Yesterday, I had my regular therapy session, which was once again done via Zoom because of the COVID crisis. I was seated comfortably on my recliner in the basement, and everything was going well until my cat decided to get involved.
My cat, who wanted attention, or food, or was simply curious about the voice from my computer, decided that to settle down on my lap. And that would have been fine if she had actually settled down. Instead, she circled around on my lap, flexing her claws in and out of my legs.
She isn’t one who scratches, so I know it wasn’t intentional. It was just my cat being a cat. Nevertheless, it caused me to grimace or frown several times, which could have easily been misinterpreted by my therapist if I hadn’t explained. Seriously, I am not being emotional about whatever I just said, it is just this darn cat.
And this seems like a harmless and slightly amusing adventure in teletherapy, which it is. Sometimes we need a little bit of levity to lighten up our dark tales. Yet metaphorically, the cat making me uncomfortable can be an excellent metaphor for anxieties weighing on me. And the key? Well, the key is to realize that you can just push the weight off. Sure, my cat will return, as will my anxiety. Sure, when it returns it will make feel like I am being poked with sharp claws, but the truth is that in both cases I have more control than I give myself credit for. And I need to remember that. Well, that, and maybe I should cut my cat’s claws before teletherapy sessions in the future.
The Dark Tales Project 