What a year. As I look back on all that has occurred in the last few months since my last ‘Journal Blog’ I feel a little exhausted! I would like to say I feel proud of all that I have achieved…I do…but, this is a hard feeling to stay with. For me (like many of you, I am sure) my mind catapults into all the things I didn’t do, all the things I didn’t get right, and all the things still to do! It is so hard to stay right now, in this moment, and just savour what really is going on and what I am really feeling.
Writing a journal helps me to do this. My aim for the coming year is to write more often. It helps me download my thoughts, and understand more about myself. In turn, I hope, just maybe, that it will help others. I am not really a natural writer. I am a natural talker! So I hope you can decipher the point of my blogs!
Writing for me feels a bit formal. I get caught up in worrying about sentence structures, grammar, and spelling. This is partly because I have a ‘slight’… ok quite a large tendency to be a perfectionist. But also because I am dyslexic.
I have often faced people telling me that my written word is not accurate, not clear enough, poor grammar, obvious spelling mistakes, too many words, blah blah blah… I have also had people recently say that my words have helped them. Who should I listen to more?
I have worried that the written word is permanent and that this may get misinterpreted, that I will be criticised and judged for writing a blog. I have got so caught up in this cycle or ‘worrying thoughts’ ‘mind reading’ and castastrophising that I forgot the whole point of #NOLABELS.
I started this organisation to support people with their mental wellbeing needs. I aimed to share the journey and to be authentic throughout it! So I will be doing more of just that! Starting with regular ‘Journal Blogs’.
#NOLABELS has been through a lot of changes in it’s short life. The Hub and Gift Shop in Lechlade is now a wonderful welcoming space. It has a stock of various handmade items by people with mental wellbeing connections. Yes, at the moment a lot of the stock is made by me. Something I did not anticipate! But it is growing with new stockists all the time!
I love being creative. Creativity helps me manage my mental wellbeing. I will be aiming to do something creative every day in 2019. I will take pictures and share them on instagram (something else new I am learning more about!) with the hashtags #nolabelsmentalwellbeing #craftformentalwellbeing #postivestepsfor2019 Please feel feel to join me and share your makes!
I will also be developing the mental wellbeing side of #NOLABELS. I will be hosting more workshops and freeing up more time for individual sessions!
I am looking forward to all that 2019 brings! I hope you enjoy being part of the journey with me to develop #NOLABELS identity and support more people with their mental wellbeing needs.
Nikky x