April 2023
🐰🐰 Time to Reflect
“Springing into April with gratitude and love” ― Charmaine J. Forde
The only constant is change...
April brings renewed energy and signs of new life, and it's a good time to reflect on ourselves and the things that make us who we are. One of the most important aspects of this reflection is identifying our personal strengths and values. These are the characteristics that define us and shape our behavior in different situations. This month I encourage you to explore your personal strengths and values and provide suggestions on how to do so.
Identifying our personal strengths and values can have a profound impact on our lives. It can help us understand ourselves better and make better decisions. Some of the benefits of identifying our personal strengths and values include:
Improved self-awareness: When we identify our personal strengths and values, we gain a better understanding of who we are and what motivates us. This self-awareness can help us make better decisions and navigate challenging situations more effectively.
Increased confidence: Knowing our personal strengths and values can boost our confidence and self-esteem. It can also help us identify areas where we need to improve and set goals for personal growth.
Better decision-making: Understanding our personal values can help us make better decisions in both our personal and professional lives. When we know what is important to us, we can make choices that align with our values and bring us closer to our goals.
Tips for identifying our personal strengths and values:
Reflect on your experiences: Think back to times when you felt particularly successful or fulfilled. What strengths did you use to achieve those successes? What values were you honoring during those experiences?
Ask for feedback: Ask friends, family members, or colleagues to provide feedback on what they see as your strengths and values. This outside perspective can help you see yourself in a new light and identify areas where you may excel.
Take a personality test: There are many personality tests available online that can help you identify your personal strengths and values. These tests can provide valuable insight into your personality and help you understand how you relate to others.
Consider what energizes you: Think about the activities or tasks that energize you and leave you feeling fulfilled. These can provide clues to your personal strengths and values.
Identify your core values: Make a list of the things that are most important to you in life. These might include things like honesty, loyalty, creativity, or kindness. Once you've identified your core values, think about how you can honor them in your daily life.
Identifying our personal strengths and values can be a powerful tool for self-awareness, personal growth, and decision-making. Let me know if you would like to explore some of these activities in session, or if you want to share your experiences for those you choose to do on your own.
Unique & special MONTH holidays:
Some of my favorites:
National month for: Humor
April 2 National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
April 3 Don’t Go to Work Unless it’s Fun Day
April 5 National Walking Day
April 23 Take a Chance Day
I'm grateful to know you and I thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. Please let me know if there is anything more I can be doing to support you.
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."― William Shakespeare
Some housekeeping items:
Scheduling:
I will be taking a few days off mid-month (April 9-10). If our regular session time will be impacted, let's talk about choosing a different day.
This season gets busy with Spring festivities and more activities on your social calendar. I believe that family, friends, and fun are priorities in our lives, and am happy to reschedule our session times when you have something enjoyable to do (or otherwise important, like studying or a project). Please remember to cancel or reschedule your appointments with as much advance notice as possible so that we can reschedule and I can offer the session time to someone else. No shows and late cancelations (fewer than 24 hours notice) are subject to a no show charge.
Crisis Numbers:
I recommend adding these to your contacts in your phone. If you don't need them, you might be able to share them with someone who does.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: the new 988 line is live! 988 is the new Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. It's exciting to have an easy-to-remember number available to access crisis support quickly. For more information: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/. The old number remains active as well: 1-800-273-8255
Text crisis line... you can send a text to 741741 and just write HOME and someone will get right back to you. https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
Credits:
(http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/April.htm)
