Category: What Just Happened: Personal Anecdotes

Posted in Love, Mental Health, Potential and Worth, Reflection, Self-Care

My Words of 2025: Love and Freedom

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

It’s taken me some time to gather these thoughts, mostly because energy and motivation have been hard to come by these days. Sometimes, I wish there were an easier way to collect all the ingredients needed to create my best work. That, plus the procrastination and perfectionist blocks that make me feel like I have to know exactly what I’m going to write before I even start. And yet, here I am, still not 100% sure what I want to say.

2025 has already been overwhelming. The world is in pain, and there’s so much fear in our collective energy. As for me, I haven’t been feeling well. The problem solver in me wants to make everything better—for both myself and others—but I’ve been feeling lost and out of control.

A few weekends ago, I facilitated my first expressive arts workshop of 2025. One of the activities involved writing a series of personal notes reflecting on our values, what’s important to us, the habits that benefit us, and what we will let go of this year. In my notes, I wrote down my words and phrase for the year: my words being love and freedom, and my phrase being “I’m not doing that.”

This year, I want to take back my energy from the spirals of negativity I often find myself in and explore what it feels like to let go of the expectation of failure and missing out. I want to let love in—and even though I’m scared—be willing to work through the discomfort of change because I deserve to experience something different from what I’m used to. I want to feel free enough that making mistakes or feeling embarrassed doesn’t make me a bad person. I want to be able to make choices that are right for me and not feel guilty when I say no or set boundaries that keep me safe.

These are my intentions for the year. As I begin to feel better and safer expressing and receiving love while navigating freedom, I hope to find others who are doing the same for themselves.

Well that’s what I have for now. Thank you for reading. 💌

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

Pencil Case Prompts: Moments of Relief

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Share a moment where you experienced relief.

I’ll be honest 😔, I haven’t been feeling the greatest. Navigating life has been weighing on me and I would really like to catch a break. I haven’t written anything in a long time, so I’d like to reflect with my sparkly fam today 🩷.

For our reflection, let’s explore the moments where we’ve experienced relief (even if only temporarily). What does relief feel like to you? What makes those moments important?

For me, I’ve experienced relief when I don’t have as many responsibilities and I can sit in my room and relax. Knowing I can prioritize my self-care helps me to feel more free in myself.

Share your moments below 💌!

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

Posted in Confessions, Love, Potential and Worth, Reflection, Self-Care, Self-Talk

Dear Little Nina, We’re 30 Years Old Now

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Dear Little Nina,

We’re 30 years old already. Can you believe it?! We made it this far. And, yes, we still have big emotions that feel overwhelming sometimes. But, I’m still working on our goals and I’m continuously redefining what success looks like every day.

We were going through some old pictures with mom a few weeks ago and I finally remember. I remember how you felt most of the time. I remember the moments where you didn’t feel seen or loved by anyone. I remember when you started to use perfectionism and people pleasing to try to get people to notice and prioritize you. I remember when self-hate seeped in, too. I’m unlearning all those things for us, though. You are lovable and don’t need to be perfect for anyone to realize how valuable you are. We don’t need to go above and beyond anymore, hurting ourselves by doing too much, just so people can be happy that we’re around.

I remember when we didn’t know how to identify our emotions and were confused a lot of the time from our sensitivities. I know how often we cried from being overstimulated. No need to worry though. I’ve created safety for us now. You can feel your feelings and no one will get mad or yell at you anymore.

Little Nina, there is nothing wrong with you. There was never anything wrong with you. Our big emotions make us extra special. Our brain gets sad and anxious sometimes now, and sometimes we have bad dreams, but I promise I’ll take care of us.

I know that there were things you really wanted to experience, especially when we were a teen, and it hasn’t happened yet, but that’s OK. We still have more life to live and people to meet. I’m trying my hardest not to give up on certain things. I know how much we value love and want to bask in it as much as possible. But, I can’t say I don’t struggle with that idea still.

I’ve grown in loving US, though. I love you so much and want you to feel safe to be you. You are amazing, talented, funny, and beautiful. Your light is sooo bright and it’ll only get brighter as we get older. You don’t have to be scared anymore. I put boundaries up to protect us, OK?

We are helping other people who felt like you did growing up now. I’m sharing our story so we can help other people feel loved and seen, too.

We’re doing a great job and walking in our purpose. It started with you, though, because you did your best with what you had. I got it from here.

I love you so much 🩷
Big hugs and kisses from 30 year old you,
Adult Nina

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

Pencil Case Prompts: Let’s Do Something Different This Week

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Finish this sentence: Instead of ________ I choose to _______ this week.

Oh my goodness! I’ve had so many shifts and changes in my life this year already 😅. Honestly, I can barely keep up with it all. Despite all the changes, though, I still want to set intentional time to prioritize myself, my goals, and my needs.

For this week’s reflection let’s think about things we can do differently that may benefit us. What behaviors, habits, or routines do you want to change or improve?

I’ll go first!
Instead of scrolling on social media for a few hours every day, I choose to read and watch my comfort shows this week.

What about you?

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

Posted in Confessions, Creative Writing, Love, Mental Health, Reflection, Self-Care, Self-Talk

A Confession: To the Girls That Are Like Me…

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Here’s to the girl that never had a first dance
Who watched everyone at her school prom get asked out but her
Who’s been told she wasn’t pretty growing up
Who was never anyone’s first choice
Who’s been ghosted over and over
Who’s been told she was too much
Who feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere or with anyone
Who’s been used
Who fell in love with someone that didn’t feel the same
Who wished fairy tales were real
Who has cried herself to sleep wondering what went wrong
Who’s hope and desire for love is withering away with each passing day

Me too

But, despite all of this you are STILL beautiful and worthy of all the love this world has to offer. It’s OK to love on yourself, especially on those days when everything feels heavy and the shame of loneliness is eating at your mental health. There’s nothing wrong with you. You absolutely deserve the companionship you wish for. There’s still life left to live, OK?

I love you. We can continue moving forward together.

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

The Whispers of my Intuition

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Learning to listen to the whispers of my intuition.

The more I quiet my mind, the louder it becomes.

It’s gentle and soft.

A teacher.

Each lesson allowing the seeds of self-confidence to blossom.

Unlike my ego thoughts, my intuition is quiet, kind, and gentle. If I’m not listening, I can’t hear when it’s giving me directions and guiding me through my day. I’m learning what the voice of my intuition sounds like and how it feels to pay attention. When I allow my intuitive thoughts to lead, my confidence naturally follows.

Affirmation: I trust myself and my intuition. I know who I am.

What does it feel like for you to follow your intuition? How do you know when your intuition is trying to tell you something?

Posted in Mental Health, Reflection, The Mighty, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

Exploring Words, Messages, and Ideas: Encouragement and The Passage of Time

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Encouragement Rest Stop: Write an encouraging message in the comments below.

Write an encouraging message in the comments below for someone who may need it this week ⭐.

I’ll go first!

It’s OK if all you do is exist today. Take as much time as you need for yourself. You are important and deserve to do what’s best for you.

Need help thinking of a message to share? Drop a favorite quote, affirmation, song verse, or positive coping strategy instead. 💌

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

What words, thoughts, phrases, or ideas come to mind when you think about the passage of time?

Mighties, we’re a few days into the new year and I’m working on building a different perspective when it comes to my ideas of time and how to best move forward.

The first step I’m taking is making a list of thoughts, words, phrases, and ideas that come to mind when it comes to the concept of time in general. Here is my list:

💫”Time is an illusion”
🌱 “Time is a series of present moments”
🔁 Past, present, future
⌛Running out
⏰ “Give yourself time”
✅ Right time
🦋 “Time heals all things”
🧘 Patience

What ideas are most true for you? ⌚

This prompt is also in the Chat Space group on The Mighty here.

Posted in Mental Health, Reflection, The Mighty

Stars and Self-Care: Journaling Prompts for the New Year

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Write a list of 5 hobbies, habits, coping strategies, or self-care techniques that you want to continue practicing this year.

I’ve learned so many things that have been helpful for my mental health over the past few years — some that I’ve stayed true to and others that’ve been challenging to implement on a daily basis (but I’m still trying!). The 5 that I definitely want to continue practicing this year are:

😴 Staying on top of my sleep (getting between 7 – 9 hours)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Creating new traditions and spending time with my family
🍳Eating breakfast
🍵 Drinking 2 cups of tea every day
🎨 Including some form of creativity in my regular schedule

What are yours?

Also find this prompt in the Let’s Talk Depression group on The Mighty here!

Choose a star and complete the sentence that goes with it! ⭐💫🌟

⭐ I’m proud of myself for…
💫I’m getting better at…
🌟 I’m no longer going to…

I’ll choose the third star 🌟!

I’m no longer going to push myself past my limits or do things I don’t have enough energy for.

Which star do you choose? 🙂

This prompt is also in the Cheer Me On group on The Mighty here.

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

End of the Year Reflections: Moving on From 2023

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

What’s something you want to practice more moving forward?

As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on what I want to focus on — especially in terms of the relationship I have with myself. One of the things I want to intentionally practice is having more patience and love for myself. I notice that when I think too deeply or for too long about the expectations I have, I tend to be very self-critical which leaves me feeling stuck. I want to learn how to show myself more grace when I’m faced with uncomfortable or uncontrollable circumstances.

What about you? What’s something you want to practice more that’ll be helpful for you?

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

Dear 2023…

Activity:

Let’s write farewell letters to 2023 this week. In your letters you can add things you’ve learned, things you want to let go of and move on from, important events that happened, how you want to move forward, or how your health has impacted you. Write whatever feels good!

Reflection:

Here’s my letter:

Dear 2023,

A lot has happened this year. I’ve felt so much grief, sadness, and confusion. I’ve experienced new symptoms and felt the weight of the world on my shoulders — some days it was even too heavy to carry by myself. I’ve had moments where I gave my best and didn’t feel like it was enough, or that I wasn’t worthy of the companionship, friendships, relationships, or the love I was craving. I’ve been really tired.

2023, I’ve extended myself and my love to so many people that I saw were suffering around the world. I still hold them deep in my heart.

I’ve had conversations and listened to stories that’s opened my perspective and learned new things from others.

Moving forward, 2023, I want to be more confident in myself, in my voice, my talents, and my skills. I don’t want to hide when I feel afraid because in the past that made me feel safe. I want to continue to advocate and show others that it’s OK not to be OK and there are people who care about them… like me! I want to be kinder to myself because I deserve kindness, and be gentler with myself because I deserve gentleness. I want to continue to listen to the stories of others and grow in awareness of what they experience. (If you’re reading this, your voice matters!)

I also want to thank the people who have helped me get through this year like my therapist, my mom, sister, NAMI-NYC fam, favorite Mighty boss lady kat, fellow kind soul and community teammate skye, plus all of you reading this right now. Any kind word or positive energy sent was received and greatly appreciated.

Farewell 2023.

It’s been a roller coaster,
Nina aka SparklyWarTanks

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

Posted in Mental Health, Reflection, Self-Talk

Free Write Journal Entry: 10/12/23

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Sometimes I look at myself and get lost in my thoughts. I think about all that’s happened up to this point. I think about the decisions I’ve made and what “success” looks like for me. I wonder about experiences I wish I would have and the possibility of them happening. I rummage in my body looking for unfamiliar feelings and accessing them more regularly. Hope is one of those feelings. I imagine myself thriving in hope. As I push forward, I sit with my fear and allow it to pass through, it’s a part of me, too. I’m gentle with myself and I’m learning to go slow as I let go of control.

I’m deserving of good things and love, of life showering me with experiences that fill me with happiness. I’m allowed to be a person, to make mistakes, and to move on from them. I’m doing a good job. There’s no timeline I have to be on. There’s no one in front of me or behind me. It’s just me experiencing this reality. I can let go of all my expectations to be anything more than what I am right now.

I’m where I need to be in the body that’s mine. I’m who I need to be in order to be successful. I’m enough and nothing can change this fact.