Ever feel like your emotions are a tangled mess, and words just don’t cut it? Maybe you're in recovery, trying to heal, or just having one of those days (anyone else listen to Limp Bizkit back in the day?). If talking about your feelings gives you a knot in your stomach, worry not my Superstars, I’ve got a solution for you: use a color exercise instead.

Your emotions have a whole rainbow of colors of their own, and tapping into them can be a surprisingly powerful way to check in with yourself without overthinking. So, grab some paper, colored pencils (or, whatever markers you can find in your junk drawer), and let’s get expressive.

Sometimes, our feelings need a timeout.

Recovery is like a rollercoaster—it has its ups and downs and unexpected twists that can leave you feeling dizzy. But one thing that can help you stay grounded is doing an emotional check-in.

It’s super easy to forget how you're actually feeling until your emotions are like adding Mentos to a bottle of Coke; they explode. That’s where an emotional check-in comes in—it’s like hitting “pause” on life to see what’s really going on inside without judgment (and without throwing your hands up and screaming at the sky).

Think of it as a quick pit stop for your feelings, designed to keep you on track in your recovery journey. Here’s a simple guide to get you started.

How often have you read here about how important it is to practice self-care and have tools while on your journey of recovery and healing? It would be helpful to have it in one place. I'll update it as I think of more, so keep checking back!

Have you ever been ready to take a big step forward and suddenly, you freeze? That fear of the unknown can feel overwhelming. You might think, “I’m just not going to do it today.” Guess what? I’ve been there too. Fear can be crippling. So, what do we do with fear? There are two ways we can respond to fear: 

“Forget Everything and Run”, or “Face Everything and Rise.”

Which one will you choose?

Hopefully, you chose “Face Everything and Rise” so you learn about the powerful techniques: playing the script ‘til the end and the stop sign technique. I’m going to use a common example, but these techniques can be applied to just about anything you’re feeling fearful or anxious about.

I’m a doer when it comes to learning and absorbing. Even in school, I absorbed new things by writing them down. It’s probably why I’m also a visual person, it helps my brain put things together. After I got my ACC in life coaching, I continued to get certified in cognitive behavioral coaching and that’s where I learned about putting our thoughts on trial. It’s another great tool to add to our recovery toolkit. This exercise makes you stop and think and pull out the puzzle pieces of your thoughts or even situations and examine them, then challenge them.

If you’re struggling or not quite sure where to begin on your journey of healing or supporting your loved one, reflecting on your reasons to make this positive change is a great place to begin. Writing down those reasons can serve as a helpful reminder when we’re feeling unmotivated or stuck.

A Recovery/Healing Mission Statement (R.H.M.S) and a W.H.Y Statement are great tools to keep you moving forward. An R.H.M.S. is a vision you see of yourself and the destination that your recovery and healing will lead you to. It should be a few sentences long and something you read to yourself daily.