I have this daily notice check-in thing that I developed by trial and error to help me tap into my creative side in the middle of… well, everything.
It’s a series of fill-in-the-blank notes and questions that clear out the clutter in my brain and let me set my intentions for my day within the limits of my energy and interest, planning how I spend the day around my desires instead of my to-do list.
One of the questions I’ve included is a question about my mood.
Sometimes I answer it with how I’m feeling, but most often, I start with colors. I’ve got some rather powerful synesthesia that informs my feelings about the world, and if I can identify what color mood I’m in, I can figure out what to wear, where my energy is pointing, and how I want to approach the world in a given day.
This morning’s answer is an edit of the outfit I tossed on before my morning journal routine: “Lavender with white/cream and a smoky, silvery grey. Fresh, but soft. A misty morning with a hint of sunlight.”
After weeks of “denim and white” (my go-to uniform when I don’t know what I’m doing or feeling), I find myself with colors I love and a place to start creating again as I’m emerging from an intense period of nervous system recovery.
Suddenly the colors begin to open up again—not just the ones I know, but the ones that draw me in and encourage me out into the light with whatever I have to bring. It’s not a lot right now because April was a muddle I don’t know how to talk about yet, but it’s little things that I love, a few small projects that I can finish easily and deliver, a glimmer of connection with something outside of the internal world where I’ve been secreting myself away for a while.
I get to start with softness, inspiration, memory, safety—and not worry about what I meant to do or how it comes out (that’s always the tricky part, isn’t it?). There’s freedom here, to let the colors blend and the mood move through different light, to let my mood shift where it needs to shift, to say no to what I am too tired to do and yes to what energy I am given.
I’m afraid I’ve not really got a conclusion for this one today, but I wanted to get it down before I forgot it, and to share it before “perfection” jumped in.
Sending much love to you today. It feels like we all need a little extra right now, doesn’t it?
P.S. If you want to see my little “daily notice” check-in, you’re welcome to pop in here and copy it out free if you’d like. I’ve put it into an easy “notes” format so you can fill it out on your phone if you want.
P.P.S. If you’re more interested in the nervous system recovery I mentioned, here’s the link to the amazing coach who taught me how. Her Sovereign Safety Masterclass is enrolling again, and I have not found ANYTHING better than this for understanding how I work as a human in the world.