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Living in the Moment: An Art Journal Painting Tutorial on Denim
Do you ever find yourself surrounded by distraction? Living in the moment is not always easy, but is an important habit to cultivate. By being present in the moment we can find enjoyment and peace in the small and precious moments in our lives. Art journaling can be a useful tool to help us practice living in the moment by writing about what we experience in these moments. Why Living in the Moment? I recently had the opportunity to visit Banff National Park. It was a day to enjoy the outdoors and practice photography. Visiting the park with my husband we both commented on interesting behavior that we saw as…
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The Mindful Magic of Fountain Pens
Do you have objects that encourage your self-care practice and help you achieve mindfulness? One of my favorite objects is the fountain pen. I love to write and journal so the pen is an important part of my self-care practice. I use the fountain pen not just in my journal, but also in creating art, so it is an important and versatile tool for my self-care. Why the Pen? I have a large assortment of pens. The fountain pen is one of my favorites, but there are many other pen styles that I enjoy. I love making pen and ink drawings and having a variety of pens adds variation to…
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Restoration During A Holiday
Happy Canada Day and Independence Day to my readers! Since this week is Canada Day and Independence Day, I wanted to share with you what I do to find restoration during a holiday. Even as things are opening up in Alberta, there is still a need for social distancing that is affecting holiday celebrations. With that in mind, I was thinking about how to celebrate Canada Day in a way that would be fun and restorative. Get Out of the House With my husband and I both working from home, we really wanted to get out of the house for Canada Day. We have been staying pretty close to home…
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Goal Setting During COVID-19
Goal setting during COVID-19 may seem like an odd thing to discuss, but I believe it is now more important than ever. If you have been following my site for a while, you will know that I have already shared some of my personal experience with goal setting. I believe that goal setting is an exercise that we should do at least once a year. It needs to be more than a New Year’s Resolution. Goal setting is a tool to help us find purpose and define the goals that are most important to us. In my original article about goal setting, I provided a free goal setting template. This…
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How to Find Rest During COVID-19
As I have been connecting with friends online this week, it has made me think about how to find rest during COVID-19. It is easy to say that since many of us are not working now that we are having a period of rest. I do not believe that is necessarily the case. Being a driven person, I have found that finding actual restorative time and learning how to rest is easier said than done. Busy for the Sake of Busyness It is easy to fall into being busy for the sake of busyness. The habit of always doing something and going somewhere is not an easy one to break.…
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How to Start a Self-Care Habit
How do we start a self-care habit? This seems like an easy question but it’s not so easy to answer. There is often talk of self-care and how we need self-care. The question is how do we apply it in a personal way to our lives? How do we reduce the “noise” in our lives enough to allow us to find personal self-care? What is Self-Care? According to the dictionary self- care is defined as “The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” That sounds simple enough. Take an active role in protecting our health, well-being and happiness,…
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Practicing Self-Care during the Holiday Season
Practicing self-care during the holiday season can be a bit of a challenge. It is a season filled with additional commitments. This can mean finding moments to relax and be mindful can be rare. It made me think of the self-care habits that I have in place over the holiday season that bring rest and restoration. Self-Care through Handmade Holiday Cards One of my self-care practices over the holiday season is making holiday cards. Not only do people love handmade cards, it can be an outlet for slowing things down and finding mindfulness. I find using a loose medium like watercolor is very relaxing. Working with my hands and concentrating…
The Art of Self-Care
