Bitchslap Journaling Challenge, Day 2
A dear friend of mine (and prolific Medium writer), Gwynne Montgomery, recently published a book called Bitchslap Journaling and is having a 100-day challenge to work through the prompts. This series will chronicle my attempts to keep up.
What are your habits?
I hate big general questions. When people ask me a broad question, I constantly request that they specify. Gwynne would tell me that what comes up for me is the most relevant answer to the question, so I’ll try that.
COFFEE. Coffee is not just about caffeine for me. It’s more of a focal point, around which I can both center myself and have a ritual for greeting the day. It definitely helps that coffee helps me to wake up, but it’s almost more mindfulness than anything else, at least on weekends when I can sleep in and drink my coffee slowly. During the week I find myself grounding myself with it as the work day begins and throughout the first few hours.
Reflection time. I like to spend a lot of time thinking, at least on weekends. If I don’t get enough think time, I feel overwhelmed easily. Maybe it’s how I process. During the week, I’m more tired, which makes reflection time feel more like “grumble time.” I was using Medium as a space for this for a while and want to return to it. Sometimes I journal, but sometimes I just stare out the window and think.
Social Media. I’m considering a Facebook detox at the moment because I think I need a break. I live in a disaster of a country with a disaster of a leader who is more concerned about frothing up the witless over athletes having opinions than he is about a part of America called Puerto Rico being out of electricity for the next six months. Anyway. I’m on social media a LOT — probably a lot more than I’m comfortable admitting. There’s something mindless about it that draws me in but then sometimes it just ends up feeling burdensome. Instagram I love, and I am trying to learn to love Twitter since we started an account for WITCHES RISE.
Non-social time. This has become a habit that I’m learning to prioritize (or need?) more and more. I’m a therapist, which means it’s my job to listen and engage, and I love my job. I’m finding, though, that I need more and more time not listening and engaging to others in order to recharge. Loved ones are an obvious exception but socializing just feels like something else to hold anymore unless I’ve had plenty of introvert time. And I don’t even mean alone time. Sometimes I spend my non-socializing time doing something with someone else, but we just do our own things. Together. Like crafting, or writing. Just.. not talking.
Eating a solid mix of whatever I want and that which will give me nutrients. Because fuck people who equate fat with health or worth, I’m eating these fudge covered animal crackers whenever my big ass wants to.
Creativity. Whether it’s working on a Medium story, graphic design, my website, or something more hands-on like collage or printmaking, I have to make time to make or I will start to lose my cool. It’s non-negotiable.
Now, some habits I wish I had down pat —
Dog walks. He’d give his life for me in a heartbeat, and the only other thing he ever wants is food. Food and walks, that’s it. It’s a short order but with chronic pain and chronic fatigue, it’s often hard to keep up with for me. Each weekend I do my best to go on at least one solid hike with the schmoo per day, or at the very least a good mozy.
More physical activity. I got acute bronchitis twice in the space of two months last winter, and it took me out of commission until the middle of summer. I had trouble breathing, coughed all day long, and only finally feel like I have the extra energy to even start considering more strenuous exercise. This is on top of the chronic exhaustion and pain. That makes me feel weak, and I’m not good at feeling weak. I’m also not good at allowing myself to have chronic body issues without ragging for being “lazy” or “not working hard enough,” or blaming myself for them. But I’ve been exhausted since I was a kid, and the muscle tension from two anxiety disorders is part of the chronic pain factor. I promise, self, I wouldn’t choose those if I even had the choice.
More writing. Writing needs to become more of a habit. Clearly I am attempting to address that right now.
Magic practice. I have tiny habits but they’re not consistent. Tarot, offerings, researching — I busy myself with other things too often. I always feel better after doing some spiritual stuff, but it’s been hard to make into a solid pattern. I have definitely been making strides in this area: I’ve recently utilized my access to college libraries to download a bunch of articles and just picked up a book of Scottish folklore. I bought myself a notebook because I never take notes on books I read (although plenty of hi-lighting) and then of course I promptly forget everything I read. That’s another habit I’m trying to change: reading educational books without taking notes. It’s been harder to get the motivation to read when it’s paired with note-taking, but I feel like I’ll get much more out of the books I absorb. And bonus, I can discuss them in depth here or for my Patreon members.
I may return to this piece later because I’m sure I have oodles more habits but the ones that come to mind are rudimentary or boring, like showering every day or sweeping the floor. Yawn.
What habits come to mind for you?
You can find Day 1's challenge here.
Thanks for reading! Visit me at thewildfrancesca.com and on Instagram. If you’re witchy and into social justice, visit our new pub WITCHES RISE.
