purpose
pur·pose /ˈpərpəs/
noun
the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
Our journey here at START these past few weeks has not been quite what we had hoped. Our team, like our community, is dealing with COVID personally in our homes and workplaces. We have individually experienced our own stress, anxiety, and (in some cases) trauma in the age of 2021. This has delayed the kick-start we had hoped to have, but will not prevent us from declaring our purpose or caring for our wellbeing.
It is true that the new year typically is the time to bring about resolutions and ideas of change. However, any moment can be a chance to revisit our purpose. Even though we are a bit late to 2022, we are here. Ready to share our goals, intentions, and direction for our future.
Inspired by my best friend Kelly several years ago, I started reflecting on what I need more of and less of as the new year approached. At the end of every year, I examine the experiences I have had and my responses. I then choose one single word to foster the change that I need and to define my purpose for the upcoming year.
One Year / One Word
The first year I engaged in this process, I chose the word "Slim." Slim was really about prioritizing my physical health; I was 40 lbs overweight, felt awful about myself, and needed to slim my body. While I was at it, there was no harm in slimming down the toxic people in my life and my debt. All of these things caused me a tremendous amount of stress, shame, and remorse. Mostly, I have achieved all of these goals (I am still working on my boundaries)!
A few years later, feeling dissatisfied socially, intellectually, and creatively, I chose the word "Connection." That year I did a whole lot of talking about what I wanted. I thought even more about who and what I was missing… but didn't make any real effort to change anything. This lead to me feeling more disconnected from those ideals.
We've all been there, watching our goals quickly fade…
This failed attempt to connect to my creativity, my passions, and to my people inspired me the following year to choose the word "Action." Action I did. I was intentional. My first big ACT led me to enroll in my Ph.D. program (fingers crossed, I'll graduate this year). This choice later empowered me to start a private practice, which has inspired lots and lots of CONNECTIONS.
With all the changes that came with “Action,” I chose "Onward" for this past year. “Onward” allowed me to radically accept the life I am creating; The gains and losses have been profound. Onward has enabled me to trust myself and others more fully when I felt least in control. Onward has changed my experiences of stress and anxiety, as well as how I show up for others.
The most unexpected gift was how much suffering I resolved.
2021 ———> 2022
As 2021 wrapped up and I started making my list of what I needed more of and less of, I realized that ACTION and ONWARD may have softened the sounds of the squeaky wheel of my occupational health, but it neglected some other areas of my life. My people missed me and I missed them. While I experienced a lot of professional success, I created a distance between myself and some of the parts of my wellbeing that are most important to me. This was a challenging and painful lesson!
This year, to make sure my process is fully inclusive, I included the 8 dimensions of wellness in my reflection. By doing so, I could not avoid some pretty important areas of my life that are in deep need of my attention.
For 2022, I chose "Harmonize." I was careful not to pick “Harmony” because I need to actively participate and find where I fit to achieve this. I need to align my goals with my changing abilities and — most importantly — be intentional in all my roles and responsibilities. I am aiming to be fully present wherever I am and with whoever I am with.
The Wellness Wheel
The Wellness Wheel was first introduced by Dr. Bill Hettler in 1976 and has been expanded on by dozens of others. START Creative Arts Therapy Services will focus on eight areas of wellbeing: mental and emotional, physical, social and cultural, sexual, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental throughout the year.
Why? Because it is our hope that our readers and followers will acknowledge that we are holistic, complex, and multi-faceted human beings, and wellbeing is conscious and self-directed.
What we like most about the wellness wheel is that it reminds us that wellness is not merely the absence of suffering or illness but the personal, meaningful, and intentional striving for positive wellbeing. Being well and living well is PURPOSEFUL.
When you're reflecting, remember it is pretty normal that some areas of your wellness are more conscious than others and that your wellbeing will change depending on the circumstances in your life. We know that stress, trauma, and anxiety related to any of the areas identified on the wellness wheel can take up more or less space in your life at any given time. As a reminder, our therapist and community are here to help.
Click HERE for access to a wellness wheel inventory, a self-reflective tool to help you examine how well you actually feel. You can follow us on social media for more information about wellness and other mental health topics throughout the year. We will be referencing it throughout 2022!