Announcing my mini-sabatical from writing & social media for the summer
However, there's still plenty of opportunities to work with me, read on for the details
Hello to my beloved newsletter readers!
Last week, I took myself on a “day of reflection” adventure. As I took time to reflect upon celebrations and where I am physically, mentally, and spiritually, I noticed that I’ve been needing some time to slow down, get caught up, and rejuvenate.
I love writing this newsletter. I love engaging with you all on social media. I love the collective hope we create when we show up for one another. And that’s not going to change. Come September, I’m going to be ready to show up in your inbox again!
Even though I’m taking a break, that doesn’t mean that I’m unavailable to you. I’m still working individually with peeps, I’m still facilitating workshops with SurvivingBreastCancer.org (see below), and I’m still collaborating with others to bring in even more opportunities to share, grow, and learn from one another.
I’ll keep you all in the loop if something happens before September, and you can email me if you want to explore working together.
Of course, you can always read the archives of this newsletter and my #TherapyThursday blogs that I wrote from 2016-2022. They all live here on Substack! If you leave me a comment on any of the posts, I will definitely be responding because I’ll be around.
Wishing you all well over this summer- see you in September, if not before!
Warmly,
Stephanie
PS- Curious about creating your own Day of Reflection? I’ve shared my tips in the creative prompt section of this newsletter!
Excerpt from the book…
Since I am trusting my instincts about my need to take a break, it seems on point to share this excerpt about instincts from the book.
Trust your instinct about which chapter is right for you to take on next. The intention behind this book is that by respecting your own intuition, you heal the connection you have with your body, mind, spirit and self.
There’s no right or wrong here, this is a practice of accepting what is. Throughout this book, you’ll become very familiar with recognizing and integrating what has happened. You’ll find that expressing yourself creatively through art and writing allows you to struggle less and feel more at ease. As you move through this book, you’ll be surprised by how much lighter you’ll feel inside, emotionally and mentally. This method is a form of validation that permits your entire nervous system to relax.
Your Creative Prompt for this Issue…
(P.S. you don’t have to be an artist to do this!)
Before doing this exercise, set yourself up for doing some art and writing. Any kind of art medium will work- so chose something you have on hand or treat yourself to a few supplies. Here’s my basic list for starting an art journal.
This week’s creative prompt is how to create your own Day of Reflection. To get you started, here’s a little video I created to share my day last week!
Create time for yourself to do this activity, I knew I needed and wanted a full day to myself, so that I didn’t feel too rushed or pressured.
Figure out the where. I listened to my intuition that I wanted to go to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, because they’re so special to me and I hadn’t been for a long time. I also knew that there were many little spots I could adventure to, where I could explore, reflect, and then sow my seeds of intention.
Gather your supplies- I brought my art journal supplies, a list of questions I wanted to explore, my food and water for the day. Before I left, I noticed the mini-Gerber Daisies that my family had got me for Mother’s Day, and I knew I wanted them to come with me! So, I nestled them into a container for traveling. I didn’t need music as I was going outside, but if I had been inside, I would have had a playlist ready to go.
Have some reflection questions ready to go… mine were:
What do you want for your life? And how do you want to live? And what do you want to feel?
What do you want to celebrate about who you are and what you have done?
What do you need right now? Is there anything that’s not serving you at this time that needs to be released?
What intentions and daily practices can support you as you continue to grow and heal?
Trust whatever resonates for you!
Once you are ready to go, put your plan into action!
I spent a luxurious 5.5 hour window with a lovely balance of enjoying the gardens, writing, releasing, and planting seeds before starting an art piece that reflected how enriching the process was for me to experience.
Now that I’ve taken this step, I’ll check in with myself monthly to see how it is going. Those check ins may be briefer than my day of reflection, but I have come to understand that they are absolutely vital- whether your objectives are personal, professional, or a combo of both!
I’d love to hear from you about how this prompt went for you. Feel free to share in the comments below or email me directly!
Behind-The-Scenes Look
While I am taking a break from writing and social media, I’m continuing to explore some opportunities that I believe will support the likelihood of being offered a publishing contract through expanding my audience. And hopefully, my next round of query emails will be sent prior to the end of June.
Thanks for your ongoing positive energy towards this endeavor, it is deeply appreciated!
Upcoming Workshops-
In English-
June 5th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Art Therapy for Telling the Story of How Breast Cancer has Impacted your Body Image.
July 10th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Art Therapy for Honoring Your Cancer Anniversaries, Markers, & Milestones.
August 7th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Art Therapy for Living with Uncertainty.
Sept 4th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Art Therapy for Balancing Gratitude & Grief.
En Español-
June 6th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Arteterapia para contar la Historia de cómo el cáncer de mama ha Impactado tu Imagen Corporal.
July 4th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Arteterapia para Honorar tus Aniversarios, Marcadores, e Hitos relacionados con el Cáncer- this workshop will not be held live, it is pre-recorded because of the holiday.
August 8th @6pm EST with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Arteterapia para contar la Historia de Vivier con Incertidumbre.
Wishing you a sweet summer sabbatical! We'll be looking forward to seeing what grows during this season. xoxo