You know something isn’t right. You can’t put your finger on it, although it’s been there for a while. You just don’t feel like you should feel. Maybe it’s having to force smiles when you’re around friends and family because you don’t feel any real sense of joy. Could be those nightmares that wake you most nights and keep you from falling back to sleep. Or it might be a strange feeling that you’re detached from others even when you’re in the same room from them.
No matter what it is, when we just don’t feel right, most of us don’t say anything about it. We’re embarrassed by the way we feel, or we’re convinced something about us is so wrong that even those who say they love us won’t accept us. We just live with those terrible feelings.
If you’re nodding your head after reading those words, I have a couple things I want you to hear. First, you’re not alone. Many people face the same kinds of feelings. In fact, there may be people close to you who are just as worried about what they feel as you are. Second, there’s help available to you. Talking to someone like a professional counselor can not only help you get to the bottom of whatever you’re feeling but can help you find strategies for overcoming those feelings.
Some people think asking for help is a sign of weakness. They believe sharing your feelings with someone like a counselor is just a crutch and people should be able to solve problems on their own. They’re wrong. Reaching out for help is actually a sign of courage. It doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means you’re human.
Sometimes, what you’re feeling is a symptom of something deep inside. For example, medical research is discovering that difficult and bad situations from our childhoods (what are known as adverse childhood experiences or ACEs) can cause our adult brains to respond incorrectly to tough situations. We may become anxious, angry, or depressed for what seems like no reason, but our brains may be reacting to something that occurred in our formative years.
It could be that you suffered some sort of trauma in the past, and your mind buried it as a way to protect you, but now it’s showing up in unsuspected ways. Maybe you were the victim of abuse or a terrible accident. Perhaps you witnessed violence. Those past traumas can cause what’s known as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, in which your brain mistakes everyday situations as threats.
My point is whatever you’re feeling is not a flaw in you or your personality. It’s caused by something inside you, and with some help from a caring professional, you may be able to get to the root of it. More important, you can learn how to keep it from overwhelming you. Every day, our team of counselors helps people like you make discoveries about themselves and learn how to live happier, more satisfying lives. That begins when you have the courage to ask for help.
If you’re ready to make that ask, we’re ready to help you. Don’t put it off or tell yourself you’ll get to it one of these days. Why not call us right now to set a time to talk? The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll start feeling better.