Hello, my name is David and this is my new blog. I have been married for 25 years. My wife and I married when we were 18 years old so we had a lot of learning to do as we got older. Like any relationship, our marriage has had its ups and downs. However, last year, we had a real tough patch and I thought we might end up divorcing one another. Thankfully, this did not happen. The thing that saved our relationship was a recommendation by a friend that we sign up for counselling. The therapist helped my wife and I to truely understand the dynamics of our marriage and we have been much happier ever since.
Here are two tips to follow if you plan to use anxiety counselling services.
Let at least one close friend or relative know that you're getting counselling
Many people prefer to keep the fact that they're getting counselling private. However, when you're using anxiety counselling services, it's a good idea to confide in at least one person about this. The reason for this is that your counsellor will probably instruct you to practise being in the places or engaging in the activities that give you anxiety. At first, this will be very difficult and you might have panic attacks or behave awkwardly because of how anxious you feel in these circumstances.
It could be helpful to have a close friend or relative to lean on when you're putting yourself in these challenging situations. For example, if you get anxious when you're at parties and your counsellor has set you the task of attending a big party so you can practise using the anxiety-reducing tools they've given you in this situation, you might find it reassuring to have a relative or friend you're comfortable around with you, who will nudge you to keep going if you get awkward or want to run away whilst trying to chat to someone because they'll know you're getting counselling and are trying to get over this mental health issue.
Don't cancel appointments because you're anxious about going to them
You may find that, initially, using these counselling services makes you anxious. For example, if it takes you a while to feel at ease with new people, you might feel shy and anxious in the presence of your counsellor for some time, which may make you tempted to skip some of your appointments.
It's important, however, not to let your anxiety keep you away from the counselling clinic. Whilst there may occasionally be a reasonable, anxiety-related reason why you should reschedule (for instance, if you have a panic attack an hour before your session, you might feel too shaken up and depleted to have any serious discussions with anyone for the remainder of that day), you should push yourself to go to your counselling sessions even when you're anxious, as overcoming this psychological problem requires consistent, daily work and regular input from a counsellor. If you skip too many of your appointments and leave several weeks between each one, you may progress so slowly that you give up before you've fully recovered from your anxiety disorder.
Share25 May 2021
