Day 19 of 30: Your To-Feel List

A prompt on priorities

Today’s prompt is from the very dear Sky Banyes, an illustrator who’s also been a member of the Isolation Journals from very early on in the pandemic. It’s such a useful and necessary reframing, and we hope it helps you are toward the things you often don’t prioritize but that definitely deserve attention.

Sending love,

Suleika

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Your To-Feel List by Sky Banyes

We’re all in search of purpose. For me, the form that took was filling up my CV, my schedule and my to-do lists. I was striving for achievements—and yet I never felt deeply fulfilled.

Three years ago, I started illustrating as a fun way to make sense of things. Over time, it became much more. With reflection, vulnerability and the nourishing possibilities of pen and paper as my tools, I embarked on an essential search for meaning. It’s been a deep explorative dive, and what I discovered in the depths of every plunge was feelings. Even in everyday responsibilities such as work and family, I realized that the upstream of every “to-do” was actually a “to-feel”: useful, financially secure, loving, loved.

Now, I consciously first focus on my feelings—instead of my doings—and allow them to guide my path. It has challenged the foundation upon which I’m building my life. The experience has been transformative.

Your prompt for today:
Write a “to-feel” list. Start by naming your deepest yearnings and aspirations. Then take a moment to reflect on each—to study your own feeling compass, teasing out the nuances of what each contains with more depth and specificity. You can make your list as a row or column, or lay them out in a fluffy brainstorming cloud. Feel free to use colors and to get creative.

Now, take a look at your list. Are your priorities, habits, and rituals serving these feelings? What steps can you take to honor the items on your “to-feel” list?