It seems that we continue to find ourselves in a pandemic of loneliness. More and more people are saying that they feel lonely and disconnected, even when amongst friends and family. This begs the questions of “Why?” and “How do we find connection?”

In both my personal and professional life, I hear that folks are feeling increasingly lonely and disconnected. I hear people voice concerns that despite technology seemingly meant to bring us closer to one another, people are feeling more isolated. I hear from many younger people that they are having trouble making and retaining friends. I also hear more and more people admit to spending hours upon hours on their phones, their heads down, buried in social media that leads them to engage in social comparison, leaving them feel even more lonely and disconnected.

Are our phones to blame for this seemingly global feeling of loneliness and isolation? In part, perhaps. Our phones can be useful tools to launch connection, but they are just that: tools. We may be able to use our phones to set up get-togethers that occur in real life, but it is challenging to forge real connection via text messages or snap or some other platform. If we want to forge meaningful connections with others, we have to put down our phones and meet with people face-to-face.

Scary? Perhaps. Does meeting with people in real life require some measure of courage and perhaps even vulnerability? Yes. I am hearing more and more, particularly from young people, that they feel anxious about meeting with people in person, that most of their “conversations” with others take place via text or snap or some other platform. That may be a decent way to start a conversation but real connection is not going to happen that way.

If we want to forge a real connection with an actual human being, we have to be willing to put down our phones and speak to someone face-to-face. If we want to forge a real connection with another person, we have to give ourselves permission to be vulnerable, to share what we are thinking and feeling, and to invite the other person to do the same and really listen to what that person is sharing.

We as human beings are wired for connection. We need to be in the presence of other people and share with them in order to feel seen, heard and understood. We need to be with other people to feel connected and less isolated. That does not happen in our phones. Real connection is forged by being WITH people.

There are several books out that may help people gain a better understanding of this pandemic of loneliness we find ourselves in, how to make friends and be seen and heard. “Together” by Vivek Murthy, MD, is a good read. As is “Platonic” by Marisa Franco, about how to make friends as we age. Another helpful book is David Brooks’ “How to Know a Person.”

If you find yourself longing for connection, but not quite sure how to go about forging connection, give yourself permission to put down your phone and speak with other humans. Any of the above-mentioned books can provide insight as to how to do that, as well. Remember, though, real connection is not forged by keeping our heads down, our noses in our phones and posting on social media or viewing social media. Real connection happens in real life, with other human beings and by sharing and listening.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

We are just about three weeks into the new year and some folks who made New Year’s resolutions may be starting to see results. Others, though, may have found that their resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Many of us tend to leave our resolutions behind after just a few weeks, but why is that?

Part of the reason so many New Year’s resolutions tend to fail is because they are either too lofty or require so much change that the mere idea of them can feel daunting. Another reason our annual resolutions fail is because they require too much change in too short a time. Change, for many people, can be a bit scary. This can be true if our resolution is to exercise more, eat healthier, set time limits on social media or even to socialize more. Some resolutions fail because they are not specific enough and do not come with small, measurable goals.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions, and some people do stick with them. Those who do often do so because they opt to make their resolutions more attainable by setting small, measurable goals that they can achieve. For example, if your New Year’s resolutions was to “eat healthier,” consider what that actually means to you. Does that mean eating vegetables four days a week or limiting animal protein to two days a week or incorporating fruits into your diet more days than not? What exactly is your goal? Your goal should be quantifiable. Your resolution also must include your “why.” Why do you want to eat healthier or exercise more or limit your time on social media? What is the benefit to changing your behavior and how do you hope you will feel if you do change?

When struggling to stick to a New Year’s resolution, or simply a goal to change a behavior, it is well to focus on what will be gained by this change, be it a new behavior or changing a behavior. We may also do well to consider how we will feel if we do not stick to our resolution or goal. Will we feel as though we’ve let ourselves down if we do not make this change? Will we be letting others down?

For some people, change can feel really challenging. It sometimes can be helpful to remember all the times from the past that you were able to successfully change a behavior or pattern or your thinking. Many of us make small changes frequently without ever really noticing that we’ve done so. This is how habits sometimes are formed. Making changes often involves changing our habits or incorporating new ones into our lives, and we do that when something really is important to us.

