It’s been said that “someday is made up of a thousand tiny nows.” Here are some of the “nows” happening in my world:
As of May 10, 2023
Explaining Ideas Visually
This week I started the last live cohort of the Explain Ideas Visually Course and Community – and I’m already feeling inspired to think and “write” differently, in shorter bursts with more pictures. I’m also learning to use Discord (new for me) and Figma – super excited to expand my toolkit!
One of my big takeaways from the 1st session was that you don’t have to be a designer to have ideas and want to share them with the world in new ways. My reaction to that was – maybe it’s not that you don’t have to be a designer, it’s that everyone already is a designer and they just don’t know it.
I’m not a Designer™ by title or degree…but I’ve designed everything in my life up to this point – and I’m pretty proud of that! Everyone has a design eye for something. I think mine is designing experiences, human connection, and learning. My mission is to create everyday campfire moments and tell stories that stick. And once I finish this course…I’ll figure out how to say that visually!
What does your design eye see and what’s your mission?
Wellness Journey
I’m coming up on almost a full year of a wellness journey that started with finding a therapist last spring (who I’m still seeing weekly) and slowly layering in all sorts of better habits including:
- Finding a whole new care team – primary doctor, chiropractor, and massage therapist
- Tracking nutrition in MyFitnessPal (213 day streak as of today, woo-hoo!)
- Doing group fitness classes at least a few times a week (although more like once/week lately)
- Grocery shopping, meal planning, and limiting dining out to social outings or date nights
- Training our dogs to be better on walks so we go on more of them and actually enjoy it – just in time for beautiful weather!
- Waking up earlier to enjoy some “me time” before starting the day
- Making sure I’m always reading (or listening to) at least one book as an outlet
- And yes, I’m even journaling – or as I call it, “jotting” so I don’t feel pressure to edit
Therapy has been a game-changer for me, a chance to check-in weekly not on my projects or my to-do list but on my inner self – who had developed a real “why bother?” attitude that needed adjusting.
My therapist asked me yesterday, if I were to do a “retro” on how I’m handling stresses in my life currently compared to a year ago, how would I rate myself? I felt confident saying that I’m doing much better at managing life “stuff” without letting my self care slip. I’m also trusting myself more to get back on track. In the past, self care was always the first thing to go when life got hard, and it would sometimes take me months (or, years?) to reset. I know now that I’m no good to anyone else if I’m not at my best – and that requires some real effort.
Tips for Finding a Therapist
If you’ve been curious about therapy but don’t know where to start, here’s what I’d suggest from my own experience:
- Think about who you’d actually want to see every week and feel comfortable opening up to – and get as specific as possible. Draw up a picture or profile of your ideal therapist. I knew I wouldn’t want someone too much older than me or else I’d get “mom vibes” – not that that’s a bad thing, but I already have one of those – and let’s be real…if we’re not in therapy to talk about our moms at least a little bit, then what are we even doing there? I also knew I’d prefer someone of my same gender. In my head, I was picturing a sort of older sister type – someone 1 or 2 life stages ahead of me so they could help me brace for what’s coming next and offer some wisdom that I don’t have yet. Bonus points if I could pick up a sense of humor in their bio. Pro-tip: It feels like you’re “winning therapy” when you make them laugh.
- Search around on Psychology Today – you can sort by all different criteria, including insurance coverage, which is a big one! Know and maximize your benefits – you can pay with flex spending if you have that as a benefit. You can also sort by zip code – some people like to have someone local for convenience, and others like to go a little further out for added anonymity. I like being able to walk to my therapist’s office – the walk has become part of the experience for me.
- Read each therapist’s bio – it will give you a sense of who they are and what they specialize in. Find one who sounds like someone you’d want to have coffee with.
- Reach out and introduce yourself – that’s the hardest but most important step!
- At the first session, remember that you’re interviewing them as much as they’re feeling you out as a potential client. Give it a few sessions to see if you can build a relationship and trust – but if it’s not working for you, know that you can move on and try someone else. The relationship is the key to unlocking yourself, in my experience.
That’s it for now! See you next time – check out my latest links for more…
Ashley Blackburn 