Thoughts From a Therapist as We Close Out the Year

Wow…what a year…oh wait…it’s been a wild TWO years now since we entered “the pandemic”. First of all let me say, as a therapist, this has been a wild ride both personally and professionally. As a parent helping my kids navigate this scary and unfamiliar territory, I have experienced the same anxiety, fear, frustration as many of you have. As a daughter of high-risk parents, I have suddenly become very aware of my current and future role of caring for my parents, in addition to my children, and learned that I am now considered to be a part of the “sandwich generation.” In my work, I was forced to pivot from seeing clients in-person to learning to create a safe, comfortable, and intimate therapy space virtually. As a trauma and EMDR therapist (if you’d like to know what EMDR is check out this blog post), I was faced with the realization that we had been thrust into a global, collective trauma for which there had not been any current standard of care research available. As a fellow human, I relied on the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skill of radical acceptance to digest all of these new and daunting experiences and roles and… I am also a better, stronger, more focused, more balanced, and more empowered parent, daughter, therapist, and human because of this. By saying this, however, I do not want to minimize the trauma many have experienced because of this pandemic…the grief, the loss, the stress, the fear, and the new reality that many are facing is very real and has changed the course of many lives…and to those I say, I hope that you will one day find peace and if you are struggling to find that peace I encourage you to find a certified grief counselor in your area (Click here for some additional resources online.)

Now, as we look forward to this next year, what are the things you will leave behind? What are the things you will bring with you? As divisive as the issues surrounding this pandemic have been, there has also been the unexpected comfort in knowing “we are all in this together.” What does YOUR personal support system look like? Have you made changes? Have you set boundaries that removed people from your life but enhanced your emotional well-being? Have you learned to be more flexible? Have you given yourself, and others, the grace, and space, to be human and to love and be loved… imperfections and all? Have you begun to challenge those core beliefs you have developed about yourself over the years that limit you and prevent you from allowing joy into your life?  Have you reassessed your values and your priorities to reflect your true and authentic self? Have you learned to acknowledge your emotions and the information they provide? Have you learned to express yourself and communicate in a way that helps you to feel heard? Have you begun to sit “with” your depression or anxiety instead of sitting “in” it and becoming overwhelmed by it? If you have done any of these, or none of these, you are worthy and capable of designing a life that brings you fulfillment, empowerment, and joy…and if you need a little help along the way do not hesitate to reach out, I am here to help.

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