When in doubt, journal
Settling into my Take a Note Planner
Honestly, it hasn’t been the best start to 2025 for many people. I have friends and colleagues who are impacted by the devastating wildfires in California that are still ongoing. This Monday was equally sobering for many of us living in the United States, as people in power continue to carry out evil acts. Back home, it seems as if outer forces are also disrupting our country’s various agencies through outrageous budget cuts. The ceasefire didn’t feel like a ceasefire. It’s snowing in Houston and Florida; climate change is real.
At the same time, we continue to go to work, prepare and eat meals, shower, sleep, and repeat. I feel guilty at times that my routine seems undisrupted. Is it survivor’s guilt or hypernormalization? who can say?
Although picking up a pen to journal and putting down stickers feels like the most unimportant thing in the world right now, it does distract me from the negative spiral and snap me back to the present. It’s a great alternative to doom-scrolling, and I have a safe space to call people names and all kinds of profanity; plus I get to use my favorite fountain pen! Let me fight evil with cute and snarky stickers!
This year, my new daily journal is the Take a Note Planner, and the half-page a day format is serving me quite well. I am never once daunted when I open a new page, and I find myself filling up the space easily once I start writing. The vertical layout also allowed me to play with the placement of ephemera and stickers even more. I’m crossing the line and taking up space, two rebellious sentiments that I’m constantly feeling each day.
I also typically come up with a word of the year before January 1st. However, due to my trip to Asia, my routine is all messed up. I was feeling quite lost when I returned on 1/13 without a word of the year to guide me. However, in one of my recent daily journaling sessions, I naturally stumbled across my word of the year: Self-care.
Self-care - My 2025 word of the year
Self-care was a trending word that was viral during the peak of the pandemic, when people decided that life is short and being selfish and indulgent isn’t such a bad thing. I love a good bubble bath and a decadent take-out night, but this year self-care is going to look a little different.
When I was going through the throes of anxiety during inauguration day, I made myself go to the gym and stomp out my frustration on the elliptical machine. Instead of watching more news, I distracted myself with some feel-good K-drama while working out.
Instead of giving more of my time and energy to social platforms that are controlled by billionaires and endlessly consuming negative news, I’d rather put my phone down and do a quick journal entry in my journals. I know it’s going to take a while to quit my social media addiction, but self-care is putting in some effort to try.
This year, self-care is looking like setting up more boundaries so I’m not bogged down by people-pleasing tendencies. I’m going to say a lot of No’s and take longer to say Yes. Should I use my grumpy cat stamp to track each time I successfully turn people down? Maybe!
I’m tracking songs that I enjoy throughout the seasons, revisiting old favorites, and indulging in new releases. I’m allowing myself to enjoy binging K-drama during reasonable hours (weekends), and being more strict with my weekday evening times.
Come to think of it, self-care is going to be quite hard this year.
Perhaps I’ll allow myself to buy an extra pen this year since I’m taking on such a challenge.
What’s your word of the year? Please share them with me!
When I was a college student in Manila in 1989, then-president Corazon Aquino experienced her 8th and most serious coup d'etat. I woke up to the sounds of gunfire in the near distance, my cousin bursting into the bedroom I shared with my brother and exclaiming, "We're at war!" (She actually said this in English, which even then I thought was funny and interesting.)
Later that day, my mother took me, my brother, my cousin, and my aunt to the grocery store. Only one of the double doors of the entrance was open -- an armed soldier told us that it was closing soon due to the pending hostilities, but we could run in and shop if we hurried. We had maybe 15 minutes.
So we bought the usual things: rice, vegetables, some canned goods, candy. People don't hoard in the Philippines, even under the cloud of war. Our homes are too small, our fridges too cramped. We shopped like any other day.
Crisis can hang over you like an angry cloud, red and ominous, but the necessities in life are necessities for a reason. We have to maintain them, for our sanity, for any sense of normalcy, and yeah, we have to eat and drink and take care of our families.
This is not a normal time in America. I don't think America is going to be "great" again anytime soon, not for anyone outside of Trump's tight, sycophantic orbit. Not even for his supporters. But we'll still need to eat, drink, take care of our families. It's going to hurt, but we'll get through this.
Really great phrase and I love that you are using it in ways that are good for you but might mean some work on your part. Plus I am here for Team No.