BLOG - Audrey JoAnn

THERAPY UPDATE: HOW I FOUND MY THERAPIST + WHAT I’VE LEARNED SO FAR

October 10, 2019

I wrote a story a couple months ago about how I found a woman’s shirt in our laundry and proceeded to absolutely melt down. I assumed the worst and panicked and figured my marriage was over. Lo and behold, the shirt belonged to one of MY friends… It was a low point.

I decided on that day that I could probably use a little professional feedback on my mental health. It was embarrassing and scary that I went straight from unknown shirt to MY HUSBAND IS CHEATING in 3 seconds flat, and I didn’t want to feel that way ever again. Well, not without legitimate warrant.

So I popped on to Psychology Today’s website and searched my area for a therapist. Did you know they have an entire database with detailed filters so you can find a therapist who focuses on specific issues you might be dealing with? It’s the most wonderful resource and how I’ve always found therapists in the past.

I knew I would feel more comfortable with a female therapist, so I found one nearby who helps with anxiety, codependency, self esteem, and HSP (highly sensitive people — because THAT didn’t resonate totally and completely…).

HOW I STAY MOTIVATED WORKING FROM HOME

September 24, 2019

I am probably the world’s most inconsistent person. Does it freak you out for me to admit that? It is a little strange… Some days I love having a morning routine, other days I ditch it to just make my coffee and sit down at my desk first thing (ahem, that was today). Sometimes I live and die by my to-do list, and other times I just start hammering away at what I know needs to be done first, and then next, and next, no plan in mind.

It’s the beauty and blessing and also the curse of working for yourself. I’ve read all the things about time blocking, creating structure for your day, and managing time strategically. Heck, I’ve even written some content surrounding time management tools and how to stay motivated for my clients.

And don’t get me wrong — I absolutely think structure and having a plan is important, especially a big-picture plan. But it’s not more important than feeling fulfillment and progress in the work I’m doing every day. So I just want to share some of what works for me, and also how differently I approach staying “motivated” than I used to even a year ago.

CHEATED

August 19, 2019

I was folding laundry in the middle of the day today in our bedroom. I had spent Saturday and Sunday in San Francisco because my best friend was there visiting with her mom and sister. After two long days of exploring, laughing, eating, and walking our way through the city, I wanted to spend this morning getting some errands and house things taken care of before launching into my workweek.

I was working my way through darks, carefully halving and pressing the fabrics together into neat piles. Then, I picked up a black t-shirt with a circular Santa Monica logo on it, its bottom seam cut away to make it into a crop top. But it wasn’t my crop top.

I held it out in front of me and stared at it for a while, my mind trying to figure out if the cut shirt was actually a men’s size XL that could fit onto John’s tall body. I peered at the tag that read “one size,” and then examined its petite “one size” further. This was a woman’s shirt, but whose?

ATTRACT YOUR PERFECT CLIENT BY CHANGING THIS ONE THING

May 20, 2019

When I started freelance writing, I took whatever I could get. I began by freelancing part-time when we lived in Nashville, and most of my work came from friends who work in marketing with clients in every field imaginable. I was writing email content for healthcare, regulatory compliance, and event businesses and blog posts for electric vehicle, nutritional supplements, and home security companies. I copy-edited for a local magazine and wrote an assortment of stories for them in lifestyle, design, and local talent realms. Like I said… I did it ALL.

It was honestly thrilling at first to be able to research all of these random industries that I knew nothing — and I mean nothing — about and turn that information into content that informs, educates, and converts. I just felt lucky that people wanted to pay me to put some words together as best as I could, especially given I had no real marketing background or legitimate insight into the random businesses I wrote about, other than what research I could conduct online and questions I could ask the clients. I accepted every project I was offered, and that allowed me to begin building a solid copywriting portfolio.

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