Posted in Self-Care, The Mighty, Mental Health, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

Pencil Case Prompt Summer Recap Reflections 📓✏️

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Pick a notebook and answer the prompt that goes along with it in the comments below! 📚✏️

📒 Spiral notebook: Write a to-do list for today. What’s at the top of your list?
📓 Composition notebook: A skill I want (or need) to learn is ___________.
📔 Journal notebook: What’s a challenge you’ve been navigating lately?

I choose the journal notebook! 📔
A challenge I’ve been navigating is mentally preparing to adjust to a new therapist. Change can be hard for me, but I’m trying to be kinder to myself as I move through this transition.

Which notebook do you choose today? 💙  

Find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Free Write: How are you really?

I haven’t written much in a while, and as someone who needs to write to release, it has affected my health profoundly. With the addition of a job on top of other responsibilities, I’ve reached my capacity for what one person can hold.

I’ve experienced symptoms for much longer than before, and I can’t say I’ve been dealing with them very well. There’s complexity in navigating mental illness as a “high-functioning” person—between what I allow others to see and what they can literally see.

This year, I’ve felt myself revert to a previous version of myself in certain spaces, which has been challenging. The perfectionism, self-abandonment, and sense of loss from pursuing employment (as I once did for education) have been a lot to process and understand about myself.

💌 A message I need from myself today:

My worth is not defined by my productivity, and I don’t have to “perform well” to be seen and appreciated by those around me. I can prioritize myself and still care about the people around me. Putting myself first does not make me a bad person.

My experience with mental illness does not define who I am. I am a whole person deserving of love, acceptance, community, and care.

I am more than what I long for.

I am not difficult to be around, even if I’ve been in a silent crisis. It’s OK for me to need extra support. I am not a burden, even when others don’t know how to help or give me blank stares.

I am existing as a human being. I am enough as I am. My life is worth living. Positive experiences are ahead of me.

💛 Feel free to free-write below about how you’ve been lately.

Find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Posted in Love, Power, Self-Care, Mental Health

August 26: Happy Eldest Daughters Day! 🎉

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

I want to end this day by saying HAPPY ELDEST DAUGHTERS DAY to me! 🥳

I honor myself today, give myself grace, and hold this day as sacred. I reflect on where I am and the effort, time, patience, care, and love I give to my family, while acknowledging that I need to put myself first too. By breaking toxic cycles, speaking up, and creating paths forward, I become an alchemist for the women before me who felt silenced by their circumstances.

I thrive in community, peace, love, and my primal creative energy.

I am powerful.

Posted in Mental Health, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

What motivation snack boost do you need today?

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

What motivation snack boost do you need today? 🍽️✨

🍪 Creative Cookies
🥞 Patience Pancakes
🍨 Energy Ice Cream
🥝 Self-Compassion Kiwi
🍫 Chocolate Bar of Clarity
🌮 Faith-Filled Taco
🍞 Loaf of Courage
🍯 Honesty Honey Tea 🍵
🌯 Well-Rested Burrito
☕ Connection Coffee

Today, I need a few slices of Self-Compassion Kiwi 🥝, five scoops of Energy Ice Cream 🍨, and a well-rested burrito 🌯.

How about you? What motivation snack boost do you need right now?

You can also find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Self-Care, The Mighty, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

Exploring Creativity: When do you feel most creative?

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

When do you feel most creative?

Post #4, anyone? The more I explore the role creativity plays in my life, the more I’m learning that it’s not just a way I manage my health—it’s also how I get to know myself on a deeper level: who I truly am and who I want to be.

I find that I’m most creative in two moments: when I’m facing challenges with my mental health, and when I have a breakthrough realization about my growth and what I’m learning. I express and understand myself through a lens of imagination and awareness. I see vulnerability and authenticity in images, colors, metaphors, analogies, and words.

What about you? When do you feel most creative?

You can also find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Love, Mental Health, Reflection, Self-Care, Self-Talk, What Just Happened: Personal Anecdotes

Reclaiming the Sacredness of My Birthday

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Today is my birthday, and for as long as I can remember, it has been a day filled with grief and depression. Every spring, the flowers would bloom, the sun would stay out longer, and the temperature would gradually rise from 30 to 40 to 50 degrees, yet the sadness would wash over me like a waterfall each year. I came to recognize this in a recent conversation with my therapist after a panic attack, which felt inevitable given the number of life changes my nervous system has been trying to process this year.

