When You Find Yourself Walking in the Darkness, Carry a Flashlight and Grab Onto Someone's Hand

A "flashlight" can come in many forms. For a person of faith, a flashlight might be their book of faith. I know for me, reading scriptures from my faith steadies me. My Bible is my main flashlight. There can be smaller flashlights to carry in the darkness, along with the main one.  In addition to having my words of faith to hold on to, I also am spending time with my thoughts, through journaling.  I recently began a very simple and brief journal.

What makes this journal effective is:

• It is very brief, no more than 2 sentences in the morning and 2 sentences at night. In fact, they needn't even be complete sentences. I can use phrases and keywords in place of sentences, if that is all I have. 
• It is a routine of twice per day, in the morning and in the evening. The routine works for me.
• The morning entry sets up my day.  In 1 or 2 sentences, I write my hope for the day. It can be a plan for something specific that day, like ordering new socks, or spending an hour with a family member. Or it can be more vague, like trying to only say positive things for the day. Because the morning entry is so brief and simple, I can easily check with myself, as the day is progressing, as to whether or not I am or have fulfilled my hope.
• The evening entry pushes me to reflect on the good from the day. In 1 or 2 sentences, I identify either a pleasant moment, an accomplishment, or a realization from the day. It's a gratitude entry.

Anyway, this is part of what I am doing to pull myself out of a dark place. Last week, you all reached your hands out to me, and I grabbed on. Thank you.