March 2023 Newsletter: Zooming Out, Planting Intentions, and Fighting Urgency
Welcome to the Fourth Edition of my monthly newsletter! This month I’m writing to you as March comes to a close, and I feel like I’ve blinked and Spring is nearly here in full.
Thank you for being here, and for keeping up with all things Mind Body Wellness. If you missed the first of my newsletters, I decided to turn them into blog posts so that you can revisit them anytime you’d like. You can access them here, and can go back to check out the therapy themes and resources I sent in previous months.
Therapy Theme
This month’s Therapy Themes emerged over and over again over the past few weeks. When I notice myself having similar conversations with my clients week to week, I tune in because I don’t think it’s only coincidence. My guess is that if a topic is coming up for a few people, there are more who could benefit from the conversation. Whether this is a real-life example of collective consciousness, or themes based on the season or world events, you can decide for yourself. Who knows, maybe it’s me? I find the sharing of these themes valuable because it shows that we are maybe more connected than we think.
This month, I’ve had a lot of conversations about zooming out. I love to talk about progress made in therapy, and I think it’s actually essential to take that step back to do so as often as possible, whether that’s in the therapeutic context or not. It can be tough to see how far you’ve come when you’re the one who’s living it. In fact, my business coach reminded me of this same concept this week. And it’s tough, right? We want to do more, accomplish more, be more, have more, and, in this desire for more, we lose sight of what is and how far we’ve come. Which is a pretty easy way to feel not-so-great about yourself. If you’re constantly looking for ways that you’re not doing enough, of course that’s all you’ll see. Being intentional about looking at the big picture is a powerful tool. Chances are you’ve come a lot farther than you think when you take the time to stop and reflect.
So this week, consider that. Can you give yourself a moment to zoom out? Where are you now compared to last month? Six months ago? This time last year? Five years ago? See if you can give yourself space to celebrate how far you’ve come.
Personal Reflections and Resources
Something that you may or may not know about me is that I love gardening. I am a plant lady, a green witch, and am always itching to sink my fingers into the soil one way or another. In approaching Spring, I’m reflecting on the idea of intention and patience. So often, our ideas and intentions for what we want take time to percolate and take root. I, for one, am often frustrated with waiting. I like immediate results, and sometimes want to give up when I don’t get what I want right away. I am a person who needs to constantly remind myself to hold the vision, do the work and it will come. And how fitting for the season (and this month’s Therapy Theme)? I’m sitting with intention and patience as I wait to plant my garden. I’m visualizing and problem solving and allowing my ideas to percolate while I wait until the frost abates (for real this time). I recognize that waiting is part of the process. I also recognize that if I zoom out, waiting these few weeks will be better in the long run. We plant the seeds at the right time, and we water them, and we wait.
The same is true for other dreams and intentions. Not everything is a quick fix, as much as we might like it to be. Big dreams take time. And, in zooming out, we may realize that we’ve done more work than we think. Just like the seed needs time to grow a root system, so too do we. I love a good plant metaphor, so stick with me. Without roots, a tree will topple. Without the time needed to build a foundation, new growth cannot appear. And, often most of this work takes place beneath the surface, in the darkness where no one can see. Building a foundation is not always fancy or flashy, but without taking the time to do so, not much can be built. The same is true for forward progress. The things that make the most significant changes happen while we hold the vision and choose not to stop watering our intentions.
Whether it’s going to therapy, mindfulness practices, movement, or any other kind of self care, it takes time to see results. Just like in gardening, there’s no quick fix without the wait.
As I’m having conversations about zooming out with my clients, I’m also reflecting on how to apply that concept to myself. You may have noticed that March’s newsletter is coming out on the very last day of the month, and if you didn’t, now you know. I had really big plans for this newsletter. I was going to announce new offerings and programs, and provide multiple resources for you. And, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. As I wrap up this month, I’m sitting with grief and needing to slow down. My partner and I are getting ready to say goodbye to our sweet dog, who is nearly ready to move from this life to the next. And you know what? Right now that is most important. All of my plans will still be there, even if I give myself permission to slow down and sit with what’s here. Everything I’m doing right now is enough. I feel like I need to say that again. Everything I am doing is enough. What an enormous relief.
Maybe things don’t look exactly how I planned, but I can practice what I preach and zoom out. And in doing so, I can give myself the grace to know that everything I’m setting down for the moment can easily be picked back up when I have the space.
It’s easy to get lost in the feeling of urgency, but when it comes down to it (and when I zoom out), giving myself the space to sit with this season of life is the most important thing I can do with my time.
If you’re looking for some resources, I invite you to revisit some of my previous newsletters here. If you missed it last month, I also have a free mediation video that will guide you through a 10-minute mindfulness meditation. This is a quick 10-minute practice that you can download if you’re interested in trying out something new. You can grab it here. Included in the email will be a discount code for my 14-Day Foundations of Meditation Course, which I designed to help you be kind to yourself and fight all-or-nothing thinking when implementing a new habit.
I am wishing you grace, compassion, and fulfillment in how far you’ve come.
