I was working on my website and wanted to write a simple, two-liner headline, but my thoughts and feelings were overflowing and my 59 w.p.m. typewriting skills could not keep up with the demand.....and here you are, reading my first official blog! Yay!
I've been meaning to write one for a while but kept procrastinating...why? Because of the dreaded F.E.A.R. Urgh...don't get me started. What is it that I feared, this time? Perhaps that readers wouldn't find me interesting or that my writing is terrible. Fact is, no one cares! And if someone were to make fun of my blog, I shouldn't care either. Anywho...I will try and keep this blog short and sweet, just like me :)
Onto our subject matter, counselling...also known as therapy or psychotherapy. If you are new to therapy, welcome! I remember the first time that my family doctor recommended therapy following a difficult life event; I completely dismissed the idea and replied almost offendedly "How will talking to a stranger about my problems solve anything?!" Those were my exact words. Fast forward a few months. I was still feeling quite down and my symptoms had worsened.
I felt defeated, like there was something fundamentally wrong with me that I could not get better and mentally healthier on my own. I felt afraid and ashamed. It was one of the lowest points of my life. There I was, too stubborn to take prescribed medication and too stubborn to go to counselling. Something had to change! One day, I "gave in", and I decided to follow the doctor's order and try therapy. Living in a small, rural town, I opted to drive one hour away to see a therapist, finding this option reassuring for preserving anonymity and privacy.
My first counselling experience was truly life changing for me. Like an onion, I slowly peeled the layers of my deepest thoughts and feelings that were keeping me stuck in a dark place. Week after week, I noticed positive changes in my outlook and mindset. In therapy, I learned to overcome self-imposed barriers and fears that were hindering my personal growth, from achieving my goals, from evolving into the person that I aspired to become. Gradually, I learned to accept, respect and love myself (an ongoing process). As my self-awareness increased, so did my self-esteem and self-confidence. I no longer tolerated 'people, places, and things' that disturbed my inner peace or hurt my soul.
My own experience with therapy inspired me to shift from a 15-year career in finance and administration, to becoming a psychotherapist. I genuinely believe in the power of therapy. While a strong therapeutic alliance with your counsellor is vital in order to progress in therapy, I assure you that you possess everything you need inside of yourself to increase your wellbeing, to make that big move, and maximize your potential on your journey toward self-actualization In all transparency, however, there are risks to therapy. At times, things can get worse before they get better. That's because the difficult and negative emotions and experiences that have been suppressed through coping mechanisms such as distraction, avoidance or minimization, resurface and this can be quite a painful or uncomfortable experience for some. As a counsellor, I understand the importance of holding space for such experiences and not rushing the process - not everything is about finding solutions in life. It's about learning to sit with ones' feelings and simply "being".
Everyone has a story and every person's journey is different, and I respect that. This is just a snippet of one of my stories. Thank you for reading :)
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