Hi friends,

I’ve felt a lot like scrambled eggs these past few months (all mixed up, lumpy and full of butter).

Seriously though, my mind has felt very scrambled and a bit like I’ve pushed an old car engine to its limit. Now I’m spluttering onto the hard shoulder and there’s smoke coming out of my ears.

Everything in life has revved up to 11. The sights and sounds around me have been vivid, varied, and very annoying. Don’t brush past me in a corridor because I might cry.

It’s overwhelm, obvs, and I’ve written about the choppy seas of my burnout a few times recently, so I won’t rehash that. Instead, I’m going to write a bit about what is helping.

What would help someone who puts out a newsletter that no one asked for to 900 strangers every week for two years about their own weird way of viewing the world?

Writing, it turns out. Funny that.

The scrambled eggs brain needed a frying pan (god the metaphors just keep on coming today don’t they - I’ve had a coffee). And what better frying pan for my thoughts than a journal.

Yep, this childfree millennial has started a journal. How original. And you know what, it’s a cliche because it actually works. Ugh.

It’s the exact same feeling I feel when I trick myself into exercising and find that I’m buzzed the same amount as I would have been after one pint, back in the Bad Old Days. Like, how rude.

So here’s my top three journaling tips and advice for wavy brains.

1. Keep the journal somewhere you can see it.

   Don’t hide the journal away in a drawer and expect that you will remember to get it out of the drawer. Out of sight means out of mind, right? Also, if you do happen to remember that you a) own a journal and b) actually want to write in it, the more barriers you place between you and said journal, the worse the outcome. No one wants to invite Mr Executive-Dysfunction to the party. Keep the journal out, on a table you pass often, alongside a pen. Maybe buy a neon light to place onto of your journal that flashes and spells out ‘WRITE PLEASE’. Maybe rig an airhorn to sound every time you spot it in the room. Just suggestions.

2. Don’t beat yourself up

   If Mr Executive-Dysfunction does turn up out of the blue uninvited, or you forget, or the journal caught fire, or whatever it is that prevented you from being consistent (because we’re not exactly known for that as our forte), then try not to be too downhearted. These things happen. Your brain be like that. Ok, so you wrote in it once and then didn’t for six months. No law against you picking it back up some other time and starting again. Try not to let perfectionism get in the way (says Mx Perfectionism over here).

3. Stop faffing about and write

   Find what works for you, but ultimately I’ve found that the more I fuss over where I write, what pen I use, what notebook etc etc etc, the more I delay the actual writing. And when I do write and pour all of my scrambled egg brain over the page, I can read it back and see what has been making me feel down or unsettled. Or I can untangle the web of emotions I feel. Or I can simply immerse myself in the act of writing and feel better afterwards, because writing feels good to me.

I have more tips, but I’m only delaying you writing, so maybe another time… Let me know if you’d like a sequel newsletter.

There’s just time to update you on my own writing. I am in the final stages of making my new zine, which means the next mailout of my Snail Mail Club, Wavy Mail, will be at the end of August/beginning of September. The latest zine will feature a new essay all about masking.

I never really advertised the first mailout a few months ago, and a handful of lovely people actually signed up and received it, which was brilliant. I’m hoping for the same again if at all possible.

So what is the Wavy Mail Club? Every 3 months you receive:

• My latest zine before it’s made widely available (could be poetry, an essay, photos, drawings or something else.)

• A new sticker (I’m delighted that someone abroad told me recently that they have put a sticker I sent them on their laptop. So cool.)

• An A5 print of one of my illustrations. As there were only a few sign ups last time, I actually drew every copy rather than getting prints! Take that, AI!

• A handwritten letter from me, because I like the idea of being a penpal.

You can sign up for one, two, three or all four mail outs (there are four per year). The price discounts the more months you sign up for. If you sign up for a year I’ll send you a birthday card. Check it out at my Etsy shop.

Why would you sign up? Well, I think it’s good to support real life humans making real life things. It’s also human connection and community, and I think we could all use a bit more of that.

If you’re interested, but cost is an issue, message me and I’ll see what I can do.

That’s all folks, brain unscrambled, for now.

Take it easy,

Ren

PS - you can reply to this email and send me a message if you like. I love hearing from readers.