As a therapist, life coach, and marriage counselor, I admire each and every person who gathers the courage to schedule an appointment with me and seek support for themselves, their relationships, or their families. I know that they’re investing in themselves because they believe they are worthy of investing in. Such self-awareness, wisdom and healthy self-love is always inspiring.
Do You Prioritize Everything Except Yourself?
Too many people put themselves on the bottom of the heap, investing in every other aspect of their lives — their education, their career, their children, their friendships, their homes — but rarely their own personal wellness, or their heart’s desire. Is this you?
If so, you probably put off investing in yourself, getting professional help, and taking positive action to improve your life… though you’re there for everyone else. You may think about it sometimes but quickly talk yourself out of it, minimize your feelings, or prioritize someone else’s needs.
If this sounds familiar, my guess is that you would describe yourself as a naturally strong person, but the downside of “being strong” is that sometimes it comes with a price: not taking care of you, the way you take care of others.
But it’s easy not to take care of you, isn’t it? Especially when it comes to things like getting involved in therapy, couples counseling, or life coaching. There are so many persistent myths in our culture about all the reasons NOT to get support, and it’s time to bash them!
What’s Keeping YOU From Investing In Yourself?
Let’s talk through some of the most common reasons I hear for why people avoid getting help and investing in themselves, and why they’re not true!
Myth #1: Therapy should be reserved for times when you really need it, and I don’t have it “that bad.”
This is one I hear frequently, even when people have resolved to book a therapy or coaching appointment with me.
Believe it or not, even people in a lot of pain sometimes feel guilty for doing something to help themselves. They tell me about challenges they face, or hard things they’re grappling with, but then quickly say, “But so many others around the world have it so much worse. I’m really so lucky.”
While being grateful and keeping things in perspective is a wonderful strength to have, it’s also a liability if it makes you feel like you don’t have a right to your feelings, or can’t feel sad, angry, or hurt about something true for you.
As a feminist-oriented therapist, I am always happy to have a conversation about power and privilege, and I firmly believe that we are all worthy of love, respect, healing, and belonging.
If there is something in your life that feels painful or difficult to overcome, my hope for you is to feel like you deserve to be supported just as much as anyone else.
If you feel guilty when you think about making your feelings a priority, think about it this way: Investing in yourself as a way to make yourself even stronger, and more able to give empathy and compassion to other people.
Truth: Your experience and your emotions matter. YOU matter.
Myth #2: Therapy is for couples who are on the brink of ending their relationship or divorcing. We aren’t there yet, we can fix this on our own.
Too many couples buy into this.
Perhaps conflict in your relationship occurs infrequently, yet when it does occur you notice that you and your partner tend to sweep things under the rug and avoid addressing the conflict. You might write this off as a one-time thing, or feel that because it’s infrequent, it won’t matter in the long run.
However, each time we sweep conflict under the rug or avoid it all together, we are slowly solidifying the pattern of our relationship. This pattern makes it not only more likely that conflict will become more frequent, but potentially also increasingly eruptive and, ultimately, more damaging to your bond over time.
If you happen to notice early in your relationship that you and your partner are conflict avoidant, talk about reaching out to a couples therapist or a relationship coach so that you can identify effective ways to face conflict together and use it to strengthen your bond and understanding of each other.
Let’s Talk.
Schedule a Free Consultation Today.
Myth #3: If we go to couples counseling, we are admitting that our relationship is unhealthy.
We know from marriage and family researchers Drs. John and Julie Gottman that conflict is inevitable in every relationship. What separates “healthy” relationships from “unhealthy” relationships is what you DO with it.
The healthiest, strongest, happiest couples are the ones who openly address their differences and find ways of proactively, constructively working through things together. Couples who do this important growth work strengthen their relationships. Couples who seek support for their relationship, and who are open to learning how to communicate and compromise will have more positive outcomes. Investing in their relationships sets them up for success long-term.
Couples who avoid this work, or who allow unresolved conflict to simmer, fester, and become increasingly toxic are inadvertently damaging their relationship. By sweeping things under the rug and not getting help for their relationship, they are increasing the likelihood that their relationship will fail.
Furthermore, research into couples and family therapy shows that the couples who choose to work together on their relationship sooner rather than later have better outcomes. Any marriage counselor will tell you that it’s much easier to work with a couple who still like, love, and trust each other.
Couples who wait, ignore problems, and let anger and resentment build up often enter couples counseling on the brink of divorce. There is so much regrettable history between them, so much hurt, and so much damage done that — even with the best marriage counseling — sometimes their relationship is simply too far gone to repair.
Investing in your marriage sooner rather than later is like taking care of your health: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Myth #4: I’m too busy, whatever I’m dealing with can wait, it will be too expensive, and / or there just isn’t any time.
When I was in graduate school a common phrase we heard was, “What we resist, persists,” and the more I sit with couples and individuals in my office, the more I find this to be true.
I frequently meet with those that have been “avoiding” therapy by placing it lower and lower on their list of priorities. By the time they’re in my office, they are overwhelmed and exhausted from carrying their distress for so long.
Often, these are the individuals who spend a great deal of time taking care of others and rarely make time for themselves or their own needs. Or they are couples with children and stressful careers and aging parents who truly can’t fathom stepping away for an hour for fear of everything falling apart.
Or, sometimes people put this off because they’re worried about how much therapy, life coaching or marriage counseling will cost…. without considering the value investing in themselves will bring to their lives. They’ll spend money on furniture, vacations, or home improvement projects without much thought. But when it comes to investing in their own health and happiness, their success, or in their most cherished relationships… they stop themselves.
One way to shift this self-limiting perspective is to think about this from the other side. Asking yourself questions like:
- “What is the cost of me NOT investing in myself?