Think about your New Year’s resolutions. How important is it to you to make that change, and what are you wiling to do to get there? If something is really important to us, we can often make that happen, if we start out with small, measurable goals that feel attainable.

You may already be seeing some success with your New Year’s resolutions, or you may have found you already have lost interest in some of them. That should tell you that perhaps that goal was a bit too lofty or perhaps now is not the time to tackle that. Remember that when you want to make a change, it is important to consider why you want to do so and what you are willing to do to make that happen. Change can be good, if changing means we will become better versions of ourselves.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

For so many people, the last year has been replete with both challenges and successes, ups and downs, peaks and valleys. This likely can be said of any year, but with COVID still looming, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, wildfires, flooding, mass murders, economic uncertainty, the past year may have felt as though it was more bad than good for so many people. Still, there was good for many of us, if only we choose to look at it.

Life has a funny way of leaving us with all the feelings … happy, mad, sad, glad, ugly, other. And, that is okay. Whatever we are feeling is fair and valid. It may seem as though one day we are feeling just fine, and the next day we are struggling. That is normal. None of us feels great all day, every day. That is part and parcel of being part of this amazing adventure we call life. It is not perfect. It never was intended to be. But, we can learn from it and take those lessons into the future with us.

If we permit it, life can be our greatest teacher. We can learn from our mistakes, our perceived failures, our successes and everything in between. What did this past year teach you about you? Perhaps you learned that you are stronger and more resilient than you give yourself credit for. Perhaps you learned that failure is not final; that failure is part of success. Perhaps you learned that it is okay to seek assistance when you need it, for whatever you need. Perhaps you learned that it takes more courage to ask for help than it does to suffer in silence.

Life is full of lessons. However, life does ask of us to look at our challenges, our perceived failures, as lessons, things from which to learn rather than stopping points or road blocks. If we give ourselves permission to learn from life, we can move forward. Life asks us to have a growth mindset, so that we can move forward. If we view our challenges, our perceived failures as final, we will not grow and become the people we always were meant to be. And, life is about becoming the people we were meant to be.

Life wants us to find some measure of happiness despite all the bad with which we are confronted. We can choose to focus on what often seems as though a constant stream of negativity or we can choose to focus on what still is good in the world. We can give ourselves permission to find joy, to find happiness.

What has life taught you about you in 2023? And what of those lessons can you carry with you into 2024? As we let go of another year and ring in the start of a new year, what is your take-away? You can choose to let life be your best teacher.

Let the end of this year serve as a lesson, teaching you what you want the new year to look, sound and feel like. Give yourself permission to use those lessons to work toward becoming the person you always were meant to be. You are in control of you, of your life, of your future. Take charge!

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

There is some science that indicates that most humans have upward of 75,000 to 80,000 thoughts each day. Science also tells us that we are hardwired to engage in more negative thinking than positive thinking. This may have served us millenia ago, when we needed to protect ourselves from saber toothed tigers, though we are well beyond that now. Still, most people engage in some negative thinking and negative self-talk on what can at times seem a near constant basis.

What would happen if for this holiday season, you offered yourself the gift of positive self-talk and positive thinking? We spend so much time, energy and effort practicing kindness with our family, friends and other loved ones, why not do the same with ourselves? After all, negative self-talk rarely makes us feel better about ourselves, our situations, our lives.

So often, our negative self-talk is our harshest critic. We beat ourselves up for everything from mistakes made, to the things we said to other people, our behavior, the foods we consume. How does that really serve us? It may help in the short term, motivating us to perhaps try to do better. But over the course of days, weeks, months, years, decades, that constant negative self-talk will leave us feeling defeated, unworthy of love and belonging and as though we are undeserving of anyone else’s kindnesses.

What if, instead, we spoke to ourselves with kindness, as we might a family member, friend or other loved one? What if instead of calling ourselves derogatory names, we spoke to ourselves lovingly? What if we were as kind to ourselves as we try to be to others?

Speaking kindly to ourselves is perhaps one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. Oh, yes, a massage or mani/pedi, or tickets to a concert or football game are nice, but even the memories of those things do not last as long as the things we say to ourselves. While it is nice to treat ourselves to tangible gifts from time to time, speaking kindly to ourselves will last a lifetime and could perhaps change the way we think about ourselves.

