About
Why “Mud Settles”?
“Who can wait quietly while the mud settles?” It’s a line from chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching, and it’s the whole idea behind this site.
I’ve loved Taoism for years, and that line reads like a description of what a journal does for me. When everything’s stirred up and murky, I write it out and leave it alone for a while. More often than not, something clears. Not always. Often enough.
How did journaling start for me?
Journaling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, in stages. I’d write every day for a few weeks, stop, buy another notebook, and somehow find my way back. I loved what it did for me. I just never had a structure, and I never knew whether I was doing it right. That sounds silly written down. It was still true.
Mostly, I wrote when things were hard. Then I noticed my journals were a record of my worst weeks and almost nothing else. If I wanted to understand myself properly, I needed the ordinary days and the good ones too.
So I started writing about everything, with a bit more routine. My counselling course pushed that further, because self-reflection sits at the center of the training. Now I use a journal to set goals and to look back on how a day, week or month went. When I have a problem, I write about it and see what comes up. I read back through old entries for the patterns I can’t see when I’m in the thick of it. Some days it’s a list of things I’m grateful for, and that’s all.
It’s the best way I’ve found to meet myself.
Who is Mud Settles for?
If you’ve bought four notebooks and filled none, this is for you. I’m finding, sourcing and writing up the things I wish someone had handed me when I started: prompts, methods, and plain answers to “am I doing this right?” I love building and growing things, so a website felt like the natural way to share it.
Do you have to journal perfectly?
No. Mine never is. Some entries are bullet points. Some are a recipe, or a drawing. Some are five pages without a breath. The habit comes and goes, and that’s fine. It isn’t about doing it perfectly; it’s about meeting yourself face to face.
If you’re a die-hard journaler with a streak a monk would envy, that’s great too. Do what works for you.
What does training in counselling mean for this site?
I’m in the first year of a counselling diploma, which I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I’m heading on to a degree afterwards. It shapes how I write here: I read the research, I link to it, and I don’t claim to be something I’m not.
I’m a student, not a therapist, and journaling isn’t therapy. If you’re struggling, here’s where to find support.
Who writes Mud Settles?
Mud Settles has three bylines, and all three are me. Wren and Otis are pen names. I love writing, and they give me room to try different voices and stretch myself: Wren writes the prompts, Otis writes about planning and gear.