The pandemic has left an Orillia woman out of a job, but she has put the down time to use by becoming an author.
Vanessa Sieger recently released her first book, Spark Your Inner Truth. The guided journal is filled with questions and has pages that can be ripped, burned, and scratched out, giving the reader "full transparency with their inner self."
“It’s kind of been born out of my own anxiety with the pandemic, caffeine, and I have a newborn seven-month-old daughter,” Sieger said.
The 33-year-old event coordinator has been mainly out of work since March 2020 and the recent vaccine passport system has also thrown a wrench in her ability to get back to work.
“In the middle of the night when I wasn’t able to fall to sleep, these questions came to me, and I was able to shift my thinking to writing them down,” Sieger explained.
“I thought this is a way that I might be able to help others who have experienced quite a bit through the pandemic. Mental health is extremely important, so to be able to help others was my goal with it.”
Some of the 150 questions and challenges in Sieger’s journal include: When I am 80, what will matter the most to me? If you had a year left to live starting today, what would you do? Who are the top five people I surround myself with and are they good or bad for me?
“We all read these questions the same way, but we interpret them differently based on what we’ve experienced in our lives. So, it’s really an authentic way to pick apart the programming and events that you’ve had in your life up to this point and it gives you a deeper understanding of how you are built,” she said.
The Park Street Collegiate Institute graduate says she has learned quite a bit about herself during her writing journey, and she continues to learn each day.
“It showed me that you can take some of your lowest moments and create from them. There is always an opportunity around the corner,” she said.
“My own anxieties and challenges that I’ve faced throughout the pandemic with job loss and what other people have experienced have been a good focal point for me to shift my way of thinking," Sieger explained.
While the book was only published a few weeks ago, Sieger says she has received nothing but positive feedback.
“Some people say the questions are very deep, it’s a great healing tool, and a great gift for others,” she said.
Spark Your Inner Truth is available at Manticore Books, Gaudaur Natural Foods, and Skoda Coffee House. You can also find the book on Sieger's website. The book costs $25.
