Meeting Ourselves Where We Are

A Reflection for Occupational Therapists

This is a continuation of the previous blog but my reflection continues...

As occupational therapists, we are skilled at meeting our clients exactly where they are.
We slow down. We attune. We honor nervous systems, lived experiences, and capacity in the present moment. We recognize that growth doesn’t happen through pressure, but through safety, relationship, and trust.

And yet, many of us struggle to offer that same grace to ourselves.

Instead, there’s often a quiet (or not-so-quiet) inner voice that says:
You should be further along.
You should be a better therapist.
Your business should be growing faster.
You should be managing work and home better.
You should be doing more.

I know this voice well.

It shows up when a client doesn’t progress the way I hoped.
When I question a clinical decision.
When I compare my journey to someone else’s highlight reel.
When the weight of responsibility for clients, families, staff, or my own children feels heavy.

And here’s what I’m learning: that voice doesn’t just influence my thoughts.
It impacts my nervous system, my health, my ability to persevere, and my capacity to hold a growth mindset.

Our thoughts shape how safe we feel in our own bodies. They influence whether we stay curious or move into self-protection. Whether we remain present—or become stuck in judgment.

Nature has been one of my greatest teachers in this.

Nature shows up exactly as it is without apology and without judgment.
A tree does not rush its growth.
A season does not explain itself.
A forest doesn’t compare itself to another forest.

Nature meets itself where it is, every single day.

There is no pressure to be more, different, or ahead of schedule. There is only responsiveness to light, to weather, to time. Growth happens in cycles. Rest is not failure. Dormancy is not weakness. Change unfolds when conditions allow.

When I spend time in nature, I’m reminded that being “in process” is not a problem. It’s the way life works.

I don’t have this figured out.
I still battle that inner critic more often than I’d like to admit.

But I am becoming more aware.

Aware that how I speak to myself matters.
Aware that believing I am “behind” or “not enough” narrows my capacity to learn and grow.
Aware that sometimes the most regulating thing I can do is pause and say:
I have done what I can do today and that is enough.

As Brené Brown reminds us, “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”
And Mel Robbins often says, “You are one decision away from a completely different life.” Sometimes that decision is simply choosing not to agree with a thought that isn’t serving us.

So my challenge to myself this year is this:
Not to always listen to that little voice or at least to pause and discern whether it is helping me or hindering me.

Is it offering information that supports growth?
Or is it pulling me away from compassion, presence, and trust in the process?

Nature helps me remember this discernment. When I step outside, I’m reminded that growth does not come from force. It comes from alignment, safety, and time.

I’m learning that not every thought deserves my agreement. Some thoughts are simply echoes of old expectations, patterns, habits, or fears and not truth. When I can meet those moments with curiosity instead of judgment, I create just enough space to choose a more supportive response.

And maybe that, too, is part of our work.

Because just as our clients need to feel safe enough to grow, so do we.
Meeting ourselves where we are isn’t giving up; it’s creating the conditions for sustainable growth, resilience, and meaningful practice.

And today, just like nature, I can show up as I am.

And that is enough. 🌿

YOU are more than enough. Meet yourself where you are at. It is Friday. I hope you spend some time this weekend honoring and even celebrating right where you are.

See you down the road,

Lisa 🌲

The Nature Superhero Network