I'm certain that many people would agree that 2020 was rough. For me, life seemed to stop as I knew it right around March, when I should have been returning to work after Spring Break.
I honestly think I experienced bouts of depression during the Summer months, and I continued to struggle in the early months of school starting back, as well. As a writer, I found it difficult to focus my writing on anything but the negative.
Thankfully, however, I was surrounded by (virtually, of course) a group of people, who helped find ways to change my mindset, and encouraged me to seek out the positive in my world. I know it sounds too simple, but a change in how I concentrated my thoughts was exactly what I needed.
So, I am sharing with you how I ended 2020 purposefully seeking out the good and the positive in the midst of what felt like total chaos.
In November, I made a JOY plan, which involved "purposefully and intentionally planning for moments of JOY." Don't you just love the sound of that - seeking out and planning for moments of JOY? I got the idea from Michelle Haseltine's blog post, "What Is a Joy Plan?" Visit Michelle's blog to read more about how Michelle planned her moments of JOY and to get ideas for how you will plan yours.
In my notebook, I listed the things and the people and the places and the events that bring me JOY. Just making the list lifted my spirits, because my attention was being turned away from the stresses of life and turned toward all that was near and dear to my heart. Pause and think about what brings you JOY. What would write on your JOY plan list?
During this same time, my writing group, Time To Write, began a 30-day writing challenge to write haikuish poems intended to express gratitude. My JOY plan became the catalyst for my daily #Gratikus. The more I wrote to express my thankfulness, I actually began to notice more things to be thankful for. So, I added new JOYs to my list.
#Gratiku
Following a month of writing gratitude-filled poetry, my writing group and I ended the year writing about "The Joys of 2020" for the month of December. What a perfect way to center one's mind on all that went right in 2020. As a community, we shared our JOYs with one another in the TeachWrite Facebook Group. Reading and commenting on the JOYs my writer-friends posted also helped in my mindset shift.
This challenge gave the opportunity to look back through my photos and previously-written notebook entries. I got to relive the feelings and JOY those moments brought to my life. I made a list of 29 JOYs I could write about, but also left room on the list for new JOYs that I would experience.
Writing and writing challenges was a huge part of helping me change and maintain a positive mindset during a time when there were, in my opinion, so many things going on in the world that were not positive. Therefore, I continue to write daily in my notebook (my happy place) and participate in writing challenges. I continue to look for WINs and JOYs and moments to CELEBRATE.
My hope is that this post will help you find the WINs, JOYs and CELEBRATIONs that are all around you. Get a notebook and write all about them. Take out your camera and capture the moment. Whatever you do, don’t let them pass you by. I encourage you to seek the positive.
I love so much about this post, beginning with the vulnerability you show when you acknowledge your struggles with depression on and off during these trying times. I wish more people would talk about it because that would have really helped me last summer. And I also just love hearing how doing this focused writing helped you change your mindset. And lastly, we love a lot of the same joys!
ReplyDeleteXO~ Cheryl Curbishley