Creative Self Care with Crystal McLain

Just about every morning I sit alone in the wee, dark hours of the day, cuddled next to my dog, drinking coffee, and spilling my heart and ideas into a notebook. This has become an important part of my self care practice. Not only does it give me space to process what's going on in my head, but it also seems to help release my anxieties so I can get on with life. And if that wasn't awesome enough, it also seems to spark a lot content ideas. A lot of times what ends up on the pages of my...

  In a culture where toxic positivity is confused with confidence, optimism and resilience, the concept of having a positive mindset was something I had to challenge before I got on board.  One of the most destructive things we can do is to gloss over the very real feelings and challenges we face in life. But, on the other hand, one of the most empowering things we can do is to believe in something better.  So, today I want to hash out the difference between practical optimism and toxic positivity, so we can process our emotions and move through our challenges in a...

  I don't know about you, but there have been (admittedly, many) times when I've felt numb or empty inside. Like there's no joy, meaning, or pleasure in life. It's the same ol' thing, day in and day out, while you try to keep up with life's demands as you watch the world crumble around you.  Sorry. That got rather dark, rather quickly. Anyway, a lot of us try to compensate with things like alcohol, shopping, gambling, gaming, binge-eating, social media scrolling or some other pleasure stimulant. And while these things do feel pretty good in the moment, they typically leave us feeling just...

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed hermit or not, the fact remains, humans are social creatures. We need positive interaction with other humans in order to feel safe, to develop and grow. Not only that, but the systems in our world depend on collaboration. But despite living in a time where we have the ability to connect instantly with anyone around the world, I feel like we're actually in the midst of a social wellness crisis. 52% of US adults report feeling lonely 85% have a low self esteem Nearly half experience verbal aggression within their intimate relationships.  And the upwards of 68% believe we need to create better trust between one another...

I've always had a passion for notebooks. Cracking one open for the first time to find beautiful blank pages full of possibilities. It's delicious. But, like so many, I found myself afraid of messing up those pristine pages. I didn't want to ruin them with mistakes and imperfections. But here's the thing- humans are messy, and life is 100% better when we can accept that we're going to leave a trail of disasters along the way. That's how we grow and evolve.  And that's why I started making notebooks.  I wanted to share my new found love of freedom from perfectionism with the world,...