Hello Clients,
Happy new year to each of you.
Many of you struggled with the symptoms of burnout & stress in 2021. Our practice response to this will be to educate you about burnout and help you self-monitor the symptoms in your life. At the theoretical level our focus in 2022 will be on trauma, burnout and applying the principles of polyvagal theory in that therapeutic context. We will continue to suggest useful books, provide helpful tips and recommend wellness products in our joint wellness journey. We will continue to remind you to do your daily wellness work and to help you stay enthusiastic and committed to feeling less stressed and more engaged in your relationships, families and work contexts.
The influential relational psychologist Esther Perel has commented on clinician stress and burnout as a result of holding space and contextualising experience for clients during COVID-19. While I agree with her I have seen that same stress and burnout evidenced in clients during 2021. Many of you are holding space and contextualising for colleagues, team members, board members, patients, clients, family, children, elderly parents and friends.
Perhaps this year in our healing community space we can learn to recognise our needs earlier and intervene effectively and share our developing wisdom regarding what works for each of us.
In my own world carefully curating my home space has been therapeutic. Pay attention to fragrances, textures, visuals, auditory and sensory inputs that calm and soothe you. Notice what helps and develop spaces set aside for sensory based relaxation.
One client has developed a reading corner containing a lamp, her bookshelf, a sofa in her favourite shade of blue, a rug and a fruit bowl. She told me that coming home and smelling fruit reminds her of the best of her childhood. As a child reading was an early pleasure. She always received books as part of birthday and Christmas gifts. Coming home, taking off her shoes and walking on the squishy rug as she flops down on the blue sofa to read a few pages helps her to connect with herself after the stress of her work day.
Consciously develop a space that helps you to rebalance and reground. Make it a daily habit to luxuriate in your space each day. During your daily stresses take a few seconds to breathe deeply and imagine yourself in your special space.
It’s been another stressful year for most of us. Christmas bookings at the practice have been busier
Christmas is coming again! If you haven’t already bought and wrapped your gifts, organised the lunch menu
When we wrote a comment on our blackboard last month about languishing which referenced some work from
