Super Marady World

It's no secret that I love journaling.   I've been doing it since I was a kid and have been consistently keeping journals since the year I turned fifteen. I started with simple personal journal entries and diary-keeping. Over the years, my journaling practice has expanded to include art journals, gratitude journals, spirituality journals, junk journals and more. Much of my journaling falls under the category of creative journaling and scrap journaling, which we'll discuss more in a bit. But first, let's cover some basics. The Basics What is journaling?  Simply put, journaling is the act of documenting your thoughts and feelings. Notice that there is no mention of fancy journals or notebooks, or even any mention of words or paper in that description. One can journal through art, photography, video, and digital or online methods like blogging. But the most traditional method of journaling is writing in a physical notebook, and this is the method I started my journaling jo

I've been struggling with my mental health since I was a kid. Like many of us, I haven't always used the healthiest of coping mechanisms. But I've also developed an array of healthy coping mechanisms and strategies for practicing self-care and regulating my mood that I employ on a regular basis. Depression, anxiety and OCD are still a big part of my life, but these tactics have greatly helped me to manage the symptoms.        I've compiled a list of my favourite simple things that you can do to improve your mood and mental health  and I hope you find some of them helpful. Let's go! Let there be light. Open up those blinds or curtains during the day and turn on some lamps at night. So many little things can affect our mood, including lighting - or lack thereof. I always feel better and cozier when I'm in a room with enough warm light to comfortably see what I'm doing, but not so much light that it feels blinding or irritating. Play around with different amoun

A lot has happened since  my last blog post in February. I had every intention of posting something for the month of March and continuing my monthly posting schedule but I allowed life to distract me. During this impromptu hiatus, my personal life took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride. As always, I chose to focus on the positives. I met some awesome people this year and went on some memorable adventures. I made exciting further progress with my OCD recovery, celebrated my 31st birthday with friends and family, went camping for the first time in almost 30 years, and came out as non-binary. I discovered that I have a lot of great people in my corner, and I'm so very thankful.  As the year draws to a close, I've been setting goals and plans in place for 2024 and I'm feeling optimistic. One goal I have is to return to writing monthly blog posts. Topic suggestions are welcome! Another goal I have is to get back into doing the things that bring me joy; things tha

How do you feel about Valentine's Day?  According to some sources , one in ten young adults feel depressed, lonely, insecure or unwanted on Valentine's Day, and 40% of people have negative feelings toward the designated day of love. Some research suggests that Valentine's Day marks the start of an  annual rise in suicide  that peaks in April. If you're one of the many people dreading the upcoming holiday, you're not alone. Below are some ideas for getting through February 14th and making it an enjoyable day. Celebrate Love Valentine's Day has a long history  dating back centuries. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance around the 14th century, although its origins are even older. With such an emphasis on romance, it can be a difficult time for single people, people grieving the loss of a partner, or those struggling with unhappy relationships. But Valentine's Day can be celebrated as simply a day of love - any kind of love, not just the romantic variet

Winter in Muskoka Lakes , Ontario , Canada . Photo credit to  Garry MacMillan Winter is a tough season for a lot of us.   Major Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern , formerly and more commonly known as  Seasonal Affective Disorder  or SAD - a seasonal form of  depression  - will affect approximately 15% of Canadians in their lifetime, according to the  Canadian Psychological Association . The short days, long nights, frigid temperatures and lack of sunlight during winter in northern countries prove to be troublesome for many, although people may suffer from the winter blues even in warmer climates. Some people may also experience season-linked depression in the summer , although most sufferers experience symptoms in the fall and winter months.  Symptoms of seasonal depression can include - but are not limited to - feeling sad, low energy, sleep problems, irritability, little desire to see people, difficulty concentrating, changes in appetite or weight, and loss of interest in a