A recent, unnamed politician planted a seed in me that albeit an unsuccessful metaphor for him, motivated me to apply it to counseling.
When I was a kid, my Etch A Sketch was one of my favorite toys. Bright red casing with easy to grip white knobs that I could twist and turn with reckless abandon all the while knowing that no matter how haphazard the design, or how skewed the image, I need only shake it and I could start over. As I’ve grown into adulthood, I still utilize what I call the “shake it and start over” technique. No, it’s not a scientific theory taught in counseling school or chronicled in the massive archives of Journal articles, but it works. It can be implemented at any time of the day. It can be invoked right in the middle of a conversation or argument. Pause, shake, and start over.
Let’s face it, we get caught up. Caught up, caught in, caught with…all counterproductive for self care. Let’s exam more closely the word caught: to seize or capture, to trap or ensnare. Now let’s apply it to our day. Trapped in negative beliefs or self-defeating behaviors? Trapped? Thought switching can have a powerful impact on what we draw into our lives on a daily basis. “I choose to not participate in the drama or I choose not to be trapped.” Thought switching is an Etch A Sketch. Why on earth would we want to be captured or trapped by our old tapes that we play in our hearts and minds? Old tapes from childhood that may say we aren’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or even just enough. Hit pause. Shake. Start over. Be well.
