Coping

So far, 2021 hasn’t proven any better than 2020 for me. I mean…just look at my last three months! I’m burned out. It’s time to reflect, get small, hibernate a little, and try to kick this damned cold. Here’s what I’m doing:

For the cold, it’s basic wellness stuff - hydrate, rest, vitamins, less sugar and dairy, and more rest. For the rest of me, it’s been about finding the things I enjoy and digging right in. 

Lots of time with our new cats! Emotional support animals, indeed.

Indoor gardening! A new hobby, but very rewarding. I started small, and now I have a min jungle in my house.

Planning my school time! The Duke train is rolling...two weeks baby!

Ordering takeout! (Mostly because I love to cook in my downtime and I would spend an entire day in the kitchen if I could...but I need REST!) 

Therapy! If you and I have ever chatted about life difficulties, you probably got the “maybe you could talk to someone, professionally?” speech. Super pro-therapy, right here. I’ve had a lot of traumas in my life, so my experience with therapy is pretty abundant at this stage. I can’t tell you how amazing it’s been to talk to someone (virtually) this past year. Especially when I see my friends less, and I need to purge this crap onto a human being for some objective input. I can’t say enough about it, but feel free to ask more if you’re interested. I’m so very happy to talk about it. 

Journaling! Like...a lot. Sometimes it’s just a sentence or two, sometimes it’s pages among pages. Sometimes I use prompts (where in your body do you feel stress, etc). A lot of it is abstract or fragmented. It doesn’t read like a novel. The important thing is to just get it out of my head. To acknowledge it, and move forward. It helps. 

Books! Yep, lots of reading. Mostly non-fiction, but it’s fun to me to learn new things with no real objective or timeline. 

Shopping! Okay this is a risky one, but I have intentionally allowed myself to purge some old staples, and curate a new wardrobe. So the goal is specific.  It’s only a teensy bit in the realm of retail therapy.

Video games! Yep, successful people play - whether it’s video games, sports, board games, D&D…time for play is essential in life. And it’s so easy to forget that. Games are one of the things that I can focus on, with absolutely no goal in mind other than the complete distraction from life for a while.

And finally, allowing myself to go through these experiences with objective curiosity, AND empathy towards myself. I’m so appreciative of my clients who bear with me while I take downtime for myself. In my field I usually have one discussion about the need for downtime. It’s time to take a little of my own medicine.