When we engage in negative self-talk or negative thinking (referred to as automatic negative thoughts or ANTS), we rob ourselves of the opportunity to become the best versions of ourselves. Some may believe that if we constantly offer ourselves kindness, compassion and empathy, we run the risk of developing narcissistic traits. That is remotely possible, but highly unlikely. More so, we will develop a better sense of self and actually be better able to be kind to others.

This holiday season, could you offer yourself the gift of kindness? Could you attempt to replace some of your negative self-talk with positive self-talk or positive self-affirmations? Could you offer yourself the same loving kindness that you try to offer others? Perhaps a loving kindness meditation would assist with this, offering health, happiness and peace to someone you love, someone you struggle with and yourself. This meditation is brief. You can focus on a home base, such as the breath or a soothing sound as you sit in a comfortable but attentive posture. You start by focusing on someone you love and repeat in your mind, “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace.” Do this a few times and then focus on someone you struggle with. Repeat the phrases, or choose something that sounds good to you. Finally, offer the same kindness to yourself. “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be at peace.”

Give it a shot. My guess is that you will start feeling better about yourself, your life and your struggles.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

The holiday season is upon us, and, as such, life may seem to have warped into overdrive. Everything may seem as though it is moving so quickly. It may seem that we haven’t the time, space or energy to accomplish all the things. Couple that with the fact that, for many, it may seem as though the world is under fire due to raging wars, climate change, a vulnerable economy, political upheaval. What do we do with all of it?

For so many people, it may seem as though we simply are muddling through the holiday season, not truly embracing all that this time of the year has to offer. It may seem difficult to do so when we consider all that is going on in the world at present. Life may seem absurd. It may seem as though getting through the holidays is just one more thing we have to do. What would happen if, even just for a short while, we embraced what the holidays could mean to us? What would happen, if even just for a short while, we embraced the notion that life can be absurd?

How often do we give ourselves permission to embrace all the weird, all the strange, all the quirkiness of this wonderfully imperfect Earth that we live on? That may seem daunting, given everything going on in the world right now. Sometimes, we may feel as though the weight of the world literally is resting on our shoulders, leaving us feel so tired of what for many seems a constant barrage of bad news. Embrace the absurdity of life, rejoice in it. And, remember, that despite all the bad, we are surrounded by good.

We can choose embrace the absurdity of life by recognizing that along with all the bad—the wars, the flooding, the volcanic eruptions, the wildfires, the mass killings—there is good. There is beauty in our remaining nature, there are people who are kind and thoughtful and compassionate. There is a reason for this holiday season we find ourselves in. Part of that is to remember to show our fellow humans love and generosity.

It may seem as though there is little to be thankful for right now, but if we look hard, there still is so much for which we can practice gratitude. It may seem challenging to practice gratitude, but there is truth to the idea that gratitude is the birthplace of joy. When we look for the good, we find more good. And, despite the goings on in the world today, there still is good. We may have to look a bit harder, but it is there.

Maybe your life seems absurd. That’s okay. Embrace the absurdity and remember that there remains so much good in the world. Yes, times are tough for so many of us right now. That does not negate the fact that there is joy to be found, however fleeting the moment. Notice those moments of joy. Practice gratitude for the beauty that remains in this world, in people, in nature, in peaceful places.

We can hold both facts as true: life is both beautiful and ugly. We also can choose to focus on life’s beautiful absurdity and find joy in the small moments. We just have to give ourselves permission to do so. What can you do today to find the good, to notice the moments of joy, to practice gratitude for life’s amazing absurdity?

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

The human brain conjures somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day and some science indicates that upward of 70 percent of those thoughts are negative. Some of those thoughts seem to run away with themselves, catapulting us into worst-case-scenario thinking, or catastrophizing.

What is “catastrophizing,” anyway? Catastrophizing is when we exaggerate the importance of something in a negative way, imagine the worst possible outcome without knowing all the facts, or when we use language that blows something out of proportion. Most of us engage in this kind of cognitive distortion at some point, often as a way to feel as though we somehow are in control over something over which we likely have little or no control. It can be our way of feeling more powerful over a situation, though catastrophizing often leaves us feeling worse and powerless.

