At the beginning of the Covid Epidemic, I decided to experiment and create a multisensory tool to keep track of my thoughts, feelings, and sensations as I recorded my activities.
Ideas for Journaling
For years, I would buy an oversized teacher’s planner to use as a written agenda and journal. It was inexpensive and provided room to scribble and jot down notes. This year, I sampled the Passion Planner free PDFs and then purchased my own undated Passion Planner. It provided space for mind maps, drawings, and written notes. The company had a Facebook group and videos on Youtube to help users experiment and create their own solutions.
I color coded my schedule using a system of four or five colors, which symbolized tasks that I enjoyed, those which stretched me to learn, tasks I would prefer to avoid, and those that I had to force myself to do.
Many people use their planner as a scrapbook. Stickers are popular additions.
After looking at the choices, I decided to use a variety of photos that symbolized parts of me that pulled me in a variety of directions. I identified some inner critics, including a guy who did not miss a chance to find fault with me, an angry parent, and girls who criticized me in pairs or small groups. I found an image of a firefighter to symbolize the part of me that pushed me to watch a whole tv series in two days. Looking in my photo collections, I found a few pictures of myself as a child to symbolize parts of me that were in exile. I used a recent picture of myself to symbolize my Wise Self. To facilitate a conversation between my Self and my Defenders, I created a graphic organizer with prompts and room to jot responses.
Several years ago, I took three eight week courses in mindfulness at Insightla.
I continue to practice formally and informally every day. For young children, or if you have difficulty self-regulating, Zones of Regulation is an affordable resource.
I use Evernote on my iPad to keep a dream journal. I love that I can type in bed and when I’m fully awake find my notes saved on the Cloud.
The Innovator’s Compass is a Design Thinking tool that I use for problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. It is particularly useful when we forget what matters and when we need a non-judgmental structure to experiment.
Infographics and structures for journaling
These might be used as prompts or graphic organizers:
Regardless of your circumstances, why not take a minute or two to notice and document your experiences with awareness, kindness, and compassion?
This post was originally published on May 22, 2020, during the early months of COVID-19. Looking back, the timeline of the pandemic unfolded far longer and more complexly than many expected. The impact has been profound—loss, lingering health challenges, and ongoing adjustments to daily life. At the same time, there have also been meaningful shifts: deeper family connections for some, and significant advances in medical understanding and care.
Writing things down and paying attention to your internal experience can help you understand what’s actually happening—and where change becomes possible.
You can start wherever you are.