If you’re looking for a feel-good wellbeing activity for your team, a Journal For Joy workshop could be it.
Introducing…
The Joy Break:
A journaling workshop to spark positivity, creativity and connection
Are you planning a team wellbeing day and want to include an uplifting creative workshop on the schedule? Or perhaps you’re keen to treat your hardworking staff to a regular morale-boosting activity?
If so, I’d love to be your host! The Joy Break journaling workshops can be held virtually or in-person, and are well-suited to workplaces because they:
✍️ Introduce journaling as a simple-but-powerful wellbeing practice.
✍️ Cultivate positivity and joy, creating a feel-good, stress-busting atmosphere.
✍️ Encourage playful creativity via a variety of journaling techniques, whilst remaining accessible (no experience is necessary).
✍️ Provide new opportunities for team bonding (without the cringe!).
✍️ Require minimal equipment. Everyone will just need their own journal and pens/pencils – though I can supply these if needed.
✍️ Suit all kinds of group sizes. The optimum amount of people is 8-20 but the sessions can easily be adapted for smaller or larger groups.
Some of the teams I’ve journaled with...
You’ve probably heard that journaling comes with all sorts of incredible mental and physical benefits, from reduced stress and anxiety to improved confidence and self-awareness. But here’s what makes Journal For Joy different:
Positivity
Us humans have a tendency to focus on the negative — and my workshops are a refreshing antidote to that. I guide participants to cultivate a more balanced positive mindset by bringing focus to feelings like gratitude, hope and awe. This can lead to a lovely mood-boost, but studies also show that positivity in the workplace can increase staff productivity, motivation and resilience.
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Creativity
Journaling isn’t just about reflective writing. The prompts I share are rooted in playful creativity and encourage participants to tap into their inner child, so expect accessible creative exercises like drawing, poetry and more! Giving your team space to practice (pressure-free) creativity can foster more innovation and engagement at work, as well as reducing stress.
= Joy!
Practicing positive and creative journaling as a group creates a wonderful joyful energy in the room, and in the individuals involved. And experiencing joy not only feels good in the moment; it can have a magical ripple effect in all areas of our lives, including how we feel and perform at work.
Joyful employees are engaged employees, right?
“Our staff creative journaling workshop was so much fun with Hannah…
As a team it really brought us closer together. As the business owner I found it very touching and quite emotional to hear everyone’s kind words and support at the end of the year, and it was filled with a lot of laughter too.
I definitely recommend you try one of these with your team.”
- Ella, Sunshine Cafe & Yoga
“We all agreed that Hannah led the group amazing. It was the perfect balance of relaxing and also encouraging us to step out of our comfort zones.”
- Jodie, Unique Hideaways
“Each exercise supported me to slow down, think and be present.
I left the session with a huge smile on my face and gratitude for the people I had shared the moment with.”
- Gabi, Great Ormond Street Hospital
“Hannah was a ray of sunshine and it’s clear how passionate she is about journalling for wellness.
The workshop provided a lovely introduction to creative journalling with prompts that really got my mind working. It was great to evaluate our state of mind before and after the session to see the benefit of the activity over just a short time. I came away feeling invigorated and excited to start my own positive journal”.
- Rachel, Visit Aberdeenshire
What the workshops involve
The Joy Break
Best for: Team wellness events or team-building days
Duration: 1.5 or 2 hours
Includes:
- A short intro talk from me (Hannah) about positive journaling and its wellbeing benefits.
- A mix of journaling prompts and techniques guided by me, including lighthearted writing, drawing, mindfulness and reflection exercises (usually 5-6 different activities).
- The option to share and discuss your journal entries with the group, to spread the joy and find moments of connection with each other*.
Cost:
Varies depending on whether your session is virtual or in-person (and whereabouts you are!), how many people are attending and so on. Please contact me with details about your workplace, event, group size and the dates you have in mind and I’ll provide you with a custom quote.
*Whilst this is a lovely part of the session, for groups of 20+ the sharing element is sometimes trickier. However, I can adapt workshops by removing this and bringing more focus to individual journaling – which still works well!
The Mini Joy Break
Best for: Lunchtime wellness sessions (or an on-going team wellbeing activity)
Duration: 45 or 60 mins
Includes:
- A short intro talk from me (Hannah) about positive journaling and its wellbeing benefits.
- A mix of journaling prompts and techniques guided by me, including lighthearted writing and drawing exercises (usually 3 different activities).
Cost:
Again, this varies depending on whether your session is virtual or in-person, how many people are attending and so on. Please contact me with details about your workplace, event, group size and the dates you have in mind and I’ll provide you with a custom quote.
Looking for something bespoke?
If you’re keen to introduce your team to journaling but have something a little different to The Joy Break in mind, I’m always keen to hear from you. I’ve delivered all sorts of bespoke sessions for teams and events. As long as the theme fits my joyful style, I’m all ears!
Workshop FAQs
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Whilst I've found 8-20 people to be the optimum number of participants for my usual workshop format, I’ve hosted workshops for groups for 60+ people. Larger groups are absolutely possibly but there will just have to be no/less sharing and discussion between journaling.
As an alternative solution, if you're keen to keep the sharing element, we could split up your team into groups and run multiple workshops.
Contact me on hannah@journalforjoy.co.uk to discuss your estimated group size and I’ll let you know how it could work. -
I’ve run workshops in all sorts of places, indoors and outdoors, from offices to yoga studios to beaches! The suitability of the location really depends on the nature of the group but ideally the space should be fairly quiet, dry and offer somewhere to sit and journal comfortably.
I’m based in Cornwall but I am happy to travel further afield, providing travel expenses are covered.
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Yes, absolutely! I often host sessions on Zoom and participants usually find them just as valuable, fun and engaging as those that have attended in-person workshops.
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Each participant just needs to bring their own notebook/journal and pens/pencils. I always bring spare paper and a bunch of colourful pens and pencils too, just in case.
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Nope! My workshops are suitable for complete beginners. Although if you or your team members have dabbled in journaling, or even if you’ve been journaling for a long time, I’m sure that you’ll take something new away from the sessions. All experience levels are welcome.
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No. My background is in writing. I am Mental Health First Aid trained but if you’d like me to host a workshop with a group with specific mental health challenges or needs, a member of your team or a caregiver will need to be present.
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This is something that I hear a lot… but the truth is, we’re all creative! Sometimes we don’t feel that way because we don’t make time for it, or we’ve been told that we’re not creative in the past and it’s a belief that’s stuck with us. My workshops are designed so that you can take part and practice playful creativity, even if you have no prior experience of creative writing or drawing. You might even surprise yourself (people often do) 🙂