When you find yourself upset by a situation or person, ask yourself if the thoughts, feelings, or actions from the situation or person is yours to carry.
With this, it could be helpful to visualize a bag (or an assortment of bags) during these times.
Observe the bag—it’s shape, it’s color, it’s size, it’s contents, it’s weight—and decide whether you wish to pick it up and hold it…or not.
This comes with the parallel awareness and realization that—like airport baggage/luggage—we can only carry/handle so much before being bogged down and overall the contents of the bags preventing us from getting to our gates and ultimately to our desired destination within the optimal experience (i.e., the destination that is aligned with our life values and goals).
A question to ask as you approach a new bag…is this mine to carry? Is this something I choose to carry?
Jen Hyatt, LMFT (California) and IMFT (Ohio), is a licensed psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, author, and founder of Storm Haven Counseling and Wellness, an integrative group psychotherapy practice based in Temecula, California, offering in-person and online mental health services. With over a decade of clinical experience, Jen specializes in neurodivergent-affirming and LGBTQIA+ affirming care, trauma, identity exploration, relationships, and holistic mental wellness.
Her therapeutic philosophy integrates evidence-based psychotherapy with Jungian and depth psychology, somatic awareness, mindfulness, and complementary wellness practices. Jen is also the creator of The Nerdie Therapist, a platform exploring psychology, psychotherapy, neuroscience, storytelling, mythology, and pop culture, and the author of The Understory: Going Beneath the Surface, which explores the deeper roots of therapeutic work, human experience, and meaningful change.
Through her clinical practice, writing, education, and creative endeavors, Jen advocates for compassionate, inclusive, and accessible mental healthcare that honors the complexity of being human.
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Sent from my iPhone ~Lanaux Tubbs
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