Wondering Why Your Therapist Isn’t Returning to the Office Yet?
I get it, many of you may prefer in person sessions to video or phone sessions.
It’s no surprise most therapists prefer them too.
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Wow, we’ve been home 5, 6, 7 or even more weeks now. Covid-19 has us sheltering in place, social distancing, getting on zoom, wearing comfy pants, playing games, working in the yard, you know the drill.
Life may have become easier while you’re at home.
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5 Ways Covid-19 is Familiar to People with Cancer
As I continue to work with clients as a psychotherapist and coach, I am especially struck by the similarities of reactions to #stayinghome and the uncertainty of Covid-19, with the day-to-day life of a person affected by cancer.
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Do you have a reaction when you hear it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month?
Is it positive or negative?
Whether you’ve had breast cancer or any other cancer, know someone who has, or are interested in supporting awareness and research – pink (or any other color) ribbons often elicit feelings.
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I recently had the honor of leading a breakout session at the Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference. The title of the session was Thriving with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). For many people unfamiliar with MBC, these words seem at odds with each other. We’ve become a society where metastatic or stage IV is connected to death and dying, not thriving. On behalf of the women I see in my practice, in support groups, at conferences, and those thriving in secret I’d like to explain and share what I’ve learned.
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In my work helping people affected by cancer in Atlanta, people often ask if their feelings are normal. There seems to be some general assumption that there is a prescribed reaction that you “should” have when faced with the life-altering diagnosis of cancer. Given the range of human emotions and personal experiences, any number of thoughts and feelings can and do bubble up - some just under the surface and some like a geyser, and others becoming a fluid wave between the two. I do find some common themes with people who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer, multiple myeloma or other cancers.
It’s Stress Awareness Month! Do you ever feel like you’re so stressed you don’t even know what it’s like to feel at ease or calm? If you’re under a constant barrage of demands and tasks, aren’t sleeping and your to do list (for others) is a mile long, chances are you’re a caregiver.
Are you having physical symptoms such as headaches, trouble sleeping, heart palpitations and muscle aches? Is your anxiety keeping you from pursuing your passion or even exploring options to figure out what you might like to do differently in your life?
I was recently interviewed on the Safe for Work podcast with Liz Dolan and Rico Gagliano entitled Modern Elders and Making Age an Asset at Work.
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The past couple of weeks have been rough. I lost someone in my personal circle to breast cancer, another in my professional circle, and learned a dear friend was recently diagnosed. As a woman and as a psychotherapist who works in Alpharetta with women affected by breast cancer, I am certainly familiar with October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Walks for breast cancer research, pink ribbons for survivors, flyers, handouts, and articles encouraging women to pay attention to breast health and get mammograms. All of which are positive, helpful and encouraging. Many survivors find strength in pink ribbons and becoming part of the cause can be a way to help process and make sense of their experience.
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You’ve heard it before, if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.
What does that mean exactly? If you tend to put others’ needs before your own and you’re running around for everyone else feeling overwhelmed and anxious, who is taking care of you? If the answer is no one, you’re at risk for burning out.
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Do you ever have a day off that you think is going to be well-balanced and manageable only to get to the afternoon and realize you haven’t eaten, you’re having a hard time holding back tears, and you just want the day to end?
Bad days happen, especially for caregivers.
Read MoreIt's the middle of the night and you've decided what you're doing to cope with feeling overwhelmed and anxious isn't working. You know it's time to find a therapist or counselor in Alpharetta and you've taken steps to look for possible therapists in your area, now what?
If you’ve found a couple of therapists you’re considering, here are some questions to ask to help you narrow it down.
Read MoreWhen you decide you’re ready to engage in therapy or counseling, it can be so confusing - In Alpharetta, Cumming, Johns Creek, Norcross, and greater Atlanta there are therapists, social workers, counselors, psychotherapists, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists.
Read MoreHave you been to downtown Alpharetta lately?
Wow! You may be longing for better weather when you can browse the new shops at Avalon, sample some fresh produce at the Alpharetta Farmer’s Market, or enjoy a meal at one of the new restaurants on Main Street.
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You have breast cancer…….
As soon as you hear the words, the world stops. How can you take in anything after that? Once you contain the initial shock and fear, you jump into action mode – find a breast surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, plastic surgeon, someone to take care of your kids, the list goes on. You’re now more vulnerable than you’ve ever been, baring your breasts to four+ new providers. They all discuss how this part of your body, that defines you in some way - woman, daughter, mother, grandmother, partner - is about to change – lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph nodes.
Read MoreDo you wake up and for a tenth of a nanosecond you’re “normal?”
That free and light sensation of being you, not your DIAGNOSIS. Then it hits you like a ton of bricks….CANCER…. You remember (painfully) that normal is a thing of the past, or at least of your past. Normal is something other people have and take for granted, and you find yourself pissed off and agonizing over what ifs.
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