Graded Exposure to the World

A year ago to the month, the Crisis Team Manager took me to a nature reserve to take some photos as a therapeutic intervention (I didn’t actually manage to take photos that day, but we still went out and spent time in nature). Today, she did the same things as part of a programme of ‘graded exposure’ activities to try to help me reconnect to the world and work out how to exist outside the house and in life in general. She also thought it apt that we focus on taking in spring and the meaning that that might hold for me in my personal journey right now, too.

Suffice to say, I got myself into a panicky mess before we left:

This week’s graded-exposure-esque to the world is going into the outdoors to take photos.

— Doodle Chronicles (@DoodleChronicle) March 17, 2017

However, I suspect the staff are being optimistic and I’ll just end up returning with an unused camera! Anxiety about it ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆ ⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆⬆

— Doodle Chronicles (@DoodleChronicle) March 17, 2017

But the whole point is facing this anxiety & doing so before it’s hugely intense at placement, so I’m very grateful they’re taking the time!

— Doodle Chronicles (@DoodleChronicle) March 17, 2017

I just rehearsed putting on my cross-shoulder camera bag three times, because that’s a totally valid thing to be anxious about doing wrong 😵

— Doodle Chronicles (@DoodleChronicle) March 17, 2017

BUT I did manage to go, we spent a couple of hours out, and I even managed to take some pictures for the first time in perhaps more than a year. I’m incredibly grateful for the time she took out of her busy schedule to do this piece of work with me (and the wider piece of work in general), and the thought and care that was put in to the afternoon.

Some of the pictures I took were even ok!