The Journaling Muse – Issue #45 A Soft Return to Yourself
A soft space to reflect, reconnect, and create with feeling.​
My intention is to help you slow down and soothe your nervous system — through colour, texture, and expressive journaling that speaks gently to your inner world.
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Dear Reader,
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I’ll be honest:
​I don’t like this time of year.
The darkness, the cold, the long stretch until spring —
it all feels heavy to me.
December carries its own glow, but once it fades, winter can feel endless.
Yesterday morning, I stood in my kitchen, hands wrapped around my favourite green mug, watching the steam curl up against a still-dark window.
For a moment, nothing changed outside — but inside, I felt myself arrive.
One of my strongest anchors is a seven-minute morning ritual I’ve been practicing for weeks:
a few breaths, a moment of gratitude,
a connection to my heart,
and then a quiet return to the frequency of my dream life.
Other anchors are simpler —
a hot cup of my favourite tea from the Cameron Highlands,
painting, even if it’s just a few gesture,
a walk in the snow with my camera,
or time in a forest or a museum, letting colour hold me for a moment.
These little repetitions tell my nervous system:
You’re safe.
You’re here.
You can soften now.
Journaling Prompts — A Homecoming to Yourself
Choose one or explore them all:
- What helps me feel like myself again when life gets loud?
- Which tiny rituals bring me back to my center?
- What did I forget about myself in the last few weeks?
- Where in my day do I feel most “at home” in my body?
- What is one small act that always brings me back to calm?
- When in my life did I feel most “me”? What was present then?
- What kind of inner home do I want to create for the months ahead?
If you want to make this practice even softer:
✨ Choose one question a day for a week as a tiny homecoming ritual.
Creative Play — Grounding Through Art
Nothing here needs to be pretty or finished:;
- Paint “the feeling of home” using 2–3 colours.​
Let the mood guide your hand.
- Create a tiny “home corner” in your sketchbook​
using textures, scraps, marks, or words that feel warm and grounding.
- Make a constellation of grounding elements​
(tea, breath, light, forest, snow, movement, colour)
and connect them with gentle lines.
A Painting for This Week
This week, I’m sharing a quiet piece from my studio
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May one tiny ritual — a cup, a brushstroke, a step in the snow —
bring you back to yourself this week, and remind you that you always have a home within.
Cheering on You,
​Beáta
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No matter what you choose, I’m thankful our paths have touched. 🌿
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