Asking for Help
Seeking therapy or asking for help is a huge step down the right path. It's not easy to tell someone you need help and it takes a ton of courage to admit any flaws or mistakes.
Asking for help is scary. When you get to the point of realization that things are not getting better on their own, it's time to ask for help. Asking for help may make you feel like a failure. But it shouldn't. It takes guts to admit you need help and to ask for it. Whenever my clients come into therapy, I let them know that showing up for the first session alone is a huge accomplishment! Coming to therapy doesn't have to mean you're a failure. Instead, it should mean you're brave enough to do something about your situation, rather than ignore problems.
Therapy has a bad reputation for being negative or focusing on what is wrong with ourselves. However, at my practice I strive to also balance being real with negative emotions while having a positive focus towards the future. Furthermore, I remind clients that therapy may seem negative because we focus on what one wants to work on or fix, rather than one's strengths. At my practice I make it a point to assess one's strengths in order to use those skills to help reach goals. Also, I like to remind clients that therapy doesn't actually change a person, it only polishes a person up. In therapy you likely will remain who you are, but just a shinier and brighter version.
Therefore, before you show up for our first appointment, give yourself a pat on the back for taking the first step to positive growth...asking for help. I know I'm proud of you, even if it's just for showing up.
