The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word “health” is an image of physical fitness and being disease-free. Yet a disease-free person is, not necessarily, always healthy.
This is because it isn’t just our physical body that makes us who we are. We are made up of the characteristics we were born with; the learned behaviours we grew up with; the thoughts, values, beliefs that we hold on to; the experiences that have shaped us; and, the relationships we associate ourselves with.
Holistic way of being Healthy
To be healthy, holistically, is to be attending to the health of our physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial and environmental dimensions.
Whenever we don’t experience contentment in any of the above dimensions, we don’t feel good about ourselves. We make attempts to attend to our needs using all available resources, to feel holistically healthy and thereby content.
Many times, we succeed in working hard and getting what we want. There are other times, though, when we can feel stuck, lost, unmotivated and unable to move past our struggles. This can create a sense of unworthiness, that can perpetuate a loss of belief in one’s capabilities.
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Counselling and Therapy as a support
During the process of Counseling and Psychotherapy (Therapy in short), a trained Counsellor/Therapist, with an empathetic consideration of your experience, supports and guides you in resolving your conflicts; and move past them, to experience a sense of your worthiness. The focus in counselling is finding resolutions around situational challenges; whereas the focus of therapy is working with deep-rooted challenges.
The process of Counselling/Therapy offers a perspective of how one thinks, acts, and feels; the many ways it causes stuck-ness; and how one can choose changes and experience growth. This process benefits both; the person as an individual; and, the relationships one has with other dimensions of his/her life.
A Counsellor/Therapist can offer
- Guidance on effective life skills
- An avenue to vent out emotions
- Support as you go through challenges/changes
- Validation of your experiences/accomplishments
- A confidential and non-judgemental space
A strong support system of family and friends might provide many of the above supports; yet, what makes the role of a Counsellor/Therapist different is that, they can offer confidential, unbiased, non-judgmental regard to your experiences.
Benefits of Counselling and Therapy at Personal level
At a personal level, through the process of Counselling/Therapy, one can
- Learn to identify emotional triggers
- Discover effective coping strategies
- Reduce anxiety
- Enhance self-esteem
- Challenge self-limiting behaviours/habits
- Effectively manage mental health conditions
- Achieve a greater acceptance of self
- Discover your purpose
- Resolve underlying causes of addictive behaviours
- Address post-traumatic stress
Benefits of Counselling and Therapy at Inter-Personal level
At the interpersonal level, through the process of Counselling/Therapy, one can
- Get a fresh perspective of challenges
- Identify challenges in communication
- Improve communication skills
- Effective expression of emotions
- Improve conflict resolution skills
- Improve social functioning
- Set effective boundaries
- Feel a greater sense of belonging
Much more than an approach to get over problems, Counselling/Therapy can help one to learn effective skills to be a better self; around one’s physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental dimensions.
Seeking help and support is a sign of resourcefulness; and making yourself a priority. Reach out to a trained Counsellor/Therapist and experience counselling for a better you!!
Jennifer Moses is on the Counsellors & Therapists panel at InfinumGrowth and available for online consultations.
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This is a great blog post that highlights the importance of holistic health and how counseling and therapy can support individuals in achieving this. It’s true that physical health is only one aspect of overall health, and addressing emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions is equally important.