Guided Journaling Galore

By Kelsey Ruzicka

Journaling is not a new concept. It is has been around for thousands of years as a way to document life. It has provided men and women of all statuses, professions and ages with a tool for various reasons, and has survived many ages of civilization.

Journaling from its core is designed to sort out emotions, write down thoughts, docu ment a moment or even put ideas together and innovate. Today we often see it as a vintage tool or art form. Due to the age of computers and digital components, most of us have transitioned any sort of writing to a computer. But pen, ink and a notebook still thrive and are making a surge.

Journaling does more than just help you record your memories or find self-expression. It’s good for your health. Journaling is a incredible stress management tool, a good-foryou habit that lessens impact of physical stressors on your health. Those who journal boast improved immune system functioning (it strengthens immune cells!) as well as lessened symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Expressive writing has been shown to improve liver and lung function and combat certain diseases; it has even been reported to help the wounded heal faster. Journaling helps keep your brain in tip-top shape. Not only does it boost memory and comprehension, it also increases working memory capacity. A unique social and behavior outcome of journaling is this: it can improve your mood and give you a greater sense of overall emotional well-being and happiness. Journaling evokes mindfulness and helps writers remain present while keeping perspective. Journaling can help in the management of personal adversity and change, and emphasize important patterns and growth in life.

Guided journaling is becoming a popular hobby to take on. Instead of writing about whatever comes to mind, a guided journal typically includes entries with a prompt or prompts to write about a particular aspect of your life, such as health, spirituality, mental wellness, or even documenting a trip. Guided journaling is often less intimidating than a blank sheet of paper and your own thoughts for those that don’t consider themselves an author. The prompts can make it quick and easy to make journaling a routine.

There’s a reason guided journals are so big right now: they get your creative juices flowing, offer thought-provoking prompts, and feature inspirational quotes to keep you motivated. Whether you’re looking for an in-depth gratitude journal or want a lightly guided notebook to aid you in goal-setting, there are seemingly endless options.

Here are a few types of guided journals we have found.

5 minute journals. A small sentence is all that that is needed each day for this journals. The journal offers a prompt, and the writer only needs 5 minutes to think of and write it down. Lots of these types of journals have you map this routine over the course of a year or 5 to compile a collection of thought for reflection later.

Self care journals that guide you through daily meditation, health tracking like water intake and exercise, acts of kindness and more. Some are based on a prompt a day like gratitude, kindness or business related. Some journals are for planning your daily tasks and events. More of a planner, but with much more added in. These can be general or even niche into a mom planner or college oriented one.

Other forms of journals are dot journals. These are journals that have the writer be an active participant in the design and look of the journal. Some include calligraphy, sketching, stickers, embellishments and more.

If all else fails, there are tons of beautiful plain lined and unlined notebooks ready for whatever you want to write down. It is truly an art form that has lived through the ages and continues to find its place in our culture and craft environment.

Adult Coloring

By Robin Snyder

Adult coloring is one of my favorite pastimes. Some people see absolutely no benefit to this activity! Well, that is simply not true! As some one who is creative, I see a ton of benefit to coloring. For one thing, it clears your mind of a lot of nonsense and lets you focus on one thing. As a multi-tasker I seem to have several things always running through my head at any given time. Coloring makes me concentrate on one thing. It helps clear away the silly stuff that can bog you down. I can be more creative if I have better focus.

Coloring for a short period before you go to bed is beneficial for better sleep, so much better than watching TV or your electronic device, which does NOT induce good sleep. It again clears away all the thoughts of the day and can be used for meditation of positive things. I also color when my husband wants to watch a game on TV that I am really not interested in!

Then there is the art of it. If you paint, you will know what I’m talking about. I tend to get carried away with the colors and shading and perspective, but that is just me. There are a lot of very beautiful coloring books out there these days, and a lot of different colors to use, such as markers, colored pencils, and gel pens. You don’t have to be a good artist or even a poor one to color a great picture! So color away your blues and be happy!!

Winter in the upper Midwest is in full swing at the beginning of 2023. I will be the first to admit that winter is not my favorite season! However, I am going to make the best of it with a little winter décor. So here is a cute winter star to brighten your winter season!

You will Need: Step One

Step Two

You will need 5 paint-stir sticks, a dark colored paint ( I picked dark brown) and white paint, paint brushes (2), hot glue gun and glue, ribbon, wire cutters, floral stems, twine, and floral wire (oops not pictured).

Now it’s time to form the star. I started with the piece that runs straight across. I kept the ends with the curves on the top and the straight ends underneath.

Hot glue the sticks together at the ends.

Step THREE

I then wired on some of the floral stems. Some up and some down.

Next it is time to make a bow (which I’m not the best at) but I just tied one bow and added two extra loops and wired it together.

I then wrapped twine around the ends to make it look like they are tied but I really glued them on.

Step Four

Paint the five sticks with a dark color paint (I chose a dark brown). Use a dry brush so you don’t have everything covered.

After the dark color has dried, paint the white on with a dry brush also.

Then wire it onto the star and trim the ends. Very cute winter décor!!