INSPIRATION THIS WEEK: THE LEAVES ARE CHANGING...

I know, I know, I'm ahead of the game. Fall hasn't officially started yet, but if you know me well enough you know I've already broken out the fall decorations and gotten the itch for hay rides, fall foliage, pumpkin patches, apple picking, and everything autumn! I say if Dunkin can roll out their Pumpkin Spice, then that's a good enough indicator to start for me!

So what does all of this have to do with therapy and mental health? Well, as I eagerly await the leaves to start to turn, it's yet another reminder from Mother Nature. Everything changes...

THEME OF THE WEEK: EMBRACE THE CHANGES

Fall is such a beautiful metaphor to help remind us that what is in front of us now is not permanent. It is not guaranteed. It is ever changing, growing, evolving.

And if you look at it one way, you see the nights getting colder and the sun going down earlier. You see leaves and greenery dying and withering away. But if you look at it another way, you see the welcoming of new opportunities. You can find beauty in the fall foliage and changes of scenery. Out with the old, in with the new.

It's common for us to struggle with change, to want to resist it. People will stress over a move and focus on all the stress of moving our stuff and leaving an old familiar setting. Women go through the emotional journey of their changing bodies as their bodies embrace motherhood and prepare to welcome another human into this world. A college student can stress over graduating and having to enter the "real world" and still unsure of what they want to do. A budding relationship starts to leave that honeymoon phase and there are more serious talks of building a life together.

So we get scared. And we resist. Or we self-sabotage. We don't know what is ahead of us, and the fear of the unknown is compounding. We desperately cling to what we know, even if we don't necessarily like it. Resistance is a very natural and expected first response to change. Do not mistake it for a sign to run back into your comfortable little turtle shell, or that things are going awry. 

I encourage you to notice that voice of fear within you. Don't hush it nor let it take over. Give it some space and listen to it and validate it. Change IS scary, but scary does not equate to bad, it's just different. Find the beauty in what may be different. Yes there's a lot of stuff to move, but how about the joy of redecorating a new space? Yes your body is stretching and aching, but who is this little bundle of joy going to be? Less college parties, but how about the feeling of landing your first job? And yes the excitement of a new relationship may have quieted, but why not relish in the comfort of having a person to come home to every night?

CHALLENGE THIS WEEK: ROLL WITH THE RESISTANCE

It's easy to fall into the trap of listening to that inner fear when you are met with the "changing of a season." Don't let it happen to you. Notice when that fear arises, take stock of what it is telling you, validate it. And then still move forward. You can do hard things. And while the road ahead may look scary, it is what you make of it. So embrace the challenges and the unknowns with an attitude of curiosity and bravery. Be adventurous and the new things coming your way could be the best things to happen to you if you give yourself the opportunity to discover them!