🍂Seasons of Enough🍂 When the world says we need more, autumn reminds us: enough is everything.

Hello, Cadre world. This is Dr. Jessica Green. And if the weather is cool and fall and winter is arriving, it is definitely I'm doing that here along the Grand Strand. As you can see, I am wrapped up. You can't see it, but I have my blanket, I have my coffee. And today is a cool day outside. It's been raining, but we continue to make the best of it. Those of you who may visiting, be visiting for the first time. I am Dr. Jessica Green and I am licensed here along the Grand Strand. And I also practice in Florida and in North Carolina.

I wear multiple hats, as always. I am a CEU provider for South Carolina, but then I'm also a supervisor. I supervise those LPC8s who are new in the field, learning best practices. But what can we do to be our best selves today? Even as we talk about the weather and we talk about fall? Good morning, Jenny. When we think about fall and we think about change and we think about those moments of renewal, that's something that I want us to focus on today. You know, when we think about mental wellness, when we think about personal growth, when we think about the changes of seasons, I want us to make sure that we are prepared for rest and we are prepared for renewal.

But the only way that we can do that is embrace those cycles of change and that sense of reflection when it comes to us. So those are some things that I want to focus on today as we focus on ways we can continue to be our true, authentic self. So the first thing I want to take a look at is the power of the paws. So again, we talk about the trees outside. And those trees, they do not bloom year round, right? And even if we think about the ocean, when we think about those waves, those waves come in, but then they also go out.

So I want you to think about when was the last time that you stopped long enough and listened to your body? When we had that sense of fatigue, when we had that sense of frustration, when we felt as if we had on that superwoman cape being everything to everybody but not taking care of ourselves. Our inability to set those boundaries where we tell everybody else. Yes, but when it comes to you, we're erasing what we have going on to help someone else. So I want you to think about when was the last time you stopped long enough to listen to your body and what that felt like.

You know, I can think about a moment when I was go, go, go, and do, do, do. And I had that sense of fatigue and my body felt it. You know, my legs Were hurting. My hands felt clammy and my throat was dry and I was physically exhausted. And in that moment, I had to sit down and reflect and take that pause and. And say, okay, Jessica, it's time for you to sit down. It's time for you to focus on you taking self care for that moment. Because we are no good to anybody else if we don't take care of us.

The second thing I want us to take a look at is even embracing those cycles of change. As we go through life. We're going to have those seasons of change just like we have our seasons when we talk about the weather. But when we have those seasons and we have those seasons of growth where there is that sense of expansion. Good morning, Michelle. But then we have that sense of, you know, where we feel like everything's not going right. And I call it that season of contraction where we feel like we're contracting and things are getting smaller, smaller and smaller.

And in those moments, we have to take a second and be able to hit that reset button, but able to pull back and take a look at what's in front of us to make sure we are responding to those cycles and embracing those cycles of change as opposed to reacting to them when they bring out the worst of us. So as we talk about embracing the cycles of change, there are two questions I want you to ask yourself. When we have those moments where we feel like, hey, we're having that expansion, but then we also have those moments when we have those moments of contraction where we start questioning ourselves.

But there are two questions that I want us to think about. The first is, what is this season trying to teach me? Is it trying to teach me? Hey, Jessica, you know, we got to reel it back a little bit because we got a lot of movement going on where you're not taking care of yourself. Is this an opportunity for me to lean in and figure out who I am and what is it that I want? Because you may not know what that is. This may be a different season. In that adjustment, we're trying to figure out who we are and where we're going.

The second question is, what needs to be released so I can begin again lighter? Because some of us, we carry that heavy load. And sometimes you feel as if this is weighing me down like a ton of bricks. And in that moment, it could be a situation where we outgrow people, places and things and realizing that it is okay. The season that I'm in may not be a season for them and us learning how to take that and move from that sense of resistance. But think about it as our ability to be resilient in spite of that situation or that circumstance.

I am allowing myself to be my true, authentic self. I'm allowing myself to grow from this moment and again figure out who I am and what is it that I want in life. When we think about what can I do, what steps can I take in order to hit that reset button and hit that renewal button as we go into a different season of life, but then also reframing that thought process. So the first thing I want us to think about is reflecting before you reset. So I want you to take at least 10 minutes and write down, you know, not only what you've learned, but what also those things that you have accomplished.

So you're going to write down what you've learned, the good or the bad, you know, not only those things that you have accomplished. And doing that allows us to remember that sense of gratitude that we have, our ability to be courageous, but then see vulnerability as a positive. Because, yes, I am taking on personal accountability. And this is a little fearful because we may not like that sense of rejection, but our ability to write it down where we're taking it out of here and putting it on paper.

The second is create quiet space where we are turning off the noises. And when I say the noises, we're turning off the notifications on our cell phones or electronic devices. But then we're also not comparing ourselves to other people and not worried about that sense of perfection. We're allowing ourselves to sit in that moment and we're allowing ourselves to breathe. We're not comparing. We are finding that quiet space where we can practice mindfulness, but I can be in that moment, allow myself to walk through it and not avoid it.

And the third is honor. What's ending. So when we think about any cycle of life, whether it's a project we have at work, whether it's family, whether it's a relationship or. Or even if it's changing that mindset to a growth mindset, we deserve closure. And when we think about gratitude, gratitude is how we release it. And we release it with peace. Not thinking about those woulda, coulda, shoulda moments, but our ability to end it with peace. Focus on gratitude, knowing that we can't change those seasons that have passed us, but we can look forward into that season.

That's fast approaching now. I know it's approaching. What am I going to do with it? Hey, I take the. The good and I leave the bad and the ugly. But we move forward and we call it that forward movement and that forward progress and allowing yourself to have that sense of forgiveness, forgiveness, not condoning, but that's a forgiveness within ourselves so we can let go and be able to move forward. So when we think about rest, rest does not mean that you are weak. It means that you have that wisdom to recognize, hey, I need to hit a timeout and I need to be able to hit that reset button so I can be the best of me, not only for myself, but but for other people.

And when we focus on it, we talk about renewal. Renewal happens when we choose to let go, not when we force ourselves to keep going. Many of us wear that Superman and that superwoman, Kate, and we wear it well. But there becomes a moment and there becomes a season where we have to take it off. And taking it off does not mean that you are weak. Taking it off reminds yourself that you have the wisdom and the knowledge to know. I'm holding myself accountable and I'm taking this off so I can make sure I am being the best for myself, for my family and those people that I care about the most and those who care about me and my well being.

So three things I want us to remember. Rest is a part of growth. We have to pause and hit that reset button. Reflection creates renewal. So yes, we're reflecting on the good, the bad and the ugly, but we're taking the good, leaving the bad and the ugly, but we're hitting that renewal so we can move forward. And when we think about rest, we do not have to earn rest. Rest should come daily. Rest should become, you know, in those moments where we create that routine and that habit. Because if we do not rest, we're going to lose ourselves.

We're not going to be able to hit that reset button. And individuals are going to become those innocent bystanders had nothing to do what was going on in this situation, but they were there in that present moment and it was a game of tag and they were it. So when we talk about the change of seasons, we talk about renewal. We talk about being the best versions of ourselves. Make sure you allow yourselves to rest. Make sure you allow yourself to hit that reset button. Reflect on change, not seeing it as a negative, but seeing it as a positive.

And think about those ways that we can flourish, those ways we can be our authentic self and those ways that we can prepare to rest our body and also rest our soul. So thank you for listening and look forward to seeing you next Wednesday as we continue to focus on personal growth. Being our authentic self and allowing ourselves to hit that reset button without any inappropriate guilt. See you soon.