Reflective decluttering

We are living in temporary accommodation at the moment, while we wait for a house sale.

New Year 2025 and I decided to look through a plastic tub with all my psychotherapy material in it. Most of the contents were from 2005 -2013 and provided the background to the publication of the book, 'Are you Chasing Rainbows?' There were years of memories. Some of the material could be thrown away, which was idea of looking inside the tub.  These were my conclusion after the first filter, which I posted on Facebook.

Book Tub Declutter Part 1. Completed.

Discovered from background reading and newspaper cuttings from 20 years ago.

1. Media was full of problem children and problem parenting.

2. Doctors were over prescribing medications.

3. Medications could have serious side effects.

4. Adults were behaving like children.

No change there.

5. Experienced and survived some serious workplace bullying.

6.Had some wonderful supportive colleagues - Wendy Amey Gail Rhodes and local paper The Press in York

7. The initial ideas were the right ideas, but in the wrong format.

8. Didn't give up.

9. It is nearly five years since the last entry on my blog.

10. Am motivated again.

#areyouchasingrainbows #emotionalintelligence #wisewords

#nevertooold #nevergiveup

A week later I started another filtering and posted again on Facebook.

Book Tub Cull Part 2. Completed

How a book evolves...

2001-5 -Increasing awareness that clients admitting they felt like children.

2005 - Create a visual timeline illustrating an emotional hijack.

2006 - Mention timeline to Wendy Amey, who uses it successfully with clients. Together with Wendy Amey and John Amey we develop an idea for a workbook to accompany the illustration. Create draft series called ‘Act Your Age’. Not popular. Change to 'Chasing Rainbows...'. Change of plans due to logistics.

2007 - Last minute conference replacement. Call presentation, ‘Chasing Rainbows’.

2008 - 2013 Peer group opposition, family bereavement, work relocation and house move intervene.

2013 - Stick to my guns. Find supportive and motivating publisher, Ed Peppitt. Create pen name Alison R Russell. Publish book.

©AlisonRRussell2025

The wanderer has returned

 January 18th 2025

I keyed in the blog url. What? The last entry was in June 2020. How can I explain an absence of four and half years?

I suppose Covid had its part to play. From November 2019 to November 2020, I was President of Soroptimist International of Yorkshire. I was overseeing twenty-one clubs all over Yorkshire with plans to travel all over the region, visiting the clubs. I had done minimal through the winter months and was ready with a full diary when Lockdown began. My priority was keeping the clubs going and to that end, I posted on the SI Yorkshire Facebook page every day for 150 days. When Lockdown Two started and autumn was around the corner I started a project called 'My Mother's Music' on You Tube with fifty mini films made with my husband's help. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFNPQv7hN6uAuIieihXpJyQ/videos

The Yorkshire Press had stopped asking for my column in January 2020 and with the other activities, the blog writing stopped. I'm sorry when I realise that I stopped for four and half years. Four and half years when the subject of emotional maturity and chasing Rainbows behaviour has never been far from the headlines. 

The last year has been one of disruption and a house move - still ongoing. I don't make New Year resolutions, but on a January 1st post Christmas clear-up, decided to declutter some storage tubs. One contains my psychotherapy practice history, plus all the paperwork and brainwork involved in creating the 'Are You Chasing Rainbows?' book. I started to feel motivated again.

Here I am and ready to write on the this blog again. Initially the posts may be reflecting on what I've found in storage, but we'll see how it evolves. 

©AlisonRRussell2025