(A Blog About Mental Health)
Starting therapy can be a leap into the unknown, and it makes sense to have questions. I’m an actual real life therapist, and today I’ll answer some of them for you. Here in part one I’ll focus on answering the more nitty gritty-type questions—I’ll share some terms and definitions, and respond to inquiries about the process of starting therapy.
I know, I know...just a few weeks ago I was bemoaning the difficulties of turbulent spring weather and its accompanying anxiety. Spring anxiety is still real...and this week we're turning towards the qualities of spring that make it The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. In the spring, we have the opportunity to look at the unnecessary internal and external gunk we've accumulated over the winter. Spring also offers us a chance to shift our internal detritus so we can make room for blooming and growing during the warmer months.
A while back, I wrote a blog on the different flavors of anxiety. I wrote the post in late November, headed into the dark days of winter. At the time, spring anxiety never even crossed my mind as an anxiety flavor. This year as we’re stumbling clumsily into spring I’m remembering the specific type of springtime anxiety unique to Southwest Colorado; an agitated and unsettled feeling that for me usually shows up around March and persists through late May. Signs of spring anxiety include overcommitting, restlessness, impulsivity, appetite and body image difficulties, and ungroundedness.
I know you’ve been holding your breath in anticipation and here it is…the third and final part of your Quarterlife Crisis Survival Guide. Today we’re moving on to the advanced skills of surviving and thriving in quarterlife: building your ability to zoom out and take perspective, understanding your attachment and nervous systems, strengthening your self-compassion muscle, and finally, putting it all into practice with committed action steps.