WHAT IF IT'S Ugly, Negative, or Just... Unhinged?

BUT... I'm Not Creative.

Perfect. Because this isn't about being creative - it's about getting the mental chaos out of your head before it hijacks your whole mood.

📝 Your writing doesn't need to be smart. (Bonus points if it's a barely legible rant about why everyone in your house apparently thinks you're the sock fairy.)

🎨 Your scribbles don't need to "look like" anything. (Mine often look like an angry toddler had a crayon and a vendetta.)

🧠 Your reflection doesn't need to be deep. ("WTF was that?" totally counts.)

This isn't about making something good. It's about letting it be messy, weird, and exactly what you need it to be.

WHAT IF IT'S Ugly, Negative, or Just... Unhinged?

Oh, friend—you're processing your emotions best when you're unhinged. Welcome. You're in good company.

The best Creative Check-Ins are:

• UGLY, FRAZZLED, UNFINISHED, and occasionally full of swear words. (Some pages are just F-bombs in different sizes, and that's valid.)

• SELF-PITYING, RANTY, WHINY, or absolutely ridiculous. (If you're mid "WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES THE DISHES IN THE SINK?" spiral—grab a pen.)

• DRAMATIC (You can write "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE" and then go back to making dinner like nothing happened. But maybe also... check in with someone.)

Real Examples of "Ugly" Check-Ins:

My own check-ins

look like a kindergartener did them - messy, big writing, non-coherent sentences, most unfinished, but they hold my emotions and thoughts. Pure scribbles and emotional downloads.

One of my clients was at a family function full of complicated dynamics and felt incredibly frustrated (to put it lightly).

She went downstairs and dumped everything into her notes app for twenty minutes - name-calling, being completely unhinged, the works. Then she went back, highlighted six key words, and created a digital collage in Canva representing those words.

Afterward, she told me she felt so free and open. None of her family members were miraculously kinder or better, but she was able to move through the weekend so much better.

Common one-word reflections

From my own journal and client sessions:

• F*ck sakes

• Bitter

• Resentment

• CHAOS

• Why tho

• HELP

• I'm tired of being tired

• Why am I always the one?

And you do not need to go back and read any of it.

In fact, I highly recommend you don't for at least six weeks. Just let it exist. The messier, the better.