Seeing a Counsellor can be a lifechanging experience, but when is it time to book an appointment?
There is, of course, no definitive answer to that question.
But, what I can say is that often it’s feedback from others that might be a good gauge on how you’re travelling.
After all, the people around you are those that can see you from a different perspective.
We tend to get pretty caught up in our lives and in ourselves.
Beyond that, we are often caught up in our own minds. As Alan Watts said, “we have become addicted to our thoughts”.
I believe this is even more specific today because many of us are living a very full and busy existence.
With the many demands of modern life, routines, behaviours and habits can sort of sneak up on us without us knowing.
It’s at this point someone close to us might point something out that they’ve noticed and this could be a good chance to take stock of how you’re travelling.
As much as external feedback is a common starting point on the Counselling journey, so too are our own feelings and reflections.
You might feel like you just aren’t yourself.
Maybe you’re at an event and you realize you’re just not enjoying it like once you might have.
You could be feeling flat, sad, or might catch yourself feeling frustrated or being ‘snappy’ with other people.
Of course, when we are “not ourselves”, chances are we might not be thinking clearly and that means we might actually not know it’s time to ask for a little help.
This point about our headspace and our thinking possibly being clouded, is perhaps even more exemplified in people who are moving through periods of depression.
That’s the odd thing about depression, it’s often a self-perpetuating ailment in that for many people it encourages them to do everything they can to support it, rather than conquer it.
For example, depression for many people sees them withdrawing from social situations (humans are innately social beings i.e. we need other people, especially people that are good for/to us).
Many people going through a depression period might start eating more comfort food and stop getting regular exercise.
As everybody knows, a lack of movement, a poor diet, a lack of fresh air and avoiding sunlight isn’t going to help anyone feel better.
The key message here is that if you have people who know you well encouraging you to “talk to someone”, chances are they’re seeing something in you that you might not be aware of.
And, if life has lost a bit of zest lately, or you feel like you’re stuck on the hamster wheel and have lost your way, seeing a Counsellor could be the move that gets things going again.
