Life is full of ups and downs. Much of the time it is possible to muddle through, but when things get particularly hard, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Stress, confusion, anxiety, anger, upset and depression are all very common emotions, but it can be tricky to overcome them enough to be able to function properly day-to-day. Sometimes, even the simplest tasks can seem overwhelming. If this is the case, you could benefit from professional support in the form of life counseling. Fortunately, there are counselors in Tallahassee that are able to offer this valuable type of therapy.

What is life counseling?

Life counseling is a very beneficial type of psychotherapy that is used to help patients evaluate areas of their life in order to understand themselves better, more effectively manage their day to day responses to situations, and move forward with the necessary tools to cultivate a happy and fulfilling life.

The difference between life counseling and life coaching

Life counseling isn’t to be confused with life coaching, which is a different type of support. Life coaches are purely focused on helping clients to move forward in their lives, while life counselors are also interested in human development and maximizing their client’s emotional health and wellbeing as well as helping them to fulfill their goals. As a result, life counseling is usually a longer process in which the client develops a trust-based relationship with their professional.

Life counseling also differs from coaching in that it takes into account your entire story and how it has led to where you are today and the behaviors that you exhibit and use, particularly during hard times. In doing this, your counselor can help you to better understand yourself and strategize with you to leverage your strengths so that you can cope in all circumstances, but especially during periods of stress and anxiety.

Developing coping strategies

Life counseling helps people to develop coping strategies for, particularly stressful, worrying, or hard times. These are strategies that clients can use when they are feeling particularly overwhelmed that can help them to manage their emotions and be able to function day-to-day. There is a wide range of cognitive-behavioral coping strategies that are effective for a wide range of symptoms including diaphragmatic breathing, muscle relaxation, grounding, journaling, and more. Your counselor will be able to help you to discover the coping strategies that work best for you.

Helping you achieve your goals

Whether personal or professional, most people have at least one goal in life. You may have felt as though you were making progress towards this, but when life throws an emotional curveball in your direction, it can be very difficult to stay on track. Lack of motivation and direction are two of the most common hurdles people face when this happens, but your life counselor can help you to overcome these using a number of different techniques. For example, they may help you break down your goals into smaller objectives that are much more manageable and realistic. This will make overcoming the initial obstacle easier and could speed up the process of achieving your overall goal.

Problem-solving

Sometimes hard times are the result of a problem that you are facing, or hard times instigate a problem that you are finding it difficult to overcome. These problems are not always obvious. For example, you may have developed bad habits to cope with the difficult period of your life, or you may struggle to open up to people and ask for help, but not even realize it. Life counseling can help. Your counselor will work with you to identify the problem or barrier that you are experiencing, and then how you can adapt so that you can overcome it. This may mean changing the way that you view the problem, and/or your response to it. Your counselor may also help you accept that there are situations that are uncontrollable and assist you in finding ways to cope with this eventuality.

You don’t have to go through hard times alone. A Tallahassee life counselor can give you the professional support you need to cope and will provide a safe space to which you can return if things get difficult again. To schedule your confidential consultation, please call Comprehensive Counseling Services, LLC at 850-688-2244 today!