From time to time, many of us find ourselves adrift in life.
Maybe you thought you were once on the path you intended but have lost sight of it along the way. Or you had your goal right in front of you, but now things have become hazy and out of focus.
These moments can occur either in your professional or personal life. Regardless of the circumstances, though, they can cause confusion, distress, and even lead to depression.
What if there was a way to find direction?
Individual counseling can help you bring clarity back into your life. Here’s how.
1. Revealing Patterns of Behavior
When you are struggling to find clarity, it’s easy to have metaphorical blinders on. These prevent you from truly seeing patterns of behavior that you might be struggling with. For example, it can be hard to recognize even nonverbal ways with which you respond to stress or disappointment.
It takes someone holding up a therapeutic mirror to show you these patterns. But once those blinders have been removed, it’s much easier to recognize those patterns and to do something about them.
2. Understanding the “Why”
Another way that individual counseling can help you is by understanding the “why.” The reason why you have specific thoughts or feelings or why you have certain behavioral patterns in your life.
For instance, let’s say that you struggle with anxiety. And the only way that you feel better seems to be when you perform repetitive behavior. This could be tapping your finger three times or repeating something to yourself, and more.
Through individual counseling, a skilled therapist can help you make the connection between these behaviors and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
3. Learning Your Origin Story
Individual therapy can also help you to uncover and understand the origins of these thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Sometimes they are the result of unresolved issues or trauma from your past. These lingering problems can make it hard to find clarity in the present. They cloud your judgment and even your perception of yourself and your capabilities. But with help, you can close the door on the past.
4. Seeing How Others Are Affected
When you’re having trouble finding clarity, it can be hard to see how your behaviors and actions affect other people in your life. Those who care about you the most may not always understand what you’re struggling with.
Even if they have known you their entire life, that doesn’t mean that they will really “get” what’s happening. This strains those very important relationships. Individual therapy can show you how your behavior and relationships are connected
5. Practicing New Skills
With clarity comes a new willingness and drive to do something different. In individual therapy, you can learn new ways of coping so that you don’t get stuck with those blinders on again.
Maybe its disputing certain irrational thoughts. Or you develop new skills for coping with stress and anxiety. Learning, practicing, and refining these skills will help you feel a new sense of empowerment and clarity of purpose that you might not have experienced for years or even decades.
6. Continuing to Deal with What’s Holding You Back
An important thing to remember about individual counseling is that it involves more than one or two sessions. It is a process that does take time.
However, this time also allows you to develop a relationship with your therapist. Together, you can continue to deal with whatever issues that still hold you back and resolve them.
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With help from an experienced therapist, you can rediscover the clarity that you’ve been searching for for so long. Why not seek out professional counseling to get started today? I’d be happy to help you bring focus into your life.