Wouldn’t it be great to get a little more self-love in your life? There is a lot of talk these days about self-care, but if we struggle with loving ourselves, or even liking ourselves, it’s nearly IMPOSSIBLE to practice self-care! If you are someone who struggles with self-love and self-care, but you really want to, then this article is for you.
Did you know that talking about your emotions can help you feel better, and it can actually CHANGE YOUR BRAIN? According to this study, and researcher Matthew Lieberman, talking about our emotions “is ancient wisdom. Putting our feelings into words helps us heal better”.
You deserve support! Underneath all that self-criticism and loathing, you know you’re pretty awesome, right?
Maybe you already have a great support system. If that’s the case, and you’re struggling, then self-love might be to simply stop reading this, and go ahead and give that trusted friend or family member a call.
Sometimes our struggles are beyond our loved ones’ ability to help, and if that is true for you, then perhaps it’s time to call in some professional help.
When life is difficult, hiring a helping professional can be the ultimate act of self-care.
What kind of help is right for you?
There is certainly some overlap with how therapy and life coaching work and what each modality offers, but there are fundamental differences too. Therapy and coaching both offer support when people want help with solving problems, growing personally and professionally and increasing effectiveness in some areas of life.
Choose Therapy if You…
- Are having debilitating or untreated symptoms of anxiety, depression or disordered eating that prevents you from functioning in your daily life
- Are actively psychotic
- Have unresolved trauma that needs to be addressed
- Are contemplating suicide
- Are in an abusive or volatile relationship
- Are experiencing relationship issues and could benefit from couples counseling.
Consider Coaching if You…
- Want to set goals you will actually achieve
- Want advancement in your career
- Want to challenge yourself and move out of your comfort zone.
- Want to change unhealthy behaviors
- Want to implement healthy habits and skills
- Want to quiet your inner critic
- Have experienced a resent upheaval in your life such as a divorce, job loss, death, or other difficult change
- Want clarity and guidance to make a decision about the next stage of life
- Are lacking skills to make the necessary changes to achieve your goals
- Want to hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals
If you want to create lasting change in your life, then maybe coaching is your next step toward self-love. As you can see, coaching is a dynamic modality that can motivate and inspire you to create more important progress and change than you believe is possible.
Coaching does not require any specific training or credentialing, and many coaching programs offer certificates that can be gotten in less time that it takes to a decent vacation…so, how do you find someone who is QUALIFIED?
Look for someone who has a least a few of these qualifications:
- Advanced education (Masters, PhD)
- Credentialing or licensure in their profession
- Personal or Professional success in the niche they offer services
- A niche that fits with your goals
- A philosophy that inspires you
- Strategies that they are able to easily explain to you
- Life Experience- this is invaluable!
- Certificates are good too!
If you are nervous about getting started, here’s what you can expect from a typical session:
- Identify or review your life vision
- Review goals for the session including current obstacles or problems
- Review previous week’s homework
- Review lessons from online course work
- Review upcoming week’s homework
- Set goals for the next sessions
Maybe you are worried about the cost, or maybe you feel like you aren’t worth the investment…let me tell you from experience, decreasing your emotional suffering and finding ways to LOVE YOURSELF MORE ARE DEFINITELY WORTH IT!
