Spring Awakening!

Looking at this week's forecast all I see is rain. Last week was about the same. I should not be surprised as this is April and without the rain Spring cannot bloom, bringing with it new life and new beginnings.

As my internship with The Awakening Center and my undergraduate career wind down, I feel like I am in a stage right before bloom like the season. Reflecting upon my last year it has been one of tremendous growth for me. I have accomplished more than I imagined both in my personal life and with The Awakening Center. As I prepare to say good-bye to this past year as an intern and undergrad, I also am giving myself a much deserved pat on the back.

Reflection can be a powerful tool to harness along our journeys. Through reflection we can learn from our past ways and move forward with clearer vision. Providing us with insight, we can pick out patterns that can lead us to successes in dealing with an array of situations. More so, reflection can give us strength in knowing that we made it through something. There may have been struggle, but we did it and some form of celebration is in order! We often can fall into a cycle of focusing on our faults, yet acknowledging our successes can help build confidence that can be invaluable. Most of all, it just feels good to acknowledge the awesome things we have done!

Journaling is a great way to help reflect upon the day, week, month or whenever you feel like it. Writing it down can help you physically see how something came to be. It can help be a way for you to recognize your achievements you may have missed. More so, you can brag how awesome you were without anybody judging!

With the awakening of spring (finally!) I am going to take a moment to look back upon my last year with The Awakening Center and my undergraduate career and give myself acknowledgement for everything that I have accomplished. I will also take this past year's personal growth with me into my new beginnings as a blossoming adult. I encourage everyone to take a moment this rainy week to take a moment to reflect and give themselves credit for any success they have recently had. With the coming sunshine and spring bloom you have yet another opportunity to begin fresh with greater confidence.

Warmly,

Katie

Katie Infusino is an undergraduate intern from DePaul University and enjoyed her opportunity to be an intern at The Awakening Center this past year. She co-leads the Tuesday Night Drop-In Eating Disorder Support Group.

Developing a Stronger Sense of Self

Where is your favorite place in your home? What is your favorite restaurant? What is your favorite activity to do outside? What about inside? Where is your preferred vacation destination? What is one of your favorite meals? What is your favorite movie? What about your least favorites of all of the aforementioned?
In order to answer these and other similar questions, you need to know yourself and be able to identify what you like and what you don’t like. How do you figure these things out? Many people, myself included, are experiential learners. You learn by doing and experiencing things first hand – visit the place, watch the show, taste the food, participate in the activity. Learning by doing can be unnerving. It’s scary to try something new. The lack of familiarity and the uncertainty of the outcome can be a strong deterrent.
When I first started stepping out of my comfort zone, I felt uneasy and extremely nervous. I over-thought these novel situations and wondered what other people thought of me when they saw me. I felt incredibly self-conscious. However, during each of these experiences I learned something about myself. Despite my discomfort, I knew I was benefiting because I was developing a stronger sense of self, and although I sometimes didn’t feel up for it, I continued to push myself beyond my comfort zone, which was slowly expanding.
Change often occurs when trying something new, and as a result, experiential learning often generates change in some way. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone brings the challenge of adjusting to change, which can seem daunting. Nevertheless, with repetitive practice, your comfort zone gradually expands, bolstering self-awareness, as well as a concrete sense of self.
It’s completely normal to feel uncertain and to lack self-confidence. I encourage you to build a stronger sense of self by stepping outside of your comfort zone to try new things. Luckily, the word try doesn’t mean permanent, but is defined as more of a test, to examine something such as a situation or yourself. Although I still sometimes feel nervous when trying new things, I’m not nearly as timid as before. Consequently, I’m able to confidently convey my likes and dislikes, and if I am unsure of my response, I realize that I just have some more self-exploration to do.
Katie Anson, MA, LPC

Katie is Spanish-English bilinqual and sees clients for individual therapy at The Awakening Center. She can be reached at (773) 929-6262 x 23.