To New Beginnings!

Hey Readers,

I know it’s been a minute, but I swear I have a good reason–as of this month, I am now in private practice! Unsurprisingly, I’m specializing in grief and trauma. My goal is to have at least a certificate in Thanatology by the end of the year.

I want to also say that I have loved my 3+ years at various mental health organizations. It provided me with incredible opportunities for professional growth (not to mention, allowing me to put my existential navel-gazing to good use). I realized when I was wrapping up at my previous job just how many different clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. Each one had a different diagnosis and with each discharge, the breadth of my experience sank in a little bit more.

I’m currently pouring a lot of time into my new self-care project, afternoonified.art, where I draw people who both do and do not exist. I’m really getting into portraits that tell a story without using the face as well.

My internal weather is certainly changing in a positive way, and I hope it’s not too forward to share this leg of my journey with you. After all, we’ve only been together for eight years now. (We have to stop meeting like this; people will talk.)

Until next time, stay sane and safe! Know your worth; then add tax.

Rainbow walk

I’m finishing up the final installment of the ACEs series, but I realized I haven’t told you about the rainbow walk yet.

I began using this exercise with clients when I was a wee intern–as part of the PRP program, we were required to do a certain number of “off-site” classes, so finding creative ways to get the clients out and about was a challenge. The rainbow walk is a great way to pair mindfulness with physical activity and fresh air, if you’re able and comfortable with going outside. If not, you can also do this from the comfort of your own home.

Essentially, you just…go for a walk. And as you’re walking, you pay attention to your surroundings and name all the red things you see, all the orange things, and so on. It’s kind of like that road trip game where you count all the blue cars, except better because you’re not actually stuck in a car. The point of the exercise is to bring yourself back to the present moment and focus one-mindedly on a task–in this case, using just one sense to observe.

Anyway, just a quick little bonus post so you’re not completely lost when I post ACEs Part 4 tonight. See you then!

Important Update

Hi readers,

I just received word that my grandmother, who raised me, passed away this morning at the age of 93. I had been bracing myself for it for a while so it’s not a shock, but it’s still hard to deal with.

What I’m going to do right now is finish some homework for my online class, email my professors and prospective therapist (I was supposed to have my intake on Tuesday), and try to chill out until my fiance gets home around six-ish.

I’ll keep you guys posted.

News Day Tuesday: Election Anxiety

Good afternoon, readers! It’s that time of week again!

First of all, for those of you who don’t follow the Facebook page for The Dissociated Press (and if that’s the case, why not?), I have some exciting news to share: Last night, I found out that I’ve been accepted to Johns Hopkins’ Master of Science program for Counseling Psychology! I’ll be starting in the spring.

Now, on to the main event for this week: election anxiety. I’m sure most of us have felt it at one time or another, and for many, it’s probably coming to a head right about now. Today’s article comes from K5 in western Washington state.

Bernice Imei Hsu, a registered nurse and licensed mental health counselor, stated that around 85% of her new patients come in to discuss anxiety related to this year’s presidential election. Some of the clients began presenting with these concerns as early as May of this year.

Hsu has some great tips for helping with election anxiety:

Hsu first assesses how well her clients can handle conflict and change. She then helps them come up with a plan for how they might react to election results.

She asks clients to identify people in their lives who can help them discuss their anxieties and needs. She also encourages clients to practice “relentless self-care.”

“Maybe they need to take a little break, maybe they need to turn down the volume a bit of their social media feeds, stop screaming in all caps, or reading other people scream in all caps, turn it down, tone it down, and take care of themselves,” Hsu said.

The first time I voted in a presidential election was in 2008, and I remember being incredibly anxious. That anxiety was even worse in 2012. This time, I’m feeling oddly calm about it, though I think that’s because I’m in a better place mentally and have already set up some fun activities for tonight to keep my mind off the results (even though I’ll inevitably end up watching them roll in).

I have coloring and cross stitch on the list, as well as my ever-expanding Netflix queue, which is always a good distraction. I’ve realized that while I can vote, I ultimately can’t do anything about the results and that it’s better not to waste my energy worrying excessively about it. Whatever happens is what happens; I find this point of view very calming.

What about you, readers? Do you get election jitters? How do you combat them?