The stories we tell matter.
One of the struggles of being a creative arts therapist is helping others understand what that means. I created this Venn diagram to help. I want to show how multiple fields and approaches have developed in an attempt to understand… Read moreWhat is the scope of practice of creative arts therapies?
Remember that we’re nine months into a global pandemic. We are experiencing a form of collective trauma. Not to mention political and racial unrest, a series of natural disasters, and a high rate of unemployment. The days are getting shorter…. Read moreBurnout and Trauma Exposure: You Know When Something Isn’t Right
We are currently experiencing a global pandemic, which is a form of collective trauma. Most people are used to associating the word trauma with things like the horrors of war combat, or possibly sexual assault or domestic violence. There are… Read moreIntroduction to the Nervous System: Fight/Flight/Freeze
cw: sexual abuse, emotional abuse I have this growing realization of this thing that I have to deal with at some point. It’s something I’ve been putting off dealing with for a long time. But you can’t contain trauma; it… Read moreTrauma and the Erotic
About two hours of pulling weeds at a time is all I can stand. Then I need to rest. Our rent house has several big, beautiful raised garden beds in the front and back of the house. The landscaping is… Read moreThe Gardener
Another chapter in the chronicle of my lady bits. This past cycle was a bit worse than the last one, but still better overall. Moderate cramps for two days but bleeding was still down to three days instead of 5-6…. Read moreUterine Update
Earlier this week, I hit a bit of a low point in a depression-anxiety spiral. I hadn’t been sleeping well, and having been laid up with my period, was feeling guilty and useless for not getting “enough” done, among other… Read moreLess is More
I think I realized I was an introvert at some point in graduate school (inorite?). But, in my defense, I did forensics (of the public speaking variety) competitions all through high school and I majored in theatre in college. I’ve… Read moreOde to Loving My Inner Introvert
A woman opens a can of soup and puts it into a bowl. She puts the bowl in the microwave to heat. When the microwave dings, she opens the silverware drawer. She rummages around, then pulls the cutlery out piece… Read morePlay a Day: Spoons
Once I’m feeling overwhelmed, it starts to feel like nothing will ever change and my options for making a difference in my own life are limited. All I can think of are the reasons I can’t do things or why even if I tried it wouldn’t matter because of course I’m just a failure and incompetent at life.
In other words, my brain lies to me.
Stress also makes me feel tired and fatigued, which makes me able to do less because I lack the mental and/or physical energy.
Which only feeds the cycle more.
Because my brain can then say, “See? You can’t even do your laundry or keep up with the dishes or clean the cat box. How will you ever manage X, Y, or Z?”
Then, the stress and guilt from not being able to do even the simplest adult tasks piles onto my other stress and makes me feel even more that I ought to just stay in bed with the covers pulled over my head forever.