We can hear catastrophizing in the way we speak to ourselves and others about perceived mistakes, physical or emotional pain we experience or when we hear bad news. It sounds something like, “I’ll be fired for that mistake I made. I’ll probably lose my house.” “My back is killing me.” “That lump I found means I have cancer and am going to die.” Most of us engage in this kind of thinking at some point, but there are ways to combat it so that we are not left feeling worse.

One way to minimize the damage of catastrophic thinking is to test the veracity of the negative thought. Examine the evidence you have to support the thought, as well as the evidence against it. Ask yourself if you might be jumping to conclusions without having all the facts or if you are overgeneralizing something by using all-or-nothing or black-and-white thinking. We overgeneralize when we assume an outcome based on only one or two past instances. It may be well to remind ourselves that just because something may have happened once or twice in the past, that does not automatically mean it will happen again.

Another way we can minimize catastrophic thinking is to consider what the likely outcome could be. Oftentimes, situations do not see the very worst possible outcome or the very best possible outcome. Give yourself permission to see the possible likely outcome given the facts you have. Try not to bend the story to your negative thinking. Once you have imagined all the possible outcomes, consider how well you would be able to handle the worst possible outcome. What are the chances that you would be okay after a month, six months, a year? Give yourself credit for navigating challenging situations from your past and imagine yourself navigating this one with success.

We engage in catastrophic thinking as a way to feel as though we have some semblance of control over a situation. In fact, this cognitive distortion often leaves us feeling more powerless. Search for the facts, find the answers and test the veracity of your negative thoughts. It may be helpful to remind yourself that most of us engage in negative thinking; that is only human. But, we can restructure our negative thoughts by examining the evidence we have to support them.

It also is important to remind ourselves that not only do most of us engage in negative thoughts, often when we do so when we are in the midst of struggle. As Brene Brown says, what we do not need in the midst of that struggle is shame for being human. It is well to remember to offer yourself some compassion for what you are going through and to remind yourself that struggle is part of the human condition. We all struggle but we can give ourselves the power to overcome the struggle by avoiding catastrophizing.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

We all have encountered folks who seem to find it challenging to find the good in any situation, person or experience. We all have encountered folks who seem to feel as though they constantly fall prey to the worst life has to offer. How do people fall into the victim role? And, what can be done about it?

I suspect those in the victim role are fairly unaware that that’s where they are in life. I suspect that they may notice that it feels as though nothing goes their way, that nothing seems to work out for them or that people seem to be acting with malicious intent. But what if some of what folks who find themselves in the victim role actually have more going for them than they realize?

How do we know if someone has become comfortably uncomfortable in the victim role? These folks tend to not look forward to the future, share the same negative stores, anecdotes or experiences with some frequency, engage in self-pity and seem to exude a sense of entitlement. People who are in the victim role often are defensive and are not open to criticism and often blame others when things go haywire or not their way. Folks in the victim role tend to complain often and reject other views. Those in the victim role tend to be risk averse and obsess over negative situations while being uninterested in solutions. They tend to find themselves in a place of judgement, which often stems from places within themselves that are not healed.

Folks who seem to be in the victim role also may find it difficult to trust others and often assume that others act with malicious intent, purposefully trying to hurt them. This can be the result of trauma. Their maladaptive behaviors often are learned over the course of years, if not decades. And while these behaviors may have helped them survive trauma, at some point they have become so ingrained that they have rendered the person unable to see the good in anything.

So, how does one move from being in the victim role to being a victor in one’s own life? Therapy is an option for many folks who find themselves in the victim role, as long as they are willing to do the work of therapy.

The first step, though, is taking responsibility for one’s own life. That may mean processing trauma with the help of a trained mental health professional. It also means that we have to accept the part we played in our past. That does not mean we acquiesce to the fact that we were traumatized in some way, but it does mean that we are responsible for choosing to heal from that trauma.

Moving away from the victim role also requires us to take steps to feel empowered and to develop a sense of self-efficacy. This helps combat any learned helplessness that keeps us from engaging in activities we may actually end up enjoying. It also helps us to realize that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. We can be the victor of our own life if we choose to believe that we are powerful. That does not mean, however, that we use that power over others. That means we use that power to improve our own lives, ourselves. It means we take responsibility to learn, grow and become better versions of ourselves.

