I should be grateful for what I have

My 5-year-old asked to play Jenga a while back and the only set I have on hand is one I used for therapy with teens over 10 years ago.

Each tile asks a question. And when my daughter got to, “What are you most proud of?,” she said, “I’m really good at making friends.”

When she got to a different tile that asked, “If you had one wish, what would it be?,” she answered, “for the sickness to go away.” We’ve nicknamed COVID-19 “the sickness.”

We learn at an early age how to hold complex and differing feelings at the same time. We can feel pride, joy, fear, and sadness simultaneously.

And yet, it’s common for someone to give themselves a hard time for having a negative thought about the state of their life. They may tell themselves they should have more gratitude or just stop complaining and be thankful.

But I’m here to tell you that you are complex, and fully capable of holding more than one emotion at a time.

You can be grateful and lost.

You can be satisfied and grief-stricken.

You can be content and angry.

You can feel a sense of pride because you’re really good making friends while also wishing the damn sickness would go away so you can enjoy life more fully.

You are more than one thing. By giving yourself room to feel more than one emotion, and not shaming yourself for feeling something negative, you can begin to accept ALL the things that you feel and embrace the multifaceted human being that you are.

And, just in case you were wondering, I made the tower fall-JENGA!

Looking for a counselor? You can schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation with me by click the button below. I’m all about transparency and helping you figure out if I’m the right fit for you. If you don’t find a time that works for you, feel free to email me at hello@tamaraclarkson.com.