It’s Fine. I’m Fine. Everything’s… fine?

Sep. 29

I'm Sharla, and it is so good to connect with you. It is my hope that these small messages uplift, empower, encourage, and support you.

Because it's hard going out there these days.

I know we all are saying, "It's fine, I'm fine, everything's fine". I know I have. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (literally... it's one of my favourites).

But... it's not always fine... is it?

4 in 10 people are experiencing such significant exhaustion, and the level of stress that has skyrocketed since 2020 is exponential (it's true... there's a ton of research coming out saying over 80% of Canadian workers who reported that their health has been negatively impacted since the start of the pandemic).

I'm writing this to you today because I want you to know you're not alone. You've been doing hard things, and have been 'holding it together' for a long time, and I know that's exhausting.

When individuals come in for counselling for the first time, I see such weight on those shoulders, such control, and rigidity in how people walk and sit... the best thing I see is when those shoulders drop, I hear a big sigh, and they relax into the seat... and at the end of the session, I hear "I feel lighter".

That's why I do this job.

And I get it.

Anxiety, perfectionism, and shame had me feeling stuck for most of my life, until about 6 years ago, but it still can come back at times in areas that are ready to be addressed. Years ago though... I read all the books, started all the wellness challenges (never finished them though…thanks to my wonderful ADHD brain), and still:

🤯Felt imposter syndrome. Every. Single. Day.

🤯Was anxious all the time, especially when I thought I might have made a mistake or someone might be upset with me.

🤯Knew the logic of how gender socialization influences health outcomes, but I still felt terrible about myself, my body, and my abilities.

Eventually, I discovered narrative therapy. And it changed my life.

I no longer felt the need to ‘fix’ what I thought was ‘broken’, but to sit with the pain, let it flow, and re-write the story I told myself with grace, love, and radical acceptance.

Then I started to think. And when I start to think…watch out. This is where ADHD turns my normally struggling brain into a creative and critical visionary.

And that, my friends, is how Bloom Narratives got started.

Professionally, I honed in on my clinical skills and incorporated my own learning alongside effective therapeutic modalities that evolved into effective holistic, radical, and evidence-based techniques that have helped hundreds of clients over the years.

I began to see how oppressive messages we grow up hearing influence the very structure of our brains, bodies, and souls.

👉And they keep bloody repeating themselves until we sit and lean into the discomfort of the pain, resist the external control we feel, challenge oppression, and embody our own story and authority.

Our team here at Bloom...

We're all deep healers and feelers... and we've learned to find within ourselves the confidence, assurance, and compassion we used to just give to others.

We've learned how to put our oxygen masks on first.

And we are here for you to do the same too.

Just because you can do hard things, doesn't mean you need to do them alone.