A birthday is meant to be a time to celebrate yourself, your life, and how far you have come. For me, though, intrusive and cruel thoughts would grow louder, like a speaker reminding me of all the ways I believed I had failed in becoming a “successful” adult. I would question whether I deserved to keep going, to keep living. This year, however, I want to reclaim the sacredness of my birthday. I want it to be a day to celebrate my life. I want it to be an “I am” day, not a “what have I done so far?” day or a “list all the reasons you are behind your peers” day.

In creating that sense of sacredness, I am building rituals and routines to remind my body and mind that I do deserve to be alive and to experience joy and excitement every day, especially on this day.

My first ritual this year is to write myself a letter, something I have done a few times before. Writing helps ground me in the “I am.” I know my SparklyWarTanks family understands that about me. So here it goes:

Dear Nina,

Happy birthday, precious girl. You are in your 30s, what a milestone. Instead of listing everything you have “done” to earn the right to celebrate yourself today, I am simply going to honor how amazing you are as a person. Your personality and who you are is something truly special. You are a bright and divine light in this world. You are meant to lead and to walk alongside those who share your vision of recovery, hope, and love. Keep your head up, because you are not only living for yourself, but also for your ancestors who are cheering you on along the way. You have broken numerous cycles and have chosen yourself. I am so proud of you. Keep going, because you deserve to live a life filled with unconditional self-love.

With all the love in the universe,
SparklyWarTanks

📷 Note: The image above is a self-portrait I created in a workshop last weekend. It reflects all the things that remind me of who I am.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Reflection, The Mighty, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

Exploring Creativity: Share about a creative project that meant something to you.

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Share about a creative project that meant something to you.

We’re on post 3️⃣ of exploring how creativity shows up in our lives, our health, and our overall well-being.

Today, let’s talk about the impact of the creative process and the projects we’ve worked on or created that truly mean something to us.

💌 Gentle note: Feel free to share projects that are still a work in progress, ones that were started but not finished, ideas you have, completed pieces you’re proud of, gifts you’ve made for others or yourself, or ongoing passion projects.

If you look at the name of this blog, you’ll see SparklyWarTanks, but also the name I gave to a major shift in my awareness and health back in 2015. I was experiencing a mental health crisis, and while grappling with my sense of self in a writing class I was taking at the time, that name came to me.

I was pushing against the norms and expectations I grew up with and wanted to become something different. I felt like I was in a battle with myself—my mind and my place in the world.

SparklyWarTanks became the gentle, compassionate, yet bold part of me that fought back, spoke up, and chose herself.
It’s been 11 years since then, and I still use this blog as a safe space to talk about my health, growth, challenges, and progress. I’m proud of staying true to myself. SparklyWarTanks is me. 🌟

You can also find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Posted in Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Mental Health, Reflection, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Exploring Creativity: How do you use creativity to support your health?

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

How do you use creativity to support your health needs?

Hi friends! ⭐

Let’s continue this reflection series by exploring how creativity shows up in our lives.

Growing up, I loved to write, but it was mostly something I did for school rather than as a hobby. Reading and writing were always my favorite subjects. Even though I was often criticized for not knowing “proper” grammar, I still found joy in expressing myself through words. I also majored in vocal performance in middle and high school and joined a choir in college. Creativity was always orbiting me in some shape or form.

It wasn’t until college and beyond that I began actively using art, writing, personal storytelling, and public speaking as grounding tools—to improve my mood, reflect on my symptoms, and build community.

What are some ways you use creativity in your health journey? How does creativity support you or your symptoms? What creative practices help you cope or care for yourself?

You can also find this post in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

Posted in Love, Mental Health

Read This If You Live With a Mental Health Condition, Like Me 💌

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Living with a mental health condition can mean that some days feel incredibly heavy—confusing, disorienting, and overwhelming. It can feel like your body isn’t yours, your mind is somewhere else, and you’re disconnected, caught in a never-ending falling sensation with darkness all around. But when that relief comes (because it will), it becomes one of the most cherished and gratitude-filled feelings you’ll ever experience. It’s reassurance that the waves don’t always have to plunge that deep into a dark, cold ocean.

If you live with a mental health condition like I do, know that we deserve those moments of peace and relief.

I love you. ♥️

–SparklyWarTanks