This week we've been talking about starting over. And each week when we have a different theme, I'll be taking one of those days to talk to a professional in the field, somebody who could speak to how our theme connects to the overarching theme of mental wellness, and specifically where conversation fits into this, how we process change and the value of that, and inviting us all to speak about this
Mental Wellness Stories
@hope · 1:00
And your story can always have these universal aspects that can help other people. So don't be shy about really dropping into who you are and what this starting overness was for you. I just created a, a verb or adjective. What is that? Starting overness. But I like it. So let's talk about that. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this
Julie Mermelstein
@julesmerm · 4:52
And that was sort of part of my healing and a part of a way to be of service and give back. And my supervisor at the time, and even though obviously it was very hard and sad and overwhelming, it was very rewarding. And my supervisor at the time said, have you ever thought about being a therapist? You'd make a really good therapist. And the seed was planted. I did never think about being a therapist, ever
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Mental Wellness Stories
@hope · 1:00
Hello. When a client is at the precipice of starting something new, making huge, life changing decisions, whether they frame it as starting over or not, what you're seeing is somebody who has to make some big decisions. What do you ask them to consider to guide them? Because there's so many ways to go wrong. But there are probably really good guideposts and ways of helping somebody confront the questions that they need to ask themselves before they do a big starting over journey
Julie Mermelstein
@julesmerm · 4:56
You? I encourage my clients and friends or family or anyone I'm talking to. But, you know, mostly we're talking about clients and mental health aspects of starting over to, you know, start off with some basic stuff of weighing the pros and cons, looking at the positive, the negative, you know, how much to disruption they'll be, what their support system is like. What are their resources?
Mental Wellness Stories
@hope · 1:25
So to do your check ins, to say change is good, but sometimes we need certain things in place so that we don't start driving and we're not in the frame of mind to drive, that metaphor is actually be apropos, right? You have to be grounded and solid enough to say, I can handle what's about to happen. So there's check ins. It's really interesting. Thank you
Mental Wellness Stories
@hope · 0:58
Specifically, I want you to drop into the cost of not starting over. How do you handle that? Because you have no crystal ball, but you probably could see a cost if they don't start over. And how do you handle the nuance of getting them to see that it's a good thing to do and they're being afraid, but you want to work them through that
Julie Mermelstein
@julesmerm · 4:46
The divorce is still sad. It's all sad. But she is getting more peace in those quiet moments with herself. Well, that's kind of priceless. Her suffering is decreasing. So that's what I ask people to consider when they're thinking about big changes
Mental Wellness Stories
@hope · 0:53
Julie it makes me think that these questions are so big. It does help to talk it through with somebody. As I listen to you talk about helping people with those hard questions, those are really important. And I think if it's not a trusted advisor of someone you really value, sometimes it could be a chaotic situation when the wrong source asks you the wrong question because they might have other motivations. They might not want you to make that change