Becoming better versions of ourselves requires that we practice self-compassion, speak kindly to ourselves and treat ourselves with the same respect we would want others to show us. It can be challenging to move away from the victim role if we do not treat ourselves with the same respect we would want from others. Similarly, when we offer ourselves compassion, this empowers us to view ourselves in a different light. Doing so will help us view others and the world not as malicious but as kind and open-hearted.

Becoming better versions of ourselves also seems to ask that we start seeing the good in people and in situations, rather than the bad. It asks that we see the sliver lining more often than we focus on the dark cloud. There is good in the world, and the more we focus on that, the easier it is to abandon the victim role and become the victors of our own lives.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

Meditation has become more and more popular of late, thanks in part to several apps that offer low-cost or free options to countless people. But, what is meditation and does it really involve having to completely clear one’s mind? The answer, simply, is not exactly.

I frequently find myself encouraging clients to consider meditation as a way to ease stress, anxiety and worry. But meditation also can be used as a way to give oneself time to rest mentally, which is particularly important these days, with what seems for some a constant assault on our senses. This is particularly helpful for those with stressful work or home lives, but really can be used by anyone. Some meditations or mindfulness practices encourage loving kindness, which, as many of us know, is helpful in what seems an ever-increasing hostile world.

What is meditation, though? Meditation is time spent quietly, thoughtfully, and requires practioners not to clear their minds but to be present with all that is, well, present. That may be sounds or people or what have you. Meditation asks us to simply accept what is around us and to be okay with all that is present. We do not have to clear our minds for the duration of the time spent meditating; that is nearly impossible. Most humans have upwards of 75,000 thoughts a day. We cannot be expected to simply clear our minds for a great span of time. Meditation simply asks us to be okay with whatever is present, to focus on a sort of home base, such as the breath or a quiet sound such an air vent or heater, or nature sounds, for a specific period of time, a few minutes to an hour.

I started meditating about two years ago and do so with some frequency. I have found that over the course of these two years, meditating regularly has allowed me to practice self-compassion with greater ease and to practice loving kindness toward others more frequently. This is not necessarily the goal of meditation, but it certainly can help in today’s world. Meditation also allows some people a chance to be still, to rest their minds and to simply rest and to just be. In our ever-so-busy lives, who would not benefit from three, five, 10 or 15 or even 60 minutes of peace and quiet and time to just be?

It may seem to some as though you do not have even a few minutes to spare to meditate. It may seem as though there is not enough time in the day to simply rest and just be. I may argue, though, that the time spent meditating, resting, just existing, affords us an opportunity to better tend to the tasks that we need to complete, be they at work or in our personal lives. Meditation can help us be better people for the people around us.

Meditation is not the answer to stress, anxiety or worry in our lives, but engaging in meditation can help us be better able to manage those feelings. Meditation affords us an opportunity to be okay with whatever is present in our lives, be it good or not so good. Mediation allows us a chance to rest and reset so that we are better able to handle whatever comes next.

Some smart watches and fitness trackers offer access to meditation apps such as Calm or Headspace, and those applications are available through most play stores. However, one can practice meditation by simply sitting quietly and focusing on the breath or another pleasant sensation, or by focusing on pleasant sounds such as birds singing or leaves rustling. The time you spend meditating is not wasted time; it’s time that affords you an opportunity be a better version of yourself.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

Human beings are complex creatures. We are comprised of bone and muscle and skin and hair. We are humans because, in part, we are capable of higher thinking and recognizing our emotions and feelings. But we are so much more than our thoughts and feelings.

If you think about it, our thoughts and feelings are like visitors; they come and go and rarely stay forever. Sadly, many of us struggle with the notion of letting go of certain thoughts and feelings, be they recurrent or perplexing. It can feel challenging to recognize a thought as, well, just that. A thought is just a thought. Just as a feeling is just a feeling. Some folks, though, tend to lean into their thoughts and feelings, leaving them open to the possibility of over-identifying with those thoughts and feelings.

It is so important to choose our words carefully when describing not just what we are thinking, but what we are feeling. If we use words that open us up to over-identifying with a thought or feeling, that can lead us into anxiety or depression. It may sound like a matter of semantics, but words really do matter.

