Last week, I supported a few clients affected by the recent layoffs. Some expressed mixed emotions of relief, while others were upset and still in shock. When we’re blindsided by a sudden, drastic, life-altering change that disrupts the foundation of our lives, I call this a “Tower Moment.” The entire tower on which we’ve built our sense of safety, belonging, and security suddenly crumbles and we’re left with the ruins and forced to rebuild.
Starting over. Beginning from scratch. It’s simultaneously terrifying and freeing.
But here’s the truth- Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
I created this altar at the end of my workday with these clients in mind. The dried, crinkled leaves represent the ‘ending’ of what was. To me, they also resembled outstretched hands. I placed tiny blossoms inside of each, as an ode to the new beginnings that would come. Acorns remind us that from tiny seeds, mighty oaks grow. The Prickly Poppy in the center symbolizes the work at their previous company, and the smaller dandelion flowers at the edge signify how those skills will ripple out in new ways moving forward.
As a provider and clinician, art helps me transmute the complexity of emotions into something tangible and meaningful.
You can try it too. Gather whatever you have around you. Arrange your materials in a way that helps you make sense of everything you’re feeling. Place it down, along with your heavy emotions, onto the solid earth. Then offer it up and let it go. Everything, after all, is impermanent.