy.
It showed me that I have a long way still to go to build capacity.
And I’m excited to continue on my journey.
How are you doing with your goals for the year?
Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!
How are you doing with the goals you set for yourself this year?
What have you learned?
What have you gained?
What have you left behind?
What new habits have you been implementing?
Are they serving you in ways you expected?
What do you need to move forward this week?
How can your journaling support you in moving toward your goals?
What questions can you reflect on regularly to measure your progress?
How will you celebrate what you’ve achieved in January?
One Journaling Idea I Love:
Love Letters
Love letters aren’t just for your someone special. They’re for you too! Take some time to write yourself a love letter. What do you love about yourself? What positive traits can you celebrate? Where can you recognize effort and growth? Pour out your love for yourself on the page, no matter how much love you have. Love grows as we express it. Make it a regular practice to write yourself a love letter and see how your relationship with yourself changes over time.
Want to Improve Your Relationships?
My group journaling program, Better Me in 2023, welcomes thoughtful women who yearn for to learn and grow, improve themselves, and discover deeper connections with themselves and others.
In a safe and supportive environment, we’ll use journaling to examine our lives, celebrate what’s working well, identify where we can improve, and make adjustments to become the versions of ourselves we long to be.
In February, our topic is Better Relationships.
We’ll dive deeply into the health of our most important relationships, starting with ourselves.
We start on February 6 and we have a spot for you.
Reply to this email to let me know you’re interested!
Program Details:
Monday - Thursday mornings
February 6-23
8:00 - 8:30 am Eastern
You’ll get (12) 30-minute live Zoom calls, Journal prompts and exercises
both in group and to work through on your own, and access to our
Slack channel for support and community.
SEE HERE for full program details.
Happy Journaling!
P.S. I’ll be hosting a monthly journaling mini-retreat each month, so if you’ve been wondering what group journaling is all about, it’s an easy, low commitment way to give it a try. The next one is on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 pm Eastern.
CLICK HERE to register.
Amanda, I love your first block print!! And I love even more that it is not perfect in the way something that is mass - produced is perfect! Most of all, I love that you are sharing your struggles with perfectionism!
Amanda, I've only scan-read this for now - back later to read it properly - because I'm just off to NOURISH myself with a walk in this afternoon's glorious sunshine here in south-east UK. THANK YOU for the nudge!