01/21/2026
A gentle reminder:
Pause.
Breathe.
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose.
Let it out through your mouth, nice and slow.
Establish yourself in the now, in this moment.
Roll your shoulders back three big times.
Nice deep and even breaths.
Identify something you can see. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can feel. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can touch. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can hear. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can taste. Describe it with three words.
Unclench and relax your jaw.
Lower your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Breathe again.
With all the emotional whiplash of the past several years, it makes sense to feel like you are running on exhausted adrenaline fumes. It makes sense if it feels like your last dopamine particle is fighting to hang on. It makes sense to feel challenged to hold on to hope and joy. One of the most frequently occurring themes across the past year has been around overwhelming emotional states, learning how to process them, and allowing them to be expressed in a healthy way. It seems for everyone living, every avenue of life has been touched by jarring, opposing, and significantly shifting emotional extremes experienced in short periods of time. There is not an age group that has not felt the side effects of the rigors of life. The issues have shown up in and altered our daily lives from our work environments and relationships, communication styles and interactions, school environments and our local communities, and beyond. From young children to elderly, people are reporting experiencing and being more stressed and anxious, having more difficulty finding and maintaining emotional balance and health, struggling with depression, dark and ruminating thoughts, sleep and dietary intake disturbances, significant fatigue, and much more. People are reporting defaulting to unhealthy coping strategies and habits while experiencing these challenges processing their emotions and thoughts. Whether we have consciously acknowledged it or not, this has been an extended season of more pressure and tragedies making attempts to reestablish "normal" more difficult.
The emotional whiplash is real. The impacts of the rigors of life to our autonomic nervous system (ANS) are real. These side effects influence our central nervous system (CNS) and its responses and functions. So before you dismiss your feelings and question whether or not your feelings are valid…
Pause.
Breathe.
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose.
Let it out through your mouth, nice and slow.
Establish yourself in the now, in this moment.
Roll your shoulders back three big times.
Nice deep and even breaths.
Identify something you can see. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can feel. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can touch. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can hear. Describe it with three words.
Identify something you can taste. Describe it with three words.
Unclench and relax your jaw.
Lower your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
Breathe again.
Give yourself permission to move gently.
Breathe slowly.
It is okay to feel your feelings.
Seek out intentional pockets of silence and solace in your day.
Give yourself permission to have intentional and healthy boundaries around your accessibility and things that require your emotional labor.
Connect with compassion and humanity.
Connect with your humanity.
Allow yourself to feel so you can begin to heal.
And BE kind…to yourself and to others.
We are all in the storm of life, but not everyone is having the same experience.
There is no human being on earth who couldn’t use a little bit more compassion.
And if you need to...ask for help.
We are all a mind, a body, and a spirit.
When one part of us is going through an experience all of us is going through the experience.
From a distance there is harmony.
Up close we are all human beings.
We all need someone to lean on.
You get to decide what level of support you need right now.
Music therapy.
Not quite what you would expect for your therapy experience.
Definitely worth it.
Customized therapy for your needs.
We offer individual, family, group, and couples’ sessions.
It is our absolute privilege and most humbling honor to be of service.
www.gsusmusictherapy.com/contact-us/
info@gsusmusictherapy.com (email)
512.754.9631 (Office)
