Why I Stopped Writing

It's a common misconception that therapists always have their lives together. That misconception is one we perpetuate because we want to seem competent, but also one that continuously bites us in the ass. Why?

Because my own therapist is tired of hearing, "How can I be a good therapist if I can't handle _______ in my own life?!"

The idea that we must be infallible, perfect, calm, gentle beings 100% of the time in order to be good therapists means there are exactly ZERO good therapists in the world.

So, in the interest of modeling authenticity, I'm going to tell you about why I stopped writing.

The short version: I'm overwhelmed.

I'm not overwhelmed with bills, or work, or parenting, or business.

I'm overwhelmed with thoughts.

We survived Christmas and then came New Year and then my anxious brain began planning the next 12 months of my life. The kind of planning that benefits from excel sheets and categories.

Work:

I research therapy modalities, training opportunities, marketing strategies, retreats, use of AI, networking opportunities…

Home:

I google best practices for sleep regression, toddler activities, gentle parenting, picky eating, kitten acclimation, healthy dinner recipes, attachment styles, vacation destinations, date night ideas…

Me:

I catalog knitting patterns, TBR book recommendations, step by step painting tutorials, cozy gaming reviews, pain management techniques…

The point is, I get so focused on what is COMING NEXT, I lose sight of what is already happening in my life. WHY am I trying to learn how SEO works when I can't even write the damn blog?

I think it's because the possibilities of the future, the next big thing, calls to people. It's an opportunity for hope when doing the consistent work of today seems tedious. I'm a squirrel, and the future is shiny.

So, a reminder to myself:

I don’t need to know the perfect dinner recipe or plan what I'm reading for the next year.

My kid will not sleep because a very nice woman on the internet told me to give him monster spray.

My work with therapy clients has literally no use for AI.

My focus is better served in the here and now because the life I have built so far deserves me just as much as the one I hope to build in the future.