Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
Did you get a chance to talk to your teen or young adult last week? Maybe ask them about school? What book they are currently reading? Teens and young adults love to have the adults in their lives take interest in what they are doing, even if it doesn’t seem like it all the time.
Are you following me on Facebook or Instagram? There is a lot happening on those platforms. If not, you should take a look.
September’s theme is journaling
This month’s theme is journaling. What is journaling? Journaling is a form of writing that helps us to explore and express what we are thinking or feeling in a written format. Journaling can be a journey of sorts. Many people use a diary to write down their activities, thoughts and feelings on a regular basis. Remember those diaries with the little locks and keys? I had those when I was a kid. They gave you a way to keep your private thoughts safe because you were the only one who had a key to them.
Types of people who journal
There are a few different kinds of people who journal
- Creative ones who can just sit down and start writing
- Ones who like to have prompts or ideas generated for them
- Ones who like to be more directed in what they are writing
Journaling is different for everyone. For the ones who like to have a directed method with boxes to fill in and questions to answer. we have guided journaling.
Guided Journaling
This type of journaling is created by subject that one would like to journal about. It tends to come in two different forms, specific pages that are catered to a subject that we want to journal about and journals and workbooks.
Journaling Pages
When I Google Journaling Pages, there are many options that come up. One of them is done by a Christie Zimmer . Here’s what her hope is for her pages.
“My goal is to give you a fun, quick and colourful collection of good reasons to start journaling right now.”
She offers some free ones to get started (a try before you buy) that can be printed off. The other pages are offered at a nominal fee (less than $10). This option may be good for those new to guided journaling and want to figure out if this format would work well for them.
Journals and Workbooks
The other option is to purchase a journal or workbook. This is a great option to keep all your thoughts in one place.
It may work well for your teen who may want to keep their work private and separate from their day-to-day activities.
Lisa Schab is a Chicago based Clinical Social Work/Therapist who has been working with children and teens and has published many journals and workbooks. Here is her approach according to her profile on Psychology Today
“Often we think we should be able to fix everything by ourselves. But recognizing we need help is a sign of wisdom, not weakness. Working with a counselor is not about giving up but having the courage to keep going.”
Here is a link to the books tab of her website to learn more about her and the journals she has created – Lisa Schab
The process of journaling is different for every person. Once you find the method that works for you, just start writing. Let those thoughts out onto the paper or screen. It is amazing how much it will help to see your thoughts in print to become aware of what you are actually thinking and feeling.
Come and Meet Me at the Deep Valley Book Festival
I will be participating in the Deep Valley Book Festival again this year, but it will be in person. It will be taking place on Saturday, October 2nd from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM in Mankato, Minnesota. If you are in the area or are attending the festival, please stop by and see me. I will be selling copies of both The Hard Way and Shawn’s Way and can sign them for you. Here is a link to their website for more information Deep Valley Book Festival. I hope to see you there.
If you are unable to attend, you can still get copies of my books. If you want to purchase your very own copies, there are links on my website which will take you to Amazon. The Way Series. If you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read it for free. Otherwise, you can purchase a copy of the ebook or paperback. Or you can shop Bookshop.org and have the purchase credited to your favorite independent bookstore.
Have a great week!
