A Seasonal Pause
It is amazing what can happen when you allow yourself the space and time to be rather than do.
I have had an extremely challenging 18 months. At times, it has felt as though I’ve faced one existential crisis after another. I had a frightening health diagnosis and surgery. My husband nearly died while we were abroad and spent several months in hospital. Alongside all of that, I’ve been navigating the life changes that come to us all.
I was lucky to begin my creative arts training with APCCA at just the right time. It opened a door I had closed for a couple of decades. My creative side had occasionally made an appearance through a course in stained glass or something similar, but most of my creativity had gone into writing and developing counselling training courses and building my own counselling training business. I realise how lucky I am to have been able to make that work. And I also know that I want something different.
I returned to therapy last September and began to unravel, bit by bit. Even then, I noticed myself working hard at “getting better”, as though it were another task I needed to complete. I knew I was close to burnout, although people who witnessed that time might say I was already there.
Things needed to change in my life. I needed to change. Yet I found it so hard to let go of the doing, and of the expectations that have shaped who I am. They have served me well in many ways, but they have also kept me caught in a cycle of tasks, striving for perfection and trying to keep everyone safe and happy.
What I have learned is that, in all the doing, I had forgotten about being. I had lost some of my connection with myself and the people around me. There never seemed to be enough space or time, and I know I’m not alone in feeling that way.
We live in a digitally connected world, yet many of us feel disconnected from ourselves, our families, our communities and the natural world. In my search for meaning over the past year, I have rediscovered forgotten interests, parts of myself and a deep appreciation of my natural surroundings. Pausing, reflecting and letting go have helped me begin to build a life that feels more like the one I want to live.
So, I decided to create something new, something creative, something that has grown from my experience and from learning what I needed in order to heal.
So, I am offering an online space at Cara Creative Connections for anyone who would welcome time to pause, reflect and connect . When people ask me, “What are we going to do exactly?”, part of me wants to say, “Nothing!” What I really mean is that there is nothing you have to achieve. You can come as you are, without demands or expectations. Perhaps that feels uncomfortable because we have become so used to being human doings rather than human beings.
A Seasonal Pause is a five-week online programme. We’ll meet on Zoom for two hours each week and explore a different theme through conversation and creative prompts. You’ll have the chance to respond in whatever way feels right for you, have a cuppa and connect with others in the group.
You don’t need any art or creative experience, and there’s no need to buy art supplies.
Our weekly themes are:
Rooted in Connection and Grounding
Letting Go – Nature’s Release
Light and Shadow – Embracing Our Wholeness
Resilience and Compassion – Tapping into Our Inner Resources
Harvest, Reflection and Personal Gratitude
You will find more information and booking details below.
I look forward to meeting you.
Deborah x
APCCA reg Creative Arts Therapist
