As 2020 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on this year. Part of me feels like this year has lasted forever, but the other part of me feels like how can it be December already. We at Renewed Hope Counseling Services have been telehealth since March…nine months. Our therapists have all had to adjust to new realities and likely deal with some kind of trauma. Whether you continued to go to work as an essential worker, were sent home to work, or were laid off work we had to find a way to push through the trauma of this year. Many of us had to do this while having our kids home and managing their education.
Hard Choices in 2020
As the world started to open up more, we were faced with having to make individual choices for our families. Do we send our kids to school or have them attend virtually? Do we go to the stores? Eat in restaurants or only outside? Do we visit friends or family? So many choices that weigh heavily on all of us.
We have had to make these choices as best as we can with what information we had. The information changes as do the shutdowns and restrictions. Everything seems uncertain. How do we make plans when we don’t know what the world will look like? There is so much tension with people about everything in the world. It is easy to feel bogged down with the decisions and fear of judgment for your decisions. Time and time again, I hear myself telling others (and myself) “all we can do is our best.”
Kindness For Ourselves and Others
As we look at moving forward into 2021, let us move forward with kindness. We are all facing so many stressors in our lives right now. Many people are struggling with the fact that they can’t “do it all” or they aren’t working at their full potential. One thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to be this way forever. Maybe we move slower towards our goals or rest more to deal with burnout. This doesn’t mean we won’t reach them. It means it is ok for now to do the best we can for the things we are going through.
Who knows what it might be in 6 months or a year. Maybe we will be back to what we consider “our best.” But it is ok to take time to acknowledge our successes in these hard times. We all are feeling the fatigue from juggling so many stressors at once. Just because we need to rest more (whatever that looks like) doesn’t mean we are lazy or worthless. It means that is just what we need right now.
To Cope With the Trauma of This Year…
Look at what you can control. You may not be able to send your child to school but hopefully, they still have opportunities to learn. You may not be able to get together with family for the holidays, but hopefully, there are opportunities now to see each other virtually and interact. Maybe you cannot go out to eat so you try to create some new meals. Maybe drastic changes in your lifestyle force you to slow down and rest. We need to try to focus on what self-care we can manage to continue into the next year.
Focus on your spiritual, social, emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. Find things that bring you joy. If you cannot do them because of restrictions, then try a modified version or something similar. If you find yourself isolating, make the extra effort to call someone and tell them how you are feeling. Reach out to your loved ones, or a trauma therapist. Keep that connection.
Begin Trauma Treatment and PTSD Treatment in Greenwood, IN:
If you’re ready to overcome your trauma and get back to enjoying the things you love, then contact us about trauma treatment in Greenwood, IN, or online. Our skilled therapists are ready to help you reclaim your life and find new meaning and purpose. To begin counseling in Greenwood, IN, follow these simple steps:
- Contact us and make an appointment
- Learn more about our counseling practice and our therapy team
- Begin trauma treatment and find peace and healing
Other Services Offered at Renewed Hope Counseling Services
In addition to trauma treatment, our therapists offer a wide variety of mental health services at our therapy practice in Greenwood, IN. Other mental health services include anxiety treatment, depression treatment, EMDR, counseling for new mothers, perinatal anxiety and mood disorders, couples therapy and marriage counseling, teen therapy, and family therapy. Additionally, we offer professional EMDR certification and consultations and PMADS consultations. If you can’t make it into our therapy clinic, our therapists offer online therapy in Indiana to treat a variety of mental health concerns. To learn more, please contact our therapy practice.
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