Anxiety Counseling for self-confidence by Empower Counseling.
I am going to tell you something your brain would never admit to. IT LIES. Yes, your brain lies to you. Sometimes it convinces you that you are right when you are not. Sometimes it tells you that you can not do something that you can….but just might not know how to do in that moment.
Your brain is a beautiful problem solving machine. But your brain is also a problem causing machine. Your brain sees part of its job…it’s obligation to you…to be your protector.
Our Brains: Problem Solving and Problem Creating Machines
A long, time ago, we humans needed our brains to protect us and keep us safe because our world was so dangerous. Just stepping out of the cave could mean life or death depending on what hungry animals might lurk nearby. Our brains protected us by giving us all of the “what ifs”…all of the bad things that could happen to us if we did not think through and prepare for them all. Our brains also protected us by helping us to be hyper aware of what it took to stay in our tribe or group. We humans had to focus on thoughts, cues, words, and actions of those in our group because that helped us fit in and stay in the group. Being alone in the wild could surely mean death so it was much safer to be in a group.
Today, our society and the dangers which it presents are very different from that of our cave dwelling ancestors. However, our brains have evolved more slowly than our society has. So, our brains are often attempting to protect us from dangers that are not even there.
Anxiety, Depression & Self-Confidence
When we believe our brains are always telling us the truth, we get stuck in anxiety or depression. I know by now you are wondering what any of this has to do with self-confidence but I promise we will get there. If we believe our brain when it is throwing out all of its “what if’s” when it is trying to protect us we can become to anxious to take action. After all, our brains are indicating to us that not taking action is the safe way to go. The problem is that when we don’t take the actions we really want to take, when our brains limit us from doing the hard things, we like ourselves less and we like our lives less.
Our brains also try to convince us that we must know exactly how to do something, and be confident about our ability to do it, before we can do it. Our brains tell us we must feel like doing something before we can do it. Both of these are straight up lies. Here is where the confidence aspect comes in.
We do not become confident people by thinking. We become confident people by doing, and not just doing anything…doing the hard things that cause our brains to give us anxious thoughts.
If we don’t do the hard things, after a while, we lose any confidence we had in ourselves and become more anxious than we ever were before and, most likely, depressed.
Anxiety Counseling for self-confidence by Empower Counseling.
Here at Empower Counseling in Birmingham, Alabama, our counselors are all trained in a very specific type of therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy. We are trained in this type of therapy because it has been scientifically proven effective in anxiety treatment and the treatment of depression. Through ACT, Kathryn, Adam and Kristine, will use mindfulness to help you recognize any anxious thoughts that are keeping you stuck…keeping you from having the most satisfying and fulfilling life you can have. We will also help you begin to take the actions that you have been unable to take in the past. As you let go of the anxious thoughts and do the hard things you have been wanting to do, your self-confidence should necessarily grow as a result.
If you are struggling with self-confidence, decision making, anxiety or depression, reach out to Empower Counseling. We offer in person and online counseling for everyone in the Birmingham area, including Mountain Brook, Vestavia, Homewood, Hoover and other surrounding areas. We offer online counseling to Auburn University students at the University of Alabama students, and to everyone in the state of Alabama. Empower Counseling provides counseling for teens, counseling for college students, young adult counseling and counseling for professionals. We even offer evening and Saturday appointments to accommodate your schedule.
Reach out to Empower today and begin your path toward self-confidence. 205-730-6570