Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself…

***Disclaimer: This blog is written by a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend etc. who also happens to be a licensed clinician. It is not a substitute for seeking professional advice from your own therapist. Advice from this blog does not equate informed consent and does not establish a therapeutic relationship with the writer***

Life and been….life-ing. And because of that, my goals to put time and energy into myself, my practice, this blog just didn’t develop the way I thought. And that’s ok, because some wonderful and difficult things have been happening in the last three years. And that’s life.

But now, just like a lot of you, I’m trying to turn a new leaf in my journey of “ME”, and trying to determine what that even looks like. Maybe that is something we can do together!

Without going into great detail regarding my personal life, more than likely there will be some big changes for me in the coming year. I think change can be a scary thing for a lot of us, but I also think challenging yourself to see a different perspective is an important part of that process. Opportunity vs. Obstacle.

Any personal growth and development is going to require a general curiosity and exploration. We must have the ability to openly wonder and observe without judgement of ourselves or the situations we are in. In my own self-exploration, I determined that I often don’t prioritize myself or my needs. This many times results in being short tempered with my family, experiencing increased anxiety and depression symptoms, and having a general lack of motivation. When I notice these things happening, I know it’s time to shift my focus to basic needs. Eating habits, sleeping habits, work/life balance, and whatever self-care looks like for me.

Take some time to answer some of these questions for yourself, and they may give you guidance in finding what areas of life could use some shifting or improving.

Self-Exploration Questions

1. Is there anything causing you stress in your life right now? If so, what?

2. Are there any things that are going well in life right now?

3. How do you define self-care? What does that look like for you?

4. What are you passionate about?

5. What makes you feel accomplished?

6. What do you feel right now in this moment?

7. How have you changed in the past year?

8. Are there any areas you know need change or improvement?

9. How would other people describe you? And do you feel like that is accurate to how you feel about yourself?

10. Are you currently feeling fulfilled in life? Why or why not?

I hope you all are able to find these questions helpful in your self-exploration journey. Part of my journey is to use this platform more often as my own means of self-care and investment in myself!