This month's Mental Health Check-In follows along with my current newsletter series called Therapy Notes: Small Bits of Wisdom from Inside the Room. Head over to the link below, or my website, to join in at my newsletter. It's my favorite place to create and connect.

About the series : Therapy Notes swill offer insights I wish I could pass out for free (here goes), things that help me in my life, and certainly things I wish I’d known before I became a therapist. Scroll back through all of them if you are new here!

Therapy is both an art form and a collection of knowledge. Much of this knowledge is gleaned from the clinical research that informs the science of the field. However, the kitchen table version, simplified down to accessible takeaways, is where I see the most effective help. I hope this series will offer some wisdom from the practice of therapy. My own definition of wisdom is: knowledge you can actually use.

For more Still Becoming find Monica at ⁠⁠monicadicristina.com⁠⁠, and on Instagram: ⁠⁠@monicadicristina⁠⁠.

Sign up for the ⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠ too!

This is a re-release of a Mental Health Check-In episode for those of us who are ending summer and moving into the business of a new school year, or an approaching Fall with work commitments. We are talking about the myth of balance, and how much shame an unrealistic idea of balance can produce in our lives. In this short episode we will identify why this myth isn't helpful, and how to think about ordering our lives instead. We will explore the ideas of prioritization, values, boundaries, and permission as a replacement for the pressure that "balance" produces. I hope this episode is validating, freeing, and encouraging. For more Still Becoming find Monica at ⁠⁠monicadicristina.com⁠⁠, and on Instagram: ⁠⁠@monicadicristina⁠⁠.

Sign up for the ⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠ too!

I am so excited to have author Emily P. Freeman on the podcast. I am such a fan, and I have been for a long time. I appreciate the way Emily shows up in the world and in her work. In a world that is always in a rush to decisions, to certainty, and to judgement, Emily's work is refreshingly curious, patient, and spacious. In this conversation, and in her impactful new book How to Walk Into a Room, Emily invites us to look at endings and decisions in a helpful and wholistic way. We discuss how we moralize decisions, Emily's metaphor of rooms in our lives, and the idea of true peace and decisions. It is such a rich and layered conversation, and I can't wait for you to hear it.

Emily P. Freeman is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books, including The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions. As a spiritual director, workshop leader, and host of The Next Right Thing podcast (more than 25 million downloads), her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Emily holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

https://emilypfreeman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/emilypfreeman/

These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.

This short meditation can be used to prepare for something that worries or scares you. It can be used to make space for worrying about someone you love. It is also just for the fear of the everyday. Many carry a lot of fear every day, and this short meditation is a chance to process, make space, and find comfort.

To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com

For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.

Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.

I am so honored and happy to have Author and Chaplain J.S. Park back on the Still Becoming podcast. If you have hung out with me for any time, you know my deep admiration of his work, writing, and presence in the world. J.S. Park is an author who refuses to look away from pain, and he invites his readers to both see and feel seen in a way I have never experienced elsewhere. This is a profound and deep conversation, and one I have found myself thinking about long afterwards. That is what J.S. Park's work does - it leaves you reconsidering what you have been through, what you need, what others are facing, and how you can more tenderly show up for all of it. I can't wait for you to listen.

Loving CW: We do discuss trauma and loss in this episode.

J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, former atheist/agnostic, sixth degree black belt, suicide survivor, Korean-American, and follows Christ.

J.S. is author of an upcoming book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise, published by Northfield/Moody.

J.S. currently serves at a 1000+ bed hospital, one of the top-ranked in the nation, and was also a chaplain for three years at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.

This week's Mental Health Check-In unpacks the common tendency to compare yourself to others. In this short episode, we will look at it from a different perspective. With a lens of compassion and curiosity, we will explore the hidden "why" under the tendency to compare. Maybe you will find your "why," in this episode, or maybe it will prompt you to discover your own not listed here. Either way, this episode is an opportunity to unpack and get a little more clarity on this common tendency. And clarity, as well as self-awareness, are some of the best places to start with any hope of change.

For more Still Becoming find Monica at ⁠monicadicristina.com⁠, and on Instagram: ⁠@monicadicristina⁠.

Sign up for the ⁠newsletter⁠ too!

I am so honored to have Dr. Terence Lester and Zion Lester on the Still Becoming podcast. They recently co-wrote a beautiful and powerful children's book: 𝘡𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘦.⁣
⁣
In this wonderful, moving and fun, conversation between co-authors, and also father and daughter, we talk about how 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥. We talk about combating apathy and the power of moving with compassion and kindness to everyone. ⁣
⁣
Zion and Dr. Lester describe the fun of writing this book together, and also the message. And as a parent, child, reader, and listener you will be compelled to continue seeing other people, growing in your own compassion and action for other people, and learning to live a lifestyle of service. As a bonus, you will also walk away inspired as a parent by spending time with Dr. Lester and Zion, and getting a small glimpse into their relationship, and the importance of vulnerability, connection, and service. And Zion gives some of the most powerful parenting advice I have ever heard. ⁣
⁣
Dr. Terence Lester is a storyteller, public scholar, speaker, community activist, and author who is the Founder and Executive Director of Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit organization focused on raising poverty and homelessness awareness and community mobilization.⁣
⁣
Zion Lester has loved books all of her life. As early back as she can remember, she has loved to read and loved to write.The 16-year-old Atlanta, GA native is co-author of a forthcoming children’s book. Written alongside her father, a multi-hyphenate preacher, author, and social activist, this children’s book is the story of a young girl who learns the value of helping others. Committed to the cause of helping others, she hatches a plan to recruit others to do the same.⁣ It is a personal story mirroring her life as the daughter of two community activists.

https://lovebeyondwalls.org/

https://twitter.com/imTerenceLester/

https://terencelester.org/

https://www.instagram.com/imterencelester/?hl=en

https://zionjoylester.com/

https://www.instagram.com/zionjoylester/

To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com

For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.

Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.

These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.

In a world that is loud, busy, chaotic, and hurting, it can feel difficult to create a moment of space to breathe. In your own world there may be a lot of noise, pressure, obligations, and worry too. This short meditation is a moment for all of us to create space and be present. Just for this moment: Nothing else is required of you.

To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com

For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.

Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.