The theme for this month has been the impact that the holiday season has on the mind, body, and spirit. This week we are focusing on spirit and how the holiday season can cause an unsettling feeling for some.

The mind, body, and spirit connection can negatively be impacted by the holidays. As previously mentioned, our thoughts can turn negative due to many reasons during the holidays. Besides our mind, our body can also experience negative impacts.

There is a connection between the mind, body, and spirit, and when one becomes imbalanced the other two can easily get off track. The holidays tend to be a catalyst for bringing out the best and the worst of us.

For most of us, the waters we swim in choke out our capacity to dream. While we do fine with identifying big life goals – where to go to school, our desired profession, how to climb the ladder

of success, even goals to partner and have children (or not) are not hard to put on our to-do list. We often just take the next step that’s expected of us. But along the way, we lose our capacity to check in with our heart’s desires and ask the question, “What do you want,

Darling?” and to reach deeply with the response of “what if...?”

At Harper Therapy, we use the acronym FOOBS – family of origin bullshit. It’s our colloquial term for another acronym, ACES – Adverse Childhood Experiences, which is a long-standing study about the effects of childhood trauma like physical and sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect, parental substance abuse, mental health problems, divorce/separation, and incarceration, among other markers.

A very interesting phenomenon was happening around the time that I was exploring taking a sabbatical. It was the Great Resignation. Remember that? Thousands and thousands of people left their jobs for many different reasons. I was so intrigued by what would inspire people to leave the security of a job, so I learned more about those reasons and then explored some of my own. Not so that I could resign from my job, but so I could resign from the things in my life that keep me half-living. These are some of the things that are at the root of our burn out.

Sound baths have gained popularity as a form of sound therapy and relaxation. Here are three key truths about sound baths

What do you do when your life isn’t working? This is the question I asked during a moment of stark realization that, in spite of the hours I had spent meditating, doing yoga, journaling, taking staycations, and countless other “self care” activities, I was still burned out, overwhelmed, and exhausted.

Our sound baths take place in a carefully curated space to provide a calming ambiance, with dimmed lights, soft cushions or mats for comfort, and relaxation. The practitioner will guide you through the process, making you feel at ease before the session begins.

Sound healing therapy can be effectively combined with other wellness practices, such as meditation, yoga, or counseling (which is a big part of what we do here at Harper Therapy). Integrating sound healing sessions into your existing self-care routine can enhance the overall benefits and create a more comprehensive and balanced approach to well-being.

Self-care, at its core, is about responsibility. Fierce self-care is radical self-responsibility. Anything in your life that is not working can be addressed through the salt of effort, grieving, or acceptance and sometimes all three.

I work as a therapist, and I work as a school social worker. As education has become more fraught and the needs become larger and more overwhelming, the standard line is that teachers and those in the system need self-care.