Why to Consider Counseling
Ask one hundred people about mental health counseling and you’ll get about as many different answers. People often have varied and charged opinions on this subject. There is a stigma surrounding getting help, but most often people who seek out counselors do so because they have a serious life challenge that they need help getting through. No, they are not crazy. Quite the opposite actually, because they are self-aware. It is realizing that there are bigger issues that will require some professional guidance to navigate through.
There should be no shame in the counseling game. After all, in certain times we each will find that life gets to be just a bit “much”. It’s important for us to recognize our limits and deal with the issues holding us down before it becomes too late.
Think of it this way, when we get bronchitis we go to the doctor and take a round of antibiotics. I had bronchitis a lot as a kid, so this was familiar territory for me. As an adult, I’ve found it beneficial for my health and energy to take a daily packet of multivitamins. I think it helps to bolster my immune system. In my opinion, regular visits to a counselor shouldn’t be treated any differently. Instead of a physical health supplement, treat it like taking a mental health booster.
I don’t know exactly where I would be today if I had not sought out counseling for a specific span in my life. It helped me immensely and gave me the tools I needed to deal with my miscarriages and some other big life issues I had been dealing with at that time. Truth be told, it was a rough patch for a couple years there, and counseling was an important key that helped me get through it to the other side of that particular journey in my life. And today, I sit here so much stronger for it all. For that, I am forever grateful and I have no regrets. It is also why I will always be a proponent of proactively taking care of mental health.
One way I try to explain the importance of counseling to people is what I call the white-water rafting experience. Specifically, you shouldn’t go white-water rafting without a professional guide. Someone who knows how to successfully and safely navigate the choppy waters.
Let’s imagine for a moment that your journey through life is a raft going down the river. At many times, it’s smooth and serene. You’ll look at the beautiful scenes of nature as you float alone, feeling happy and content. A short time later you hit a few bumps in the water and you grab the sides of the raft and wait for it to pass. At times, this is exactly what happens. However, sometimes the waves get choppier until they are so intense all you can do is hold on for dear life and hope the raft doesn’t overturn. All alone and inexperienced, the outcome isn’t favorable.
If you have a rafting guide along with you, that changes the entire narrative. That guide tells you what to do, what not to do, and when. This allows you to get through it intact. Yes, even with a counselor the waters are choppy and it’s the same bumpy ride. However, the outcome is what is different. With a guide, you’ll make it through the rough patches and back into smooth waters. Without a guide, you’ll likely end up underwater, trapped beneath an overturned raft. Same experience, but very different outcome.
Think of a counselor in the same spirit of a rafting guide. We’re all going to face the choppy waters unexpectedly and head-on at times. But that makes success so much sweeter. As Robert Breault once said, “Success is a tale of obstacles overcome, and for every obstacle overcome, an excuse not used.” Grief is a tricky path to navigate and counselors can be especially helpful when working through its various stages. Don’t settle for excuses, but instead work through whatever those issues are in order to develop personal stories.
Every tale of success is riddled with some chapters of failure mixed in there. That is why in life we must fall so we can learn how (and why) we get back up.
Questions, comments, or just need to chat? Send me a direct message via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
Cheers until next time,
Crystal
