The Power of Journaling

“Respond from the center of the hurricane, rather than reacting from the chaos of the storm.” — George Mumford

When the pandemic first hit, I was living in Atlanta and had just flown to Dallas for work. As I sat at a restaurant with a friend, the news broke that the NBA season was being canceled due to players testing positive for the virus. As I’m a lifelong athlete and sports fan, this blew my mind and signaled the beginning of an unbelievable shift in life as we knew it.

At what would have been the end of my Dallas trip, I canceled my flight, stayed with friends for a few extra days, and waited as the impact on Texas unfolded. Ultimately, I chose to drive back to Georgia and self-quarantine. While in Georgia, knowing the impact that our bodies and minds constantly have on each other, I set a goal to hit 15,000 steps every day that the weather would permit. I felt that impact more profoundly than ever during the first few months of the pandemic, as I started looking forward to walking in nature and doing yoga to calm my mind and body in such a stressful, painful time.

Another practice that has helped me throughout the pandemic has been writing in a loosely structured journal. Reflecting on what I am grateful for and what I am looking forward to reminds me to pay attention to small wins and blessings in each moment.

To share these strategies and hopefully a measure of the peace that they brought me with others, I wrote my own journal this year. The journal combines mind-body prompts, self-reflection, and gratitude — all of which have helped me throughout the pandemic. If you would like to join me in working through the Mind-Body Journal, click here.

For further reading, check out these tips for setting goals and mind-body strategies to navigate stress.

Your Teammate,

Katie