As we enter a period of “stay at home” in Chicago, most of my sessions have been about COVID-19 and how to adjust to being at home with restricted outside activities for an extended period of time. Many people (including me) are struggling to find balance between staying informed and not over-consuming media/news
It’s important to have strategies for what to do when you don’t want to be tied to your phone or social media. I’ve talked with my clients about creating a menu of activities or possibilities. I choose the word “menu” very specifically: it’s not a schedule, and it’s not a to-do list. A menu is something you can pick up and browse and choose items from, when you don’t want to pick up your phone or read more news.
I have to admit, I am slightly obsessed by music. I love how music can be used to set a mood, to punctuate an emotion. My music collection spans all genre’s and many eras. One of my favorite things is to put my iPod on “Shuffle” and listen to the diversity of music.
I’ve noticed that the subject of death comes up often, talking with people, both professionally and personally. Quite a few people I know have lost a family member in the last year and many others still feel the pain of losses that may have happened years ago. There is a lot of information published on grief.
“Story.” What comes to mind when you hear that word? Dictionary.com defines the word “story” as: “a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.”
“Thank you.” Two words most of us say countless times each day. Saying ‘thank you’ recently came up in a client session and we started processing what that phrase means. Are we saying the words when we are expressing gratitude or just out of habit?
Do you ever find yourself thinking in endless cycles about possible scenarios? Do you find it distressing? Or maybe you aren’t even aware of it in the moment, and then suddenly realize 15 minutes (or more) have gone by and you’ve been stuck in these circling thoughts.
So, your best friend tells you they are kinky and/or they practice BDSM (Bondage and Discipline [BD], Dominance and Submission [Ds], Sadism and Masochism [SM]). Whether it is your best friend, a sibling, parent, or child, you may want to be an ally, but simply don’t know what to do or say.
