Have you ever had a chat with someone and felt better about just speaking about things that were bothering you, things that you needed to get out and share with someone? They didn’t do anything other than listen, and it felt great!
There are times in our lives where we might need someone there for us, not to solve or advise; just someone to be present. Someone that gets us – without judgement, without any agendas. Someone that makes us feel heard and understood.
Being really heard is a great and powerful thing. As they say: ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’. Although that’s something that is thrown around casually, still it’s very powerful.
Just talking to someone about the problem we are going through, the emotions we are struggling with, gives us the ability to take some distance, and get some help from those closest to us. Even though the issue might not be resolved, the perspective we gain from speaking up about things is massive.
Knowing that we are not alone is enough to keep us going sometimes. To take the time and find that strength we need to work through our current situation, and then get up and keep going. It gets harder when we isolate ourselves, or keep our problems to ourselves.
Now I’m not saying, tell everyone everything. Make sure you’re talking to the right people about the right things. Not everyone will be supportive and that’s OK.
As long as you have a few people that you know you can count on for the deep and dark moments. A few people that will listen without judgement. A few people that will be there without wanting to solve things for you, but will help you by being there for you in your time of need.
Sometimes we might not have the people around us to support us, for one reason or another. In these cases, talking to a counsellor might be a good idea.
I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship. It is a different kind of listening and working. It is rare that we have someone listen to us for 45 minutes to an hour straight, without judgement, with the sole purpose of supporting us and helping us get back on track and understand what is going on in our lives right now.
Talking to someone that is impartial to your situation, that is there in an non-judgemental way, that is listening for things you say that will help you make sense of your current situation is really refreshing.
Talking might sound trivial, but it’s a great first step in working through past and current issues.Finding the right person to listen to what we have to say is the next step. Being heard is a great way to start healing.
Seeking counselling isn’t just for moments of crisis. Counselling can help work through what we might class bigger or smaller things.
You might just need a few sessions to get to know yourself better; or you might need many sessions to work through a specific trauma, break-up or loss.
We live in a day and age where counselling can happen face-to-face, or in a variety of ways online. If you’re in need of being heard, without judgement, try counselling today.
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Image credit: Freepik
Karin Brauner is a bilingual counsellor in private practice, working online as a counsellor, supervisor, marketing and self-care coach.
