December is a month of holidays, rituals, school breaks with family anniversaries and birthdays often thrown in the mix just to make everything more hectic and fun or stressful, depending on your state of mind. If you feel pressure to perform according to exacting expectations coming from your own self talk or from other people, try this journal exercise.
I experimented with a draw on line program to give you the feel of what I'm saying here.
Your journal is yours.
- Drop all expectations of doing it right.
- Drop all concerns about doing it wrong.
- Write in big letters across one whole page: This journal is mine!
- Write your freedom song!
- I can write upsidedown, and write that upsidedown.
- I can misspell words and mizpl thm.
- Leave out punctuation
- Don't cross your t's or dot your eyes.
- Write with different colors
- Glue or tape pictures to your journal
- Draw pictures or make designs on your pages
- Say what you think
- Dare to vent, dream, wish, challenge, create or destroy
- Write letters and pictures that are sounds - not words
- Get rid of margins
Make it your place to practice letting go of expectations, rules, and demands from yourself and others. Give yourself some breathing room and stretch out.
You'll refresh yourself and discover some daring you didn't know you had and might need now. Let me know what happens!
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Written by Joanna Poppink, MFT. Joanna is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in eating disorder recovery, stress, PTSD, and adult development.
She is licensed in CA, AZ, OR, FL, and UT. Author of the Book: Healing Your Hungry Heart: Recovering from Your Eating Disorder
Appointments are virtual.
For a free telephone consultation, e-mail her at
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