Fall brings on a sense of change and is a time of year that I look forward to. I am in awe of the colors changing, and the temperatures getting cooler gives me a nudge to turn inwards. A time of reflection and the ability to clear out what is no longer serving me.
Whether it is cleaning out my closets as I shift my clothing around or sitting down on a Sunday morning to journal, a bit more than I usually do. We all need a sense of renewal and releasing of patterns, things that no longer serve us. That conversation you wish had gone differently that keeps reappearing in your mind, it’s time to let it go.
Processing through journaling, or even art and gardening, can be very therapeutic. I went to the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit this week, and the opportunity to watch the amazing transformation of art, the creation, the movement, was mindfulness in the sweetest form. I was fully present with nothing else on my mind ut the experience itself.
Regardless of your caregiver role, an unpleasant situation can happen where you have made an error. Perhaps you’ve responded in a way you wish you hadn’t, or wish you had taken a few more minutes before launching into a decision that did not result in the best outcome. You are not alone. What is important to remember is that we are all human, and the potential for reacting differently the next time is equally possible.
Follow those times up with reflection. Whether you journal it (my recommendation) or sit quietly with yourself and reflect on the situation. Were you panicked that no decision would be the worst? Were you feeling pressure from someone to respond? Were you carrying a conversation with someone else that did not go well with you when you came home and reacted badly to something?
Our mental tapes are powerful. When something bad happens, it is so easy to go over the conversation over and over again. Maybe it’s many different events coming at you simultaneously, and you’re overwhelmed. Perhaps something from the past is raising its ugly voice, again, over and over.
Sometimes, you need to go through it. The good, bad, and ugly parts. And that’s the key. Go through it. Don’t sweep it under the carpet, let it come up, journal about it, scream about it if you need to. But go through it. If you need professional help, please don’t feel ashamed. It’s a gift to be able to talk to someone that might help give light to a situation you would not have seen otherwise.
Turn into fall. Find something that will immerse you into the moment. Feel the peace and the change happening around you and allow it to happen within in you, too.
Hugs,
Cyndi