The A.V. Department - September 2023

 One of the YouTube channels that I return to again and again is The School of Life. I highly recommend the whole channel! For The A.V. Department - September 2023 edition, I've selected one particular video that I enjoyed quite a lot.

September is traditionally the time of year that we think of back to school and back to our routines. It can also be a great time to reevaluate our routines and how they're working (or not working) for us. It's a time for trying new habits, along with the new fall outfits and new school supplies. One routine that I encourage everyone to begin is incorporating a daily self check-in on your emotions. Whether you want to do this through a mindfulness practice or journalling or during a daily jog without any headphones and distractions, it doesn't really matter. How you do this isn't as important as simply doing it.

We are often so busy focusing on things outside ourselves - other people, world events, an upcoming deadline, our immediate environment - that we seldom take the time to focus inward on how we are doing. Because of this, we can sometimes have big emotions or high levels of stress that seem to come out of nowhere, or that seem to be in reaction to something outside of ourselves. We become reactive, instead of responsive.

However, the reality is that our reactions to things are only ever in part because of something that has happened to us or around us. Much of our reaction has to do with what is happening inside of us. What other things have been weighing on us lately? How has our sleep been? What are other sources of stress in our lives at this time? Have we been eating enough? What other similar things have happened in our past, that this current situation might remind us of? What have we learned from those past experiences that will influence how we respond now?

Taking the time on a regular basis to get to know yourself and to "take the temperature" (so to speak) of your internal emotional landscape can be very helpful. It lets you develop the self-knowledge that will help you respond with wisdom and grace to your circumstances, even as you continue to have a messy and imperfect human experience. It helps to develop self-compassion and, finally, it helps you to increase in-the-moment awareness of your emotional states. From that awareness, we can begin to move from being reactive to being responsive.

This short video elaborates on one way you can do these kinds of self-check ins and on the benefits of doing so. If you like it, I encourage you to check out the other videos on The School of Life channel. They're quite good.

If you'd like to talk more about how to incorporate this kind of self-reflection into your daily routine or you feel like you would benefit from some support to help you understand your emotions a little better, feel free to contact me through my website, Calder Mental Health Services. I offer mental health therapy to residents of Alberta virtually and in-person in the Edmonton area.

I hope you enjoy the video!

Petrina