When speaking to others, have you said this before?
“There is always someone worse off than me, I shouldn’t even be complaining…”
“It’s not even a big deal, it sounds really silly…”
“I feel ridiculous for even saying this…”
…does this sound like you?
These are some of the things I hear often, yet every time I do it always manages to prick up my ears. Every day you feel that what you have to say is not important. You bottle up every worry and concern because you feel like no one will understand or genuinely care. You feel like it does not matter because you have not suffered enough for others to really listen or offer any compassion. You feel like you are not worthy of support because other people have experienced far worse than you have. You decide to keep your stories to yourself, put on a brave face and try your best to carry on with your day.
If this sounds familiar, it makes a lot of sense that when you begin to feel stuck, unsure or hopeless you question whether you actually need to see a counsellor! I am here to tell you that although this is a very common outlook, it is far from the truth.
Counselling is for everyone and anyone who can benefit from it. You do not have to have suffered an unthinkable tragedy to be worthy of accessing counselling. Every session does not have to be filled with doom and gloom – although, of course, it can. There are no set criteria to get into therapy. Everyone deserves a voice. Everyone deserves relief and everyone deserves the opportunity to gain a more fulfilling life. Counselling is one of the best things that you can do for your self-care and mental well-being. It can build the bridge between where you are now with your mental health and where you hope to be. The irony is that counselling can be what prevents you from reaching the stage where you currently feel you must to be to begin!
The truth is, no problem is too big or too small. You do not have to pre plan the entire session before you arrive at your counsellor’s door, neither do you need to make sure your story sounds ‘enough’ to warrant you being there – all you need to do is show up for yourself and see where the session takes you. You are important and you do matter. The therapy room is one of the few places where there are none of these expectations for you to live up to. Your counsellor is a professional who should understand the leap it has taken for you to contact them and to reach out for support. Your counsellor should be someone who offers a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space for you to explore every and any aspect of YOU.
If you have never seen a counsellor before but you want to, what is holding you back?
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