Sunday, January 2, 2011

Team Jo

Now that I've officially requested the time off at work (tell you more when it's officially approved), I'm starting to think about a plan.  I bought a new journal and have decided to use it religiously to document my planning and journey through my six weeks off.  I've requested leave to start February 7, but we'll see how that goes.

I've always had a hard time asking for help.  I seem to have a *slightly* easier time asking professionals for help.  Which got me thinking.  Who do I need on my team during this six week adventure (which still has a pretty nebulous objective)?  Here's what I've come up with:

(1) Therapist.  Having a therapist isn't a new concept for me.  I'm from California where the Therapist is as common as your Esthetician (google it if you're a dude), Nutritionist, and Spirit Guide.  And I've always talked about it freely.  If there was some sort of rewards program for getting people into therapy, I'd have won a new car by now.  My first therapy experience was in California after getting dumped five weeks before my wedding about five years ago.  I was having a "well, shit.  this sucks.  what do I do now" moment and a therapist seemed like a pretty good option.  It took about two sessions before it became clear that I'd likely be in therapy for a long time, and my family's pretty fucked up.  A few years later I was living in Michiagn and my best friend died at 28.  Pretty devastated, I re-entered.  Just as before, I talked for a couple sessions about my best friend, then spent the next year trudging back through my mommy/daddy issues.  It was also during this time my mom was officially diagnosed as bi-polar...which my therapist had actually guessed at during our sessions together.  So, fast forward to the present.  After declaring myself mentally healthy, I'd not continued therapy when I moved to New Jersey about 18 months ago.  Now that I'm looking at six weeks of potential introspection, I'm wondering if there might not be some value in recruiting a new therapist.  The thing that blows is that you've got to start that relationship all over again.  So, we'll see.

(2) Breast Cancer Specialist.  Dude.  This one was not part of the six week plan!  I had a breast reduction back in April.  In prep for that, I had to get a mammogram.  They found a couple funky looking things, but my boobs were huge, so they had a hard time getting a good look.  And with no history of breast cancer in the family, we decided it didn't seem overly concerning.  I opted to come back in six months instead of getting any kind of biopsy.  So, I returned in December with my new, perkier, breasts.  They saw a couple odd things, but didn't seem too freaked out.  So I wasn't super worried, until my primary care Doctor called over the holidays and said to get my butt into a breast cancer specialist she knows.  Awesome.  I'm hoping this is more of a "to do" than someone I actually need on the team.  That would sort of skew the six weeks, eh?

(3) Hypnotist.  I don't really know what to say about this one.  It always seemed like a cool thing to do.  And I'm dying to lose some weight during this time off (and in general), so maybe it's worth a shot.

(4) Life Coach.  This may officially push me over the edge as either a hippie or a yuppie.  I haven't decided.  I'm not exactly sure what they do, how they do it, or how much they cost.  But they're on the list.

(5) Trainer.  See Hypnotist above.  Plus, I have like seven previously purchased sessions I haven't used, which will align nicely with my six weeks off.  I'm thinking I'd also like to get back into Yoga, and maybe take some fitness classes.  I'm putting that one on a "preparatory to-dos" list I'll blog about later.

Well, that's the starter list for Team Jo.  Maybe I should get some t-shirts made.  Who would you put on your team?  Hasta, sabbaticaljo

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