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It’s Fall 2021!
This season is by far my favorite. The South doesn’t necessarily give us cool weather until November, but I still look forward to the changes:
-Pumpkin lattes
-A bit of a dip in the temperature
-Kids going back to school
-Daylight Savings Time
-the 4th Quarter of the year (don’t forget to change your toothbrush!)
There’s a shift in the air I can respect. I think it’s a signal from God, telling us to check in with ourselves. Despite this gentle reminder, I’ve been in conversations that show me the opposite: people are feeling stuck.
“Pandemic Brain”, a term referring to the difficulty we have retaining information, focusing, and/or managing our mental health will have a major lingering impact on how we function for the next several years. No wonder we feel stuck!
How do we take our power back? You know me; let’s get into how we can address this rut. I have but one point...
Take advantage of the stillness
I go a little nuts when things are not moving and shaking around me. I’m wired for a lot of stimulation or busy-ness, if you will. So imagine my mental health during the shelter-in-place/quarantine of 2020. This time was an eye-opening season for a lot of people. My phone continues to blow up as people are looking for therapy as their last resort. They’ve realized they can’t (or don’t have to) figure it out on their own. Issues are brought to the forefront because we have been forced to be still. We are way too aware of being alive and it’s not been fun for everyone.
While all this is true, I also wonder how we can reframe this sudden halt to our lives as we knew it. Ask yourself….
Why do you think things have been coming to a halt for you?
What could God be trying to show you?
What larger blessing could be on the other side of you addressing this thing?
For many people, there have been signals to slow down way before COVID-19 came along. Have you been ignoring things? It’s possible. I ignore things all the time! However, I find that they always come back because we can’t run from the recurring themes as much as we try. They matter. I wonder what would happen if you tuned in to the area(s) of your life you are afraid of. This is what I mean by “lean it to the discomfort”...in this case the discomfort of the stillness that feels like being stuck. Consider the following questions.
What or who do you need to approach this safely?
What outcome do you control from the situation? Not control?
And how would you respond if it doesn’t go to plan?
Ponder on these things. Keep a journal. Go to a trusted friend and work through the stillness together. You have the chance to come out on the other side a new person, even if it's simply the newfound awareness you’ll have.
Here’s to your journey to becoming unstuck! I work with women with these processes regarding their Daddy Issues. They find themselves in relationships they know are unhealthy, yet have no clue how to set the boundary. They’re reliving the same loop of low self-esteem narratives from childhood and need a space to unlearn them. It’s a pleasure to see the light bulbs go off when one foot is in front of the other, no matter how slowly. These few steps will hopefully help you along, too.
Enjoy the process!