#MMBBR #Review #TheNocturnalJournal by @leecrutchley ‏@TarcherPerigee

What’s hiding under your bed? Kids aren’t the only one kept awake at night be scary monsters. Adults fight their own demons that keep them up too. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 3 Americans aren’t getting enough sleep, “enough” being the recommended 7 hours a night to “promote optimal health and well-being.” There are many causes for sleep deprivation: from dietary choices to stress and anxieties to sleep disorders to excitement and a creative mind that won’t turn off when the lights go out.

Lee Crutchley

It can be easy to let these things become obstructions that rule your night and block you from much needed sleep, but as artist and illustrator Lee Crutchley proposes in his new 2-color release THE NOCTURNAL JOURNAL: A Late-Night Exploration of What’s Really On Your Mind (on sale September 5, 2017; TarcherPerigee Paperback), if you decide to accept and explore those late-night thoughts and feelings, you can benefit from a fresh perspective, assuage your fears, explore your creativity, confront your darkest feelings, and reconnect with your truest self. Here are just a handful of sample prompts from the journal that help rein in and navigate the night mind:

·       Write a resume that consists only of your failures and rejections. Which of these are still holding you back?

·       Fill this box with all of your worries. Now sort them into these boxes: productive worries & unproductive worries.

·       Write down every amazing idea you have tonight. Tomorrow, highlight the ideas that are still amazing.

·       What would you save in a fire? What would you burn to the ground?

·       What will you be remembered for? What would you like to be remembered for?

When the sun rises you will again be the version of you that people know and love, but armed with a fresh energy and perspective about what you want, where you are going, and who you are.

This book is brilliant!  I think it is so important to allow yourself to journal through your late night worries and allow yourself to live a more fulfilling life by facing the worries head on.  I love that there are so many ways to take away the worries, negatives and doubts and turn them into something productive, motivating and meaningful.  This journal has helped me work through some tough situations that tugged at my heart and stole away sleep.  My thoughts are now better focused and I cannot help but go through my days with a better sense of self.  I am able to work through some of the day-to-day concerns by utilizing the techniques and skills I obtained by using this journal.  I highly recommend this journal for anyone suffering through the night with concerns and worries that cannot be tamed.  I cannot wait to check out other books by Crutchley.