Susan David, PhD., author of “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life,” encourages us to consider creating space between our thoughts and feelings by using words to do so. For example, instead of thinking or saying, “I’m so stressed.” We instead can think or say, “I notice that I am feeling stressed.” The latter statement reminds us that “stressed” is just a feeling that likely will pass at some point.

We can give ourselves the power to step back from our feelings, whatever they may be, but particularly with those that are more challenging, by choosing to reframe the way we think about and verbalize our feelings. We can feel more in control of our thoughts and our thoughts about our feelings when we give ourselves permission to examine them more closely.

David goes even further, reminding us that feelings are neither good nor bad, positive nor negative. Yes, some feelings may seem somehow harder to manage, but again, most feelings are temporary. Rarely are we left with a feeling that lasts our entire lifetime. We can choose to not over-identify with our feelings by using language that creates space between us and our emotions. This may require us to slow down and really think about what it is we are feeling and use accurate words to describe our emotions. Doing so also gives us time to choose how we want to react to those feelings and decide what we want to do about those feelings.

Slowing down and really giving ourselves time to think about what exactly it is that we are feeling can leave us with the sense that we are more in control of not just our emotions, but our reactions to them. This can be handy in times of stress or anger, but doing so also gives us permission to recognize feelings of happiness, joy and awe.

Humans are amazing beings. We have evolved over millenia to be able to entertain complex thoughts and ideas but we also are capable of intense feelings and emotions, some of which may feel difficult to navigate. Allowing ourselves permission to step back from some of those more challenging feelings can help prevent us from over-identifying with those feelings. After all, we are more than our thoughts and feelings.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP

For so many of us, it can feel as though there are constant demands on our time, energy and attention. From tending to work obligations, engaging socially, practicing hobbies, exercising, taking care of family and friends, the demands we face may at times seem endless. It is important to remember that it is perfectly acceptable to rest from time to time.

That word, “rest,” for some may seem daunting. It seems as though many people equate the word “rest” with being lazy. Giving ourselves permission to rest from time to time is far from being lazy, it is necessary so that we can perform at our best at work, at home and in our personal lives. But getting some rest means more than just getting sleep. There are seven types of rest many of us need to feel refreshed, recharged and rejuvenated.

The seven types of rest are physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social, and spiritual. Each type of rest impacts a different part of our lives. All are necessary from time to time, and taking time to rest in one way or another does not mean that we are lazy. It means that we have given ourselves permission to take the time necessary to tend to our own needs so that we may be better able to care for those we love.

Physical rest means more than just sleeping, which is important unto itself. Physical rest can mean taking a day off from our exercise routines and just relaxing, which can be challenging for some people. It is important to remember that even elite athletes take rest days.

Sensory rest is important because for many it seems as there is a constant barrage of light and noise, dings and pings of notifications, constant sounds from televisions and radios and so forth. One way we can engage in sensory rest is to give ourselves permission to disengage from our devices, be it our phones, our tablets, our computers, our televisions or radios and simply just be. It is okay to sit in silence for a while and just breathe.

Emotional rest can mean reaching out to a trusted other to share your thoughts and feelings, or it can mean spending time alone in a place that gives you pleasure. That could mean taking a solo hike or walk in nature or being in a calm, quiet room.

Spiritual rest could look like taking a break from the spiritual demands we face on what can feel like a near-constant basis. Maybe that means praying or meditating quietly or maybe it means practicing yoga.

We all need mental rest, and for many that can mean unplugging and taking a break from the world. It seems more and more, we constantly are facing some kind of stimulation, whether wanted or unwanted. Taking time for mental rest can mean being away from the world in whatever way feels good and healthy, even for a short while.

Creative rest for some could mean letting go of the need to feel as though we must be productive all day, every day. There is something to be said for doing absolutely nothing. For others, creative rest could mean taking time away from the demands to be productive and simply work on something that brings you pleasure.

Many people need rest from the social demands we face on what seems a constant basis. While many of us are social creatures, many of us also need time to just be by ourselves, especially those among us who are more introverted. There is nothing wrong with turning down an invitation and simply spending time by yourself engaging in something healthy that brings you joy.

Taking time to rest your body, mind and soul does not mean you are being lazy. Doing so is imperative if we want to function at our best and be there for the people we love. We all need rest. What type of rest might you be needing? Can you give yourself permission to listen to your mind and body and take the time to rest?

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP