Today is Day 2 of the Soundless Soliloquy journal giveaway! Click here for details if you haven’t already put in your entries!
This is the last week of Nanowrimo. I’ve crossed the 45,000 word mark so I’m in the home stretch. I’m just focusing on seeing a few friends and finishing up writing. These last 5000 words are the hardest as I’m closing story loops and trying to make sure I’m not giving away all the mysterious details thus making it too obvious for the reader! And by “the reader” I mean “no one” since no one save maybe my husband if he’s desperate for reading material will be reading it because it’s really nothing special.
If you have that writerly bend, have a thing for paper goods, but wouldn’t know what to use your free journal for, check out this tumblr for some inspiration.
Sharon and I have been friends for a few years now. She’s a fellow Montrealer (though I have no idea if I’m allowed to call myself a Montrealer yet), fellow clothes-swapper and paper-goods lover. Just over a year ago she started her hand-bound journal business, Soundless Soliloquy. Sharon has a great story that brought her to start the business that hopefully I’ll get her to share another time. It’s about not being all that happy with her circumstances and taking a risk to change them. Sharon’s journals are gorgeous little creations that, like her motto says, helps me write my soliloquy. She has kindly offered up one of her journals for a give-away. They’re obviously sweatshop free and cruelty free because she makes them by hand and uses acid-free paper so your precious writing will be preserved for a long, long time.
The Rules
All entries go through Rafflecopter that tallies them for me (yay!)
Sharon is giving away your choice of plain colour half-page journal or any quarter-sized journal including cut-out covers.
I haven’t been reading many articles thanks to having a novel to write. I missed out on last week’s because of a busy weekend writing and hanging out with friends. So here’s two weeks-worth of pretty interesting articles and links. The next week is going to be filled with frantic writing to make sure I hit my 50,000 word goal with Nanowrimo. Also, starting tomorrow I have a fun surprise! Come back tomorrow to see what’s happening!
According to PsychCentral, the benefits might be as minimal as reduced stress or help you manage your emotions. The article indicates journaling can help:
Clarify your thoughts and feelings. Do you ever seem all jumbled up inside, unsure of what you want or feel? Taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts and emotions (no editing!) will quickly get you in touch with your internal world.
Know yourself better. By writing routinely you will get to know what makes you feel happy and confident. You will also become clear about situations and people who are toxic for you — important information for your emotional well-being.
Reduce stress. Writing about anger, sadness and other painful emotions helps to release the intensity of these feelings. By doing so you will feel calmer and better able to stay in the present.
Solve problems more effectively. Typically we problem solve from a left-brained, analytical perspective. But sometimes the answer can only be found by engaging right-brained creativity and intuition. Writing unlocks these other capabilities, and affords the opportunity for unexpected solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
Resolve disagreements with others. Writing about misunderstandings rather than stewing over them will help you to understand another’s point of view. And you just may come up with a sensible resolution to the conflict. (article).
Write out difficult experiences
Whereas Psychology Today goes much deeper. They spoke with Dr. James W. Pennebaker who is a social psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. He talks about how writing can be tremendous therapy for people who have experienced traumatic events.
“When people are given the opportunity to write about emotional upheavals, they often experienced improved health. They go to the doctor less. They have changes in immune function. If they are first-year college students, their grades tend to go up,” he says.
I have definitely experienced all of the bullet points listed above from Psych Central. What about you? Have you been able to keep a journal long enough to find benefit in it? Leave a comment by clicking here.
One of the biggest things preventing me from running in previous years was the ‘what do I do in winter?’ problem. It often happened where I would get inspired in September or October only to decide to abandon the idea before I even started because I didn’t know what to do in the winter. I was/am loath to spend $60 a month just to run a treadmill inside. Or – if gyms are anything like my experience when I went to my University gym – pay $60 to wait for a treadmill to run on.
This year, I did some research into how I could run throughout the fall and winter. With the help of google and some tips from friends, here are the two main things that have helped me on those cold mornings that I’ve run in recent weeks.
Dress for 15 to 20 Degrees Warmer
“Over-dressing is easy to do in winter running. Dressing for 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it actually is will allow your body temperature to increase and reduce the risk of overheating and excessive sweat. You should feel chilled when you walk out the door. If you are toasty warm, remove a layer. Less is more.” (Winter Running Tips by Active.com)
What to wear
Thanks to the advice from a friend, I figured out what to wear based on the weather and the advice above.
Now on days that it’s -5ºC, I wear a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt and a shell jacket, tights, socks shoes. -5 is no longer a scary concept. Once it gets colder I’ll add a fleece layer over top the long sleeve.
Most important lesson
These two pieces of information have given me the information I need not to be afraid of running. I already had all of these wardrobe items. There are only a few more that I think I will need to add: better (smaller) gloves, wool socks, and a toque that leaves a hole for my ponytail! I’m no longer afraid to run in the cold because I’m prepared.
I’m a little nervous about what it will be like when it’s really cold and I’m breathing in cold air into my lungs all the time. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
What about you? Do you have any more tips on how to run in the fall/winter? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
