Getting Grounded
Jacqueline spoke about all the work we’ve been doing these past few months in her post, Planting Roots. And, I wholeheartedly echo all of her sentiments! In fact, I teared up a bit reading her post when I was getting it up on the website. Gather and Grow OC really has been a long time coming and we’re so excited that opening our doors is just around the corner!
And, it’s true, opening the new space has kept us very (very, very, very) busy!
While overwhelming at moments, we’ve enjoyed every minute of it and are so grateful that it’s our work to do! Still, it got me thinking about how easy it is to put off our self-care in order to, “get things done.” This might help us knock off things on our to-do list but it doesn’t do much for the sustainability of our spirits.
So much of the mental health care world is wrapped up in this unsustainable cycle. Overworked and burned-out clinicians doing their best to serve clients but literally running out of steam. Social media never being short of memes reminding us to breathe deep (heck, we’ve posted a couple of those) and strive for those “good vibes” while social networks continue perpetuating the idea that we have to “keep up” with the perfection of those soft filtered images. As long as everything “in frame” is put together, who cares if the rest of your world is falling apart just outside your viewfinder? Simultaneously, the internet is vicious with its amusement when someone posts a picture of themselves in a glamorous gown in front of a mirror confessing a room (and the assumption is life) in disarray. If I was full glam every day, my room would probably look like that too! Sometimes it seems like there’s just no winning!
We want Gather and Grow OC to be a different experience! For you, for our clinicians, even for us! We want to make sure that sustainability is something we build into the foundations of this practice. So as we “plant roots” we’re also making sure that we’re “getting grounded.” We’re creating office protocols and policies that support the well-being of our clinicians so that they offer the best services! We’re slowing down to check in on one another and ourselves. We’re doing our best to practice what we preach!
So, while we will remind you here and there to “take deep breaths,” we want you to know that we’re practicing the self-care tips we’re offering and that you’re not expected to show up “Instagram ready” for sessions. We want to meet you where you’re at and help you get grounded for the best healing experience possible. We want to be grounded enough to remember that self-care isn’t something we’re willing to let any of us sacrifice as we gather and grow together!
We’re so excited to introduce you to our stellar team of clinicians and look forward to opening our doors in April!
Deep breaths,