Emotions During the Holidays, Week Fifty in the New Abnormal

I was in an emotional tailspin earlier this week. I could tell I wasn’t in the right headspace as I kept thinking of past mistakes I’ve made, times I’ve previously hurt friends, and ways in which I had poor judgement. I was not coming out a champ. More like a chump. The negative barrage is not unfamiliar, but it happens less often than in former years. By Tuesday, I knew that I needed to clear my head so there’d be space for self-care and kindness. Luckily, I had my weekly therapy session.

I became a therapist 25 years ago because of the help I received in therapy. I learned a lot about myself, sometimes painfully conscious of how my choices perpetuated circumstances I had wanted to change. Yet, year after year life got better. So much so that I came to value mental well-being. While the descriptions of being overly sensitive in my family and social life were seen by others as detrimental traits, they are the very qualities that ensure I’m in the right field.