Still trying to make sense of what the pandemic-induced lockdown did to us? An illustrator and life coach Kosha Bathia's new book is the creative prompt you need
Illustrator and a certified life coach Kosha Bhatia, says she spent the early part of the lockdown trying to make sense of the forced isolation. Pic/Sameer Markande
What if you could literally follow your “train of thought” one coach at a time? What kind of thoughts would you get to witness, and how abstract would they be? Freelance illustrator and certified life coach, Kosha Bathia, who spent a decent part of the early lockdown trying to make sense of the pandemic, found a release in journalling. It’s what prompted her to create, Me Time: My Quarantine Journal (Notion Press).
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Describing the recently-released illustrated book as an unqualified therapist, bossy mindfulness guru and supportive friend, Bathia says she hopes to take readers on a journey of self-discovery through introspection, creativity and gratitude while nudging them to document life during the lockdown.
The illustrated journal features several prompts. Readers are encouraged to write a letter to the planet, draw and note down quarantine recipes, pen an angry rant, and learn to practice daily affirmations
“Around the end of July, I came upon the idea to create a journal. I didn’t know where this would take me, but I starting jotting down everything that came to my mind. By the end of it, I had come up with a pool of illustrated prompts, which I felt would help people articulate and understand what they were experiencing,” says Bathia, 32.
In the book, readers are encouraged to write a letter to the planet, draw and note down favourite quarantine recipes, design their own masks, track their habits by creating a daily checklist, draw their quarantine partners as monsters, and also meditate and learn to practice daily affirmations. There is a blank page, bordered by an abstract doodle, used to depict a complex web of thoughts, which is titled, Write An Angry Rant.
The page next to it, has four tiny birds flying away with what appear to be empty sheets. “Letting go of things that weigh us down makes us feel lighter. Let the birds take away your burdens,” she says, nudging the reader to list heavy thoughts. As the book progresses, Bhatia says, it enables you to dive deeper with exercises that emphasise action planning, with a focus on solutions.
Here, her life coaching skills come into play. She currently facilitates values workshops for professionals, through a series of structured exercises, activities and meditations, and her illustrations are meant to inspire and heal. “This is a book I wish I had during those months I spent alone with boredom and anxiety as my only companion.”
What:Me Time:My Quarantine Journal
Cost: '600
Where:notionpress.com
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