Unfortunately, I had a pretty traumatic childhood. My parents were always fighting, and I was faced with trying to decide what to do about my own personal feelings. When I got older, I knew that I needed to do something to relieve the stress that I was feeling even many years later, so I started focusing on going to counseling. My first few appointments were a little nerve-racking, but the counselor worked hard to make me feel comfortable. I was really impressed with how gentle and kind she was, and I felt really great about the progress I was making. This blog is all about benefiting from counseling.
Benefitting From Counseling
Are You Feeling Excessively Sad?
Ron Henry
Have you recently gone through a divorce? Maybe you have placed your newborn baby for adoption. Or, it could even be that somebody you love has passed away. No matter the situation that has saddened you, maybe you are afraid that your sadness is becoming clinical depression. If that's the case, from being proactive in helping yourself to arranging for professional counseling services, here are some ideas that might help you.
Be Proactive In Helping Yourself - Think about evaluating what you do every day. Are you staying at home too much because it's hard to be around people? Maybe you are using your work as an escape from your sadness. Maybe you are sleeping too many hours and not taking care of yourself. Think about writing down what you do each day and then see which changes you can make to start coming out of your extreme sadness.
For example, if you don't want to be around a lot of people, think of choosing just one friend or extended family member to go to lunch with. If you are working many overtime hours, consider giving yourself a limit of when you will leave your workplace. Plan something enjoyable to do right after work. If you are sleeping too many hours, you are probably not getting enough exercise, and you might even be skipping meals. With that in mind, think of joining a gym and of making healthy menus for you to follow.
Arrange For Professional Counseling Services - If you have made many attempts to "get happy" and things just aren't getting that much better, consider seeing a professional counselor. He or she will have the training and the experience to address the reason you are so sad.
Don't be surprised if the counselor gives you homework to do between counseling sessions. For example, you might be asked to keep a journal where you write down all of your thoughts, especially those that have to do with the reason you are going through a particularly sad time. The counselor might suggest that you take up something new to add interest to your life. For example, the counselor might ask you what is on your bucket list and will even help you to make plans for doing at least some of those things.
If the counselor feels that you need medication, he or she will refer you to a psychiatrist who can prescribe those medications. If the medications aren't working for you, be sure to tell both the counselor and the psychiatrist so that new medication can be prescribed or the dosage of your current medication can be altered.
Contact a local counselor like Barbara Saban, LCSW for more information.
Share