Therapy Tuesday
Photo By: Julie Bindeman, Psy-D
I alternate weeks on Current Mom with a topic called "Truth Tuesdays." Today's post will be more like "Truthful Therapist" Tuesday. I know that many of my clients look at me as if I have it all together. It is always easier to look at someone else and be able to clearly see what is going on than it is to do those same things internally.
This post will be more of a reality check for me. How often do I tell my clients (or even blog about on this site) the importance of taking time for yourself? I'll admit, I've gotten better personally with the concept, but mostly as an abstraction rather than a hard and fast rule. For Mother's Day, I asked for (and received a massage). Better yet, I've actually USED it. OK, that's a good start, but not exactly something than can be a daily occurrence.
I'm now in week 35 of my pregnancy. Last week, I was told that my blood pressure was elevated. And that I needed to calm down. I must admit that for me, I had been pretty calm in recent weeks. Or my version of calm. I wasn't stopping any activity (although my client load seemed to self-select that for me, as summer signals to individuals that all is going well, and the need for therapy declines.) So I'm working less (through no fault of my own). To anyone that owns their own business or is in professional services, this translates to "I'm earning less." Alright, I'll accept that.
Today, I got the news that my test results from last week were "borderline" normal. No one seems to be concerned, except me. I want to know: what do I do to make them un-borderline? Fortunately, a friend was able to guide me. Her advice: put my feet up. But how do you put your feet up when you are not oriented to doing so?
That's what I'm trying to figure out. I NEED to do this for me and the baby. I've waited too long for this point, but I'm finding it hard to heed my own (and my friend's) advice. For me, I think some of it is denial: not wanting to admit there is a necessity to listen to what has been offered. I need to make the change, I can't have someone else to tell me to do it. So it's time to listen, change, and act. Or in my case, stop the action.
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