Everyday of our life is a new opportunity to make changes.

When we experience mental or emotional difficulties, we become vulnerable and it might take a long time to decide about talking to somebody or seeing a counsellor/ psychotherapist.

When is the right moment to give ourselves permission to feel vulnerable, confused, in pain and share it with others? 

It is the moment when we feel brave enough to recognize that we need help to find the power of our inner health, strength and light; recognition is the first step in generating change into our life.

It is the moment when we start to overcome our fears.

Are we afraid of being rejected for sharing our mental difficulties?

One of the greatest fears that people experience is the fear of rejection, the fear of not being worthy, valued and appreciated by other human beings.

We can also feel ashamed or guilty for having a mental health problem and worry about what people would think of us when we share our “secret” with them. 

Are we afraid that we might be too old to benefit from therapy?

We are probably more scared to change because we think we are too old to be listened to, understood and supported. 

Are we afraid of our past and the things we never had the courage to talk about?

It can be scary, painful and distressing to explore our past and open old emotional wounds, but exploring our past can help us change our present. Processing past events and their emotional impact on our every day life can be beneficial for clarifying and determining the intensity of our emotions. 

Do these deep wounds sound familiar?

Feeling neglected, abused, inadequate, powerless, lacking self-esteem, suffering from anxiety and depression, feeling numb inside or your own worst critic?

Becoming aware of our emotional pains, exploring, understanding them and the way they affect us, take us to our healing path.

When we conquer the fears of being rejected, judged or criticised by other people for our mental health problems, when we start realising it is never too late to change the way we think, feel and behave, it is the moment when we take our mental helath into our own hands and then take our own life into our hands. 

It is not always easy to make changes, but it is not impossible; we all have the potential to change and the freedom to do it. It is never too late to change and to enjoy a counselling journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

When we allow ourselves to acknowledge our inner pain and the way it affects our life, we also allow ourselves the need to heal and start our healing journey.

We need to remind ourselves that we are not the alone, there are millions of other people who experience similar problems that affect the way they think, feel, behave, their relationships and their everyday life. “The statistics show that aproximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year…” see “Mental Health Facts and Statistics” published by Mind in April 2017, mind.org.uk

Who would be the best person to talk to about our mental health issues, whom are we going to share our deepest thoughts and emotions with?

They can be our GP, a counsellor/psychotherapist: www. chichester counselling, somebody from our family or a friend. 

We have to trust this person, to feel comfortable talking to them and expect to be listened and supported by them.

If we decide to see a qualified and experienced counsellor, the trusting therapeutic relationship we build with them can help us find the right answers to our mental or emotional problems, learn skills and strategies to implement necessary changes and identify ways of getting back in control of our life.