Managing Trauma, Boundaries, and Breakthroughs during COVID with Gigi Griffis

**Trigger Warning: Be advised, this material could be triggering for some (contains mentions of abuse and rape)**

In our July episode (a late tribute to PTSD awareness month!) our co-host Leanna Lee is joined by special guest, location-independent writer Gigi Griffis. Together, they talk PTSD/CPTSD symptoms and the kinds of mental, practical, and financial boundaries they’ve set this year to manage mental health at work. 

Currently quarantined in Estonia, Gigi also shares several huge recent mental health breakthroughs she’s had with her childhood trauma. 

“This was me taking my power back and saying ‘you don’t get to decide the terms of our relationship. That’s up to me now.’”

Some “crisis boundaries” that have worked for her:

• Taking on extra work with low-stress clients 
• Resisting the urge to keep taking on new projects she doesn’t need (hoarding impulse)
• Checking in with her mental health each day
• Setting emergency protocols
• Adjusting her budget and financial goals so she feels more secure about money 

Her biggest advice? Being kind to yourself and learning to be flexible when it comes to your own needs: “Part of managing your mental health is recognizing that you’re not always going to be in the same place.”