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Priorities. Balance. Self-Care. Words I reach for but often find hard to grasp. What IS balance? What ARE my priorities? How can I make time in all of it to be at MY OWN BEST?
For me, it meant taking a break from checking in with y'all this spring. It was so hard to give up my blog and Music Therapy Joy facebook page! I'm grateful for music therapists who have paved the way for me - who have provided resources and inspiration for my practice, and I so want to do the same for others. The pill of stepping back from this pay-it-forward was hard to swallow. But something had to give.
I didn't want to be half a mom, half a wife, half a school employee, half a blogger, half a church member... (see the issue with the sum of these fractions??). Something had to give. I decided rather than being half of lots of things, I needed to give up one to do the others well. The word that gave me peace in this? SEASON. It was for a SEASON. And there is a season for everything.
Now? It's summer! The school employee piece is scaled way down, and I can use this time to pick back up the JOY and even get ahead as I look to having A NEW BABY GIRL as the school year gears back up. As you make your summer bucket list, take some time to self-reflect with this now FREE Music Therapy End-of-the-Year Self-Assessment.
A school year is FULL of ups and downs, victories and frustrations, and, most importantly, learning experiences! The assessment includes questions that help you reflect on the challenges and victories of the the school year, prompts to set goals for BOTH your personal and professional life, and a format to create an action plan for next school year!
Download and print this form and fill it in with valuable reflections and hopes for the future. Have a music therapy team in your district? Make it a group assignment! Feeling isolated in your district? Find a nearby music therapist (or one who is a phone call away)! Fill out the form individually and then come together for a cup (or two) of coffee, lots of laughs, maybe tears, and leave refreshed.
Result? A fresh look on priorities and goals, and a mind free to enjoy the summer, with a plan to begin the next school year right.
EnJOY!
<3 Patina Joy