The mask 🎭

In her book Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr. Julie Smith reminds us of metacognition, which is just a fancy name for your thoughts about thoughts.

As humans, we have this amazing ability to not just think, but think about what we are thinking. 

And when it comes to managing persistent thoughts and their influence on our emotions, creating a bit of distance is key.

She uses the example from the movie, The Mask.

Jim Carrey plays a banker who finds a wooden mask created by the Norse god of mischief. The moment he puts it on, the mask takes over, shaping his actions and perception of the world. But when he removes it, its power over him vanishes. 

He can see it for what it is, just a mask, not his true self.

In the same way, when we step back from our moods (or “masks”), we can observe how our thoughts shape our emotions and then, we can choose how to respond rather than being ruled by them.

Let’s practice…

Happy journaling,

Kelsey

Most journal prompts you’ll find here draw inspiration from the books I’m reading. Below, you’ll find the books and weekly themes so you can read ahead if you’d like. Reading isn’t necessary—it's simply an option if a particular theme sparks your curiosity and you'd like to dive deeper. 

Here’s the schedule:

• Week of February 3rd - Theme: Tools for life. Book: Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

• Week of February 10th - Theme: Making decisions. Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow

• Week of February 17th - Theme: Kindness & courage. Book: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

• Week of February 24th - Theme: Creativity. Book: The Apricot Memoirs

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