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

My Words of 2025: Love and Freedom

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

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

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.

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

7 Days of Affirmations: Day 7!

✨It’s our final day of affirmations! ✨

Here is what I’ve come up with for today:

I welcome positive change and transformation into my life. I am equipped to face any challenge that comes my way. I am grateful for what I’m learning and I’m ready to continue on my journey.

Reflection: I did it! I challenged myself to create, write, and reflect every day for 7 days. I’m so proud of myself for keeping at it. I feel a lot better than I did a week ago. I’m ready for what’s next and will keep doing my best 😇.

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

7 Days of Affirmations: Day 1

I think it’s about time I’ve done another themed writing series! For this series I’ll be writing personal daily affirmations 🦋.

Today’s affirmations are:

I trust myself and the decisions I make. I’m allowed to make mistakes and learn new lessons every day. I take my time and do my best. Good things happen to me regularly.

Reflection: As I navigate new environments and meet new people, I’m learning to trust myself better and not be afraid to make mistakes. I affirm that my best can look different every day and I can do a good job every time. I don’t have to be perfect. I’m allowed to learn as I go and be kind to myself in the process.

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

Self-Love and Creativity


The energy of love that flows with creation helps me to understand how to take care of myself. Every time I create something, my body feels better. I can navigate happiness and excitement while I bask in the relief of success. I love myself more and more as I make time for my imagination and creativity.

Affirmation: I practice self-care every time I create. My creativity is beautiful.

What’s your favorite way to be creative?

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

Dear Little Nina, We’re 30 Years Old Now

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

Pencil Case Prompts: Your Health and Seasonal Changes

How do seasonal changes affect your health?

Whether it’s the transition from fall to winter, winter to spring, or spring to summer, the changes in seasons seem to always affect me in different ways 🤔. I definitely notice a change in my mood, thoughts, and motivation for sure. I even notice sometimes I have a persistent low mood in the hotter months sometimes too, but I’m more inclined to go outside for a walk.

What are your thoughts and experiences? How do the seasons affect you and your mental and/or physical health?


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

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

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

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

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.