Weaving together the worlds of psychology, creativity and feminist spirituality, I craft introspective and transformative therapeutic writing experiences - including every Friday for those on my email list. Subscribe and learn how to use writing to decrease stress, process your emotions and boost your spirits!
all dressed up and anxious....
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Hi Reader, My Friday feel is.... tired, fulfilled, inspired, sleepy, empowered... Last night was the Businesswoman of the Year Award Gala in Ottawa, hosted by the Women's Business Network of Ottawa. I was on the Gala committee this past year, and felt a bit like a fish out of water. Most comfortable in sneakers and ponytail, getting dolled up can cause me a fair amount of anxiety. But, like so much anxiety, the fears never materialized and I did fine. I got a couple compliments on my outfit and didn't trip on my long skirt when I had to go up on stage to present one of the awards. Thankfully I know my anxiety well enough to have known all along that was the most likely outcome. I had been coaching myself all week, "Ah, I see my pattern - getting anxious and shutting down before a big event I've never been to... I see that and I know that every other time this happened, it's all been ok. I can trust myself to get through this, and I'll probably even be smiling the whole time." And lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. The thing is, none of us are perfect, nor will we be. But we can learn to better understand ourselves, accept our fabulous eccentricities and coat ourselves in a thick layer of self-compassion. So here's my prompt for you today, Sometimes I get nervous but I know I can... There was a point last night when my anxiety finally disappeared, and it got caught on camera so I'll leave you with that.... Silly faces with friends is an EXCELLENT antidote to anxiety!! 'til next time, Parrish |
Parrish Wilson, MA
Weaving together the worlds of psychology, creativity and feminist spirituality, I craft introspective and transformative therapeutic writing experiences - including every Friday for those on my email list. Subscribe and learn how to use writing to decrease stress, process your emotions and boost your spirits!
Hi Reader, Today is World Mental Health Day and I started my day at Ottawa City Hall for the Courageous Conversation with Politicians - part of the Dare To Be Vulnerable Project that is working to break down mental health stigma through the sharing of real people's stories. We heard about the anxiety, trauma, depression and insomnia that accompanies politicians through their lives and careers, exacerbated by their public facing role and social media. It was an inspiring, and vulnerable...
Reader, sometimes a month is a MOOD and I felt that this morning... Every second Friday I tend to the animals at my son's Forest School - 3 goats and a bunch of chickens - and on this crisp October morning the chickens weren't too keen to head out and needed encouragement. The goats though happily trotted to their paddock, playfully as always. Chickens, goats and kids running. The trees bursting with colour. Today is so October (well, until this afternoon when it's supposed to be like 28...
It's Friday, Reader! The weekend may not mean total rest and relaxation but let's try to give you a little more emotional space for the weekend, shall we? Yesterday I had the privilege of introducing a group of ex-convicts and addicts to the power of therapeutic writing. They really got into it, even the guy who told me he doesn't like writing, nor doing what people tell him to do. But by the end of the hour, he was super engaged and looking forward to our next class in a couple weeks. I make...