NEEDHAM, Mass. — In a digital world, many people are turning to paper and pens. Journaling is experiencing a revival as burnout and anxiety are widespread. A Needham mom and daughter created a self-guided journal entitled ‘Let’s Get Real’ that supports mental health—and sparks honest conversations.
Teri and Ella Macduff have always been big journalers. Terri sees it as an important tool for her mental health.
“Put your thoughts and what’s going on in your brain on paper and then read it back to yourself and to hear what you’re saying because it brings you back to reality sometimes,” said Teri Macduff, Co-founder of Chasing Red Flags. “Sometimes when you’re spiraling or you’re answering a question and you’re just being truthful and honest, you don’t hear what’s going on in your head, and it’s a way to do that.”
And for her 22-year-old daughter, Ella, she likes to write—and color—to keep herself calm.
“There are sometimes when I didn’t really want to think, and sometimes it was too much and I didn’t want to get too emotional,” said Ella Macduff, Co-founder of Chasing Red Flags. “And so the coloring pages and being able to just kind of look at something and draw and breathe and kind of like set myself back into like a grounding area was what coloring did for me.”
The mom and daughter duo decided to create their own journal after having an honest conversation.
“Why are you always chasing red flags?” Teri asked her daughter. “And I just answered and I said, because everybody has them,” said Ella. “And that’s kind of when the light bulb went off on like why we wanted to start creating this company and this journal and help other people know that it’s okay to be real and honest about who you are instead of trying to put on a perfect face.”
For Ella—in the world of social media—she realized putting on that perfect face was really just a mask.
“And I don’t think I had many real relationships growing up because I was pretending that everything was okay,” said Ella. “And now that I’m just being real and open and honest about my struggles, I have much better relationships and the people around me know who I am.”
Terri and Ella created Chasing Red Flags—a self-guided journal called ‘Let’s Get Real’ that has 12 different chapters with prompts and affirmations to encourage people to be honest with themselves.
“And it’s really a way to take off the mask and figure out who you are really deeply,” said Ella.
They’ve included double questions—to help you double down on your self-reflection.
“What’s one imperfection you keep hidden? And how would it feel to own this imperfection openly?” Ella read the journal. “From these really hard questions you have to think about, you can then go from there and grow and learn from them.”
The Macduffs believe journaling helps open up that line of communication, learn more about yourself, and create deeper, meaningful relationships.
“That discussion guide starts conversations with others that you wouldn’t normally have,” said Teri. “And I think that’s what we were trying to do. We’re trying to bridge the gap between doing something on your own and doing something with someone else.”
Teri and Ella worked with therapists to make sure the language in the book was safe and supportive.
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