Let the Healing begin ...

How do we begin this week after what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021? Even though our clients, students, family, and friends are all suffering from the aftermath, it's important that we take our own mental and physical temperature on a daily basis. Let's stop, take 5 minutes to assess:

• How is my sleep? Am I having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, early morning awakening?
• What is my mood? (scale of 1-10, 10 being the best)
• My level of anxiety? (scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest)
• My plan for self care today?
• My support system? Am I using it?

I know that anyone reading this is most likely well informed in self-care measures but might not be implementing them. In 2016, there was a cartoon in the New Yorker that made me laugh, especially since I have gone through my own analysis. The scene was the analyst's couch, with the patient laying down and the analyst poised with their steno pad. The caption was "Who wants to go first?"

Healing the split will take time and effort. This is not simply business as usual, at least I hope not. We need to research how we got here and what we need to change to become an equitable, loving, and civil society. Peace be with you.

Char Scott www.riverwalkcounseling.net

Experiencing trauma from storming of U.S. Capitol is normal — even if you weren’t there, experts say