#1 You are having trouble coping with the death of a dream:
What do I mean by death of a dream? We all have stories and images we have created in our heads for how different parts of our lives should be…our children’s lives, our marriage or long-term relationships, etc. We have a clear picture of what we want our lives to look like. When a life event occurs that drastically changes our picture of how things are or should be, it takes time to let go of that dream, that ideal of what we want. This does not happen overnight. But if you feel you are holding on tightly to a picture of what you want your life to look like, that is no longer possible, a counselor trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy can help you let go and move on to a new reality for yourself.
#2 You often feel overwhelmed and can not seem to get anything done.
We all feel overwhelmed at times. But if you are floating through your days, unable to focus, unable to get things done, then it is time to reach out to a counselor for help. The longer you are stuck, not getting things done, the more overwhelmed you will feel. A counselor trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy, can help you get control of your life. We can get to the bottom of the thoughts you are having that are causing the overwhelm. Through mindfulness, we will work on releasing you from those thoughts. Then we can look at everything you have going on in your life, and prioritize your actions so that you are taking steps forward again. You will begin to feel like you are getting control over your life again and that is a wonderful feeling.
#3 You aren’t showing up the way that you want to for your children.
You are going through so much right now. If you have children living at home, then they are too. How can you be the solid foundation that you want to be for your children, when you feel like your life is spinning out of control? You can’t. No one could. Beating up on yourself and demanding that you “get it together” will only make your situation worse. Instead, try to find grace for yourself. A counselor can help you with this, especially a counselor trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy. What you need is positive reinforcement and support, as anyone in your situation would need. A counselor can lift you up and help you learn to treat yourself with flexibility and forgiveness. And a counselor can help you drill down to what is most important to you in this situation, what you value most. Then she can help you determine the actions that will help you live those values and be proud of yourself. Feeling good about who you are will go along way toward helping you move forward with your life.