Why go to counseling? (Exercising Vs Counseling)

How much do you value your mental and emotional health? If your mental or emotional state is not healthy, why do you continue to suffer or are you in denial? There are tools you can use to help you with your anxiety, stress, loneliness, anger, fear, low self-esteem, negativity, lack of motivation, lack of direction or the lack of fulfillment.

Unfortunately, exercising, running, boxing, yoga, spinning and other forms of physical activities or traveling are not enough to help you with the underlying issues (I do all of these activities on a regular basis). Although these activities are tools you can use for self-care and can help regulate your body to produce more endorphins or happy hormones and lessen the cortisol or stress hormones, these activities do not resolve the shame, guilt, grief or fear.

Guilt, grief, shame and fear are non-tangible things that no one wants to talk about. These feelings are usually numbed with exercise, drinking, drugs, sex, watching television, traveling or other activities that will help you forget. In order to find a deeper meaning in life, we need to understand the root of “why” we feel guilty, sad, shameful or fearful. What happened to us, to our family, to our loved ones that produce such anxiety, sadness, anger, hyper-vigilance or negative thoughts?

 

Understanding the “why” (Why am I doing this?) will help us find the right path to true happiness and fulfillment. Talking to a professional mental health therapist can help you find the answers within you. I believe that you have the answers and I am just a tool to help you find them. We can work together in asking the right questions and processing the answers so we can find the right tools to empower you. Because at the end of the day, YOU are the one in control of your life.

This is what therapy does, it helps you understand the “why” and figure out the “what happened” so you will know the “how” you can resolve the issues with the tools you have. Counseling is empowering and people who seek it are very brave and they only want the best for themselves and their loved ones. Taking care of your mental and emotional health should be part of your self-care. There should be no stigma attached to prioritizing your mental health.

#therapyisthenewblack