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 amou...

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 appeti...