Many of our lives have changed in 2020. And it continues.
The pandemic is still pandemic-ing. We're moving into a new season with new challenges, and you will have feelings about all of it.
That's where this comes in.
Hey, YouTube world. It's me, Evelyn. This is episode one of a little baby mini-series that I'm doing,
just to increase our vibes during these unprecedented times, times, (laughs) times.
We're focusing on mind, body, and soul. You like how this means soul?
Starting with our minds.
As of October 4th, there have been over 7.4 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S.
And 209,802 deaths.
The U.S. makes up about 4% of the world's population, but about 25% of cases. Cute.
O.G. internet cousins know that my mom is a nurse.
And yes, little update: she is doing well. Physically she's okay.
She gets tested pretty frequently, it's been negative every time.
We love that for her, but I've seen my mom in person a grand total of once in 2020.
And that sucks. But we're gonna journal about it.
(Alternative Hip Hop music plays)
Journaling is something I've done since I was a child.
And I think I've even read my fifth grade diary in a previous video?
"Dear diary, I have to tell you something. Steve is crybaby."
Over the years, journaling has not only helped me document what happened in my life, but perhaps more importantly, how I felt about it.
The thing of it is, 2020 has probably thrown so many new things your way.
Are you the one in five workers who is claiming or is still waiting for unemployment benefits?
Are you in school now? Do you have kids and they're in school now? How will this all work?
Where do you put all that stress? All that worry?
How bout you, slam it down in a journal? Try it. Here's how.
Number one: use the medium that works for you.
Clearly, I like pen and paper. I like it because it forces me to slow down.
I can't write as fast as I can type, or as fast as I can talk, certainly not as fast as I can think.
But if you prefer a quick voice memo, a word doc,
a finsta with a close friends that has nobody in it so you get the feeling of venting on social media without actually venting on social media, do you.
Number two: you are the only person who has to understand what it says or what it means.
Journaling can seem intimidating, okay, but when you realize it's not a book report,
that just frees you up to write how you talk, to scribble some words down.
It don't have to be Times New Roman, you know what I'm saying, size 12.
You don't have to worry about making the periods a little larger to fill up the page. Okay.
It doesn't have to be double spaced.
There's even some entries, and I'm trying to find it, where I just trailed off and scribbled.
Tore up the page because that felt better than trying to form English words.
Number three: journaling is not about trying to solve your problems.
You don't have to sum it up perfectly or even end on a high note.
It's truly just a place to describe what you're going through.
I usually try to journal at the beginning of the month, just to capture how I'm feeling.
And this is how I ended my entry, "Oh yeah. I'm writing this on the 17th because I couldn't pretend to care earlier."
That's how I felt. It's a mood.
Tip number four: you don't have to keep it.
Some people such as myself like to hold on to journals. It's fun to look back.
See what we were feeling, what we were thinking, what we were doing way back when.
But that's not a rule written anywhere.
I think my mom once told me that my grandmother used to burn her journals at the end of every year.
That's poetic.
So if that freaks you out, the idea of having a running document or a record of yourself, if that seems weird to you: toss it.
Delete. Shred.
Or, in the case of grandmama, burn it.
Number five: it's okay to use prompts.
I usually write what comes to mind. I don't really use prompts unless I'm doing some vision board, hippie dippy (laughs) type exercise.
But I've always found that some light complaining really gets the ball rolling.
So! I'm gonna put one minute on the clock, 60 seconds, journal with me.
Here's our prompt. What do I wish was easier for me right now?
Let's do it.
(Lo-fi Hip Hop music plays)
(Alarm sounds)
Take some time. Read what you wrote.
Think about where that feeling is coming from.
Maybe it'll help you realize where you can ask someone for help.
Maybe you wanna keep writing. Mmkay. That's your business.
Thanks so much for watching, and in the comments below, let me know if journaling is your thing or not.
And I will see you back here tomorrow for episode two. Bye!