Weekly Half Mermaid Journal Edition 7
Quotes we loved:
“All the noise in my brain. I clamp it to the page so it will be still.”
Barbara Kingsolver
"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always our self we find in the sea."
E.E. Cummings
A Half Mermaid, Inverloch, Victoria
Journaling question we are pondering:
Keeping to the theme touched on in the blog post below (Blueness) and what we’ve learnt below, this week’s question extends last week’s and focuses on vision.
Being in the water can intensify the quality of our senses, almost like honing them in, filtering out non essential information and focusing on what is perceived as important in the moment. Notice how this applies to the quality of your vision when you are in the water. For example, do you feel your eyes relax when you look at the water? Do they feel a release when you look at the offing (If you're standing on the beach looking out at the sea, the part of the sea that "touches" the horizon is called the offing)
Are you able to draw on your observations in ways that are helpful on land? How well are you ‘seeing’ the important things in your life ? What are you not seeing or refusing to see? What’s at risk for you in actually refusing to see?
This week’s blog post:
The RIP Swim: A Crossing of Mind and Water
….Then there are other experiences that help you realise how much you have been underestimating the untapped potential and capability that lies within you. How your own fear can distort reality and sometimes keep you from experiences that fill your cup. How easily you can give in to a life that ‘could have been’. That sometimes you just need to do the thing, despite the hundreds of reasons you find not to. The RIP swim was one such event for me.
Photos by @russellcharters and @marciariederer
Journal update:
Watch this space…
One new thing we learnt this week:
Blue is overwhelmingly the favourite colour of humans by a factor of three or four. Both women and men prefer blue over green, red or purple. As neurosurgeon Amir Vokshoor explains: “The arousal mechanism simulated by blue’s wavelengths correlates to the release of neurotransmitters thought to be associated with feelings of euphoria, joy, reward and wellness related to the effects of dopamine”.1
Blue Mind, Wallace J Nichols, page 87-89
Aislings Beach Rock Pool, Eden, NSW
What we are listening to:
Mel Robbins episode 152: ‘The #1 Journal Exercise to Become the Person You’ve Always Wanted to Be’.
I loved the simplicity of the exercise proposed by Mel in this episode. It is often true, when you are stuck in a rut, in the prison of the mind on a negative spiral, simple and little things can help you shift just that tiny bit…enough to breathe, enough to remember the things that bring you joy, enough to relight the spark of hope in you.
All you need is a piece of paper and pen. It is a short listen and definitely worth a listen and a try.
Link to the episode is below, you will find Mel Robbins podcast on all platforms.
Important note:
HalfMermaid is not a licensed metal health service and not a substitute for professional mental health assessment, treatment or advice. The journaling prompts and guides offered, are general in nature. If you are struggling, please see a healthcare professional or call the mental health support line in your locality.
Till next week….
Swim. Coffee. Journal. Live. Love. Repeat.
Half Mermaid, PO Box 4012, Doncaster Heights 3109, Melbourne Australia