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Somatic Work for Big Changes

 I am making some big changes in my personal life. I gave my notice and I am leaving my 9-5 agency job to return to private practice as a therapist. I’ve been here before, but this time it’s different. I have been doing some somatic work and really learning how to support my nervous system this time around so that I can make this sustainable.  First I got clear on what I wanted my life to look and feel like. I want slow mornings. I want mid-day walks with my dog. I want to be at every single practice and game and event my kid has. I want vacation and time off. I want to pay my bills and have some fun money. I want a slower pace. I want daytime hours.  I want to feel excited by my work. I want to feel peace and a slower pace. I want to feel financially comfortable. After I really tuned into how my ideal day would look and feel. I worked backwards to figure out how that could work on a practical and logistical level. I am going to work 8-4. I am going to schedule time betwe...

Canning, Safety, & Ancestral Healing

 In 2024 I bought an electric pressure canner thinking it would be a nice way to preserve food. I was excited to learn something new, but it changed my life in ways I never imagined. I had canned (not properly) cranberry juice the year before and decided I was going to dive in head first. One of the first things I made was jelly. It did not turn out well, but I tried again. My 2nd attempt was peony jelly and it blew my mind. It was simple, beautiful, and tasted amazing. I got so excited I made several batches and gave them away to anyone that would take one!  Recently while at work I mentioned that I had canned up some soup and I brought in some (properly) canned cranberry juice as a gift to my coworker. My boss commented "you can everything!" and she is right.  I have loved to cook since I was a kid. I usually bake and it is one way I have found creativity, joy, and connection. To me food is meant to be shared and it's how I show love. Canning has been an extension of th...

Welcome 2025!

 As 2024 winds down and 2025 is approaching, like most people, I have been doing a lot of reflecting. I have been sitting in meditation and journaling on this past year while also trying to figure out what I am bringing into the new year. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions because they tend to fade out. We put SO much pressure on "starting fresh" and "new year, new me" but because it's from such and all or nothing place it's not sustainable. My goal was to find ways to increase joy and sustain or expand the things from 2024 that are feeling good.  In my meditation I found 2 words I would like to work with for 2025: surrender and flow. I also saw the most rich indigo/violet and will be working with that as a color (hello third eye). In order to keep these as a priority for 2025 I have made a collage to put on my lock screen on my phone along with some other symbols for things I would like to focus on this year.  Reading- I found a Taylor Swift ins...

Releasing Fear

 Fear is probably the bigger hurdle I have had (and continue) to work through. As I have worked through concepts of fear is has taken many forms. Fear of seeing somethings scary:   When you have a local celebrity for a Great-Grandmother you hear stories. She could remote view and I'm sure saw things that were hard. I never got the pleasure of meeting her earth side but this is something I'm exploring in my connecting with her spirit. This did lead to other adults in my life being thankful that I "don't have her gifts because they can be scary". To my little kid self that meant any interaction with spirits, remote viewing, etc. was images of dead people and that it was probably gruesome. These ideas were wrong on SO many levels. This fear only taught me to downplay, ignore, and stifle my gifts. By ignoring what is flowing through me I often felt misunderstood and like I had to hide parts of me. So much of this spiritual journey is rediscovering the true me.  Fear o...

It Takes a Village

 They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I would argue that it takes a village to be a human these days. What we don't talk about is the grief that comes when the village is not who you thought (or society tells us) it should be. As the holidays are fast approaching my Husband and I have been reflecting on the various levels of estrangement we have with both of our families. Some is intentional full on no contact, some connections just got caught up in life, and some have major boundaries to protect our peace.  I have been no contact with one of my parents for close to twenty years. It was the healthiest choice my young teen self had ever made (and probably the first time I truly honored ME) and it's not a choice that makes me sad anymore. There are other members of our families that losing/going lower contact with that has been much harder because the circumstances are less clear. I know it brings me more peace, but I miss them.  In all of our reflection though...

Stop the Glorification of Busy

I saw someone I know post recently about working 20 hours a day and never taking breaks like it was a badge of honor. Reading their post I had a visceral reaction. There was a time in my life where I would have thought "hell, yeah!". Now it just makes me sad.  I used to pride myself on being busy. I have worked from a young age starting with babysitting. Then in high school I went to school, was a varsity cheerleader, and worked about 20 hours a week. In undergrad I worked 2 jobs the entire time I pursued two degrees. In graduate school I worked full time while taking classes and doing internships. I still work 2 jobs. Even though I am often busy, it's different now. I used to work myself to the bone, never stopping. I attempted to be everything for everyone. This left me feeling sick, burnt out, resentful, judgmental (why is everyone else so lazy?!), and in pain.  In the last few years I have been much more intentional with my time. I'm a Mom to a kiddo that plays ye...

Holiday Support!

 The holidays are fast approaching and no matter what ones you might celebrate (and even if you don't) this time of the year can feel tricky. As a therapist in my daily life this is the time of year that I start hearing more and more about financial strain, family dynamics, food issues, stress, mental load, depression, societal expectation, and the list goes on. These things are often hard on our nervous systems. Now is a good time to start thinking about healing our relationship with these things, deciding what boundaries we need to have in place, and examining our own values. Once we get clear about our values and boundaries and we do some work to heal old wounds and patterns we can start to have a much different relationship with the holidays. It's important to know that this takes time, this is an active practice, and you might hurt feelings. This is all ok.  If you woke up tomorrow and all the stress and worry of the upcoming season was gone, what would be different?...