I cannot believe that this is me...sitting here...writing a blog.
I am not a blogger. Bloggers are advocates, sales people, self-proclaimed authorities on things. I am none of those. What could I possibly say that would be so important? For me, a blog is a space that involves me exposing my vulnerabilities and leaving myself open to judgments. It means potentially mis-stepping as a therapist in front of colleagues, friends and family, potential clients and employers. But if I put my counselor hat on and "reframe" it, I can also consider it an opportunity. It is a space for me to speak to the things in which I have professionally invested in the most-mental health. I am a passionate therapist and I have some perspective to offer.
The way I see it is that experience is a blank, white, stark canvas. My perspective is the layers of color that transforms the canvas. If the experience is traumatic then I may see and color it in a way that leaves little room for resilience. Or my color may have shimmers of hope, mixed in with sadness and shame. Or if it is an experience of great joy, my color may water it down, and place a bold focus on what I don't have or what didn't happen. Experience can be in or out of our control. The beauty of perspective is that we can choose the color we view experience through.
There is a difference between being a "blogger" and writing a blog post. My job isn't to be a blogger. I am a counselor. My job is to walk with people into their traumas, introduce them to their inner critics, and hopefully help them heal (as best we can) what's hurt them in the past. In counseling we confront the essential issues and begin reframing past experiences. I don't blog. I walk. I confront. I validate. I empathize.
I do not intend to make this blog about myself. I don't read blogs because bloggers are no smarter or interesting or important than I am. But they do have interests colored by experience. And that is where we intersect. I, too, have interests colored by experience. And my interest, my passion, is mental health, human behavior, and resilience. So naturally this blog will be be colored by my experience and my perspective.
I am not here to convince you to see how I see. I see this blog as a space to reflect on the colors of my experience which have washed over me to this point. Maybe my colors will become brighter, harsher, or softer over time. Perhaps I will say things I regret in this blog. But with opportunity comes risk. This is an opportunity to reflect on my passion of helping and serving others. And maybe by reading this, you will begin to see your own colors and realize the beauty in your imperfections and shortcomings and the wealth and value of your own experiences.
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