Tag: writing

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

Moving On: 2025 Closing Thoughts

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

What’s something you’re moving on from?

Reaching December always stirs up a lot of thoughts for me. As I write this, I’m imagining myself sitting under the moonlight with the year’s lessons rolling past me like movie credits. One thing that keeps coming up is what I want to move on from.

I want to move on from the version of me that holds too tightly to experiences that hurt. I’m ready to let them go now. I want to learn what I need to learn — and then let go just as gracefully.

What’s something you want to move on from or let go of?

You can also find this post on The Mighty here.

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

What are your hopes for the end of 2025?

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

What are your hopes for the end of 2025?

This year has felt like the longest yet shortest one ever. There have been so many ups, downs, uncertainties, moments of clarity, and uncomfortable changes, but also steady progress nonetheless.

When the year began, I didn’t know what to expect, and honestly, my hopes were few. But as 2025 comes to a close, I’m ending it with hopes for more confidence and compassion toward myself. I want to create more space for love and connection. I want to be more patient and continue to redefine what success and growth mean to me.

I hope to stay grounded and present, more aware of what’s happening around me. I want to embrace empathy, giving others space to use their voices too. And I want to experience more peace because I deserve it.

What hopes do you have as the year closes? What goals do you want to reach, experiences do you want to have, or things will you make time for?

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

Posted in Confessions, Keep Moving: Motivation and Inspiration, Love, Reflection, Self-Talk, The Mighty

A Message to My Inner Teen

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Write a message to your teenage self about a lesson or truth you’ve learned that you didn’t know back then.

Something I find helpful for understanding the shame and grief I carry is writing messages, notes, and letters to my younger self — whether that’s my inner child or my inner teen. These are parts of me that endured so much and didn’t know how to cope with those intense experiences at the time.

Lately, I’ve been connecting with my inner teenager and allowing her to finally feel everything she wasn’t allowed to back then. I’ve noticed how angry, crushed, and betrayed she still feels from all the things she wished she could experience but couldn’t, and how much she wasn’t able to process or release because she didn’t understand what was happening.

Here is my message to her today:

Dear teen Nina,

It’s OK to feel every emotion coming up right now — anger, resentment, shame, frustration, betrayal. I know those feelings are scary for you. You don’t have to perform anymore or try to be perfect for everyone around you. It’s OK to make mistakes; that doesn’t make you a bad person. You deserve to be loved and accepted every day without having to do anything to earn it. You can move slowly and take your time — no one is pressuring you anymore. You are free to be your wonderful and beautiful self.

Oh, and one more thing: other people’s suffering or struggles are not your fault. You are not responsible for their emotions or reactions.

I love you, and I’m here whenever you need me.

— Adult Nina (sparklywartanks)

Also find this prompt in the No Shame group on The Mighty here.

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

2 Wins!

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks


1. I wouldn’t call these “business” cards since I don’t see what I do as a business. Instead, I’ve designed and ordered my new connection-to-community cards! Yay SparklyWarTanks! 🥰


2. I finally sat down to write in my journal. I didn’t expect to write so much, but I’m glad I could let go of everything I’d been holding in. I feel so much lighter now! 🌻

I did that! 😌

Posted in Events, Mental Health, Self-Care, Self-Talk

NAMI-NYC Virtual Expressive Arts Workshop Event: Coming Back to Self

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

So very excited to announce the NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop event I will be hosting this Saturday! This event will be via Zoom and on the NAMI-NYC website. You can find the link here. Click the Expressive Arts Zoom link for May 31, 2025.

IMPORTANT: This Expressive Arts workshop and the ones following this one are from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm!

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send me a DM or email 💟. The time of the event is in Eastern Standard Time.

*I will share any updates or changes and keep everyone posted.

Here are some details for the event:

Title:
Coming Back to Self

Description:
“Coming Back to Self” is a creative and reflective event where we will draw and write to describe ourselves and where we are in our personal journey.

We’ll begin with a short icebreaker: choosing a word from a provided list, sketching an image inspired by that word, and writing about why it resonates with us.

The main activity will then be choosing one of four options:

1. Sketch an image of a large tree and describe yourself using ten words written around the tree.

2. Draw a series of images that represent what safety looks and feels like to you. What images symbolize safety? Where do you go to feel safe? Who do you talk to?

3. Create a list of resources, helplines, people, or places you can turn to when you need support.

4. Write a letter or poem to your younger or current self, sharing three reasons why you are proud of yourself right now.

Materials:
Paper, writing utensils (pen, pencil, markers, or crayons).

Schedule
2:00 – 2:20: Introductions and Ice breaker
2:20 – 3:00: Main Activity
3:00 – 3:30: Sharing and Closing

Hope to see you there!

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

Pencil Case Prompts: How can you be creative this week? 👀🎨

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

How can you be creative this week?

It’s the beginning of a new week, sparkly friends—a great time to think about how we can sprinkle a little creativity into our days.

Sometimes it’s hard to feel creative when energy is low and the week ahead looks busy. Still, I’m hoping to spend some time writing in my new journal and updating my calendar with stickers and important dates for next month. 🤔✍️

What about you—what does creativity look like for you this week? 🖌️🖋️✏️

Also find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.

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

If My Body Could Talk

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

If My Body Could Talk

If my body could talk, she would whisper, “slow down” — move at the pace of a snail, as if approaching a yellow light at the intersection of my limits.

She would remind me that I am worthy of care, every second of every day.

My body would tell me when my cup is empty and show me how to refill it.

My body speaks in a calm and soothing voice, I just need to listen. She’s been with me for so long— surely, she knows what I need by now.

If my body could talk, I’d want to talk with her daily,

to be her best friend.

She is me, and I am her.

If only my body could talk.

This poem accompanied the following poll I shared in the Mighty Poets group on The Mighty:

Which title would you choose? 

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 Love, Mental Health, Self-Care, Self-Talk, The Pencil Case on The Mighty

Farewell 2024

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

Write a farewell letter to 2024.

Writing letters has always been a powerful tool for me to process and release stress, limiting beliefs, and painful memories. It helps me learn how to love and care for myself more deeply. 2024 has been a big year for me, and today I want to bid it farewell.

Dear 2024,

I want to say goodbye. You’ve taught me so much in just 12 months, and I’m grateful for all the tough lessons I’ve learned. I’ve experienced painful moments and beautiful ones, had “aha” moments, and encountered situations I still don’t fully understand.

I choose to release the stress and anxiety I’ve been carrying, especially from these past three months. I deserve peace of mind, even if only for a second or two. As I close this chapter, I do so knowing I gave my best. I’m proud of myself for making it to this point, and I choose to give myself grace today.

Thank you and farewell,
Nina

If you feel inspired and up to it, you’re welcome to write your own farewell letter—whether in your own journal or in the comments below. 💌

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

Pencil Case Prompts and Writing Workshops

Posted on by SparklyWarTanks

What motivates and inspires your creativity?

Hi Pencil Case fam! ❤️

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying my best to find inspiration and motivation to start writing and creating again, especially since October was really tough on my creativity. So far, I’ve found that connecting more with myself, resting, taking long walks, and exploring different art spaces in stores have helped me feel a little better and inspired new ideas. I even attended a storytelling workshop that I really loved with NAMI-NYC recently!

I’m curious to know what inspires and motivates you. What helps you work on your projects or start new ones?

Feel free to share your insights in the comments! 🥰

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