Buenas from my little corner of the world! I’ve had a busy couple of weeks and am working on slowing down a bit. Working from home this week more to give myself a breather. In other news, I wrote a blog post for the foundation about our approach to empowerment expressed through the new follow-up process I designed. The Spanish version is live on our website and socials if you’re interested in reading more! English version to come soon 🙂  Read the post here.

I’m working on two new projects right now – developing a project charter to incorporate site visits into our impact tracking process, and revising the internal operational structure for the CAPTA team (our primary program). Last week I went through the main digital program to experience the course from a participant’s perspective. My role in this project is mostly as a technical operations consultant. I am exploring a couple of new platforms and tools to consolidate the large amounts of information the team receives, reduce the number of tasks they do throughout the week, and frame the experience in a clear and engaging way for our participants. It was really interesting to experience the program from a participant’s perspective. I gained a deeper understanding of the psycho/social principles they are teaching and benefited from some of their modules on assertive communication and body language. Definitely have a better understanding of and appreciation for the uniqueness and utility of their program.

I have been adding value to the team by taking photos of some of their in-person workshops which has been fun. Yesterday Pandora hosted a workshop for alumni on customer service and sales, the week prior there were workshops on body language and creating a life plan. I have thoroughly enjoyed sitting in on these trainings and serving the team in a practical way.

Recently I’ve been much more aware of my physical and social limits. I’ve felt a lot of tension and anxiety in my body the last couple of weeks and have been adjusting my habits to try to decrease that. Taking a break from coffee and social media, going for walks each day, and doing breathing exercises before bed to help my brain slow down. I am letting myself experience things without puzzling through to understand it and taking care of myself with lots of healthy coping mechanisms. A journaling prompt that helps me stay grounded is writing down what I’m angry about, what I’m sad about, what I am grateful for, and what I am hopeful for.  (Copped from Pete Scazzero)  Feeling grateful for therapy, walks, and safe people.

These days I am grateful to have a car to drive! My best friend is traveling for a couple of weeks and has let me use her car while she’s gone. Last weekend I drove an hour to the beach and spent the day surfing, eating acaí bowls, and napping on the beach. It was such a refreshing time and I am grateful to have the flexibility to get out of the busy city and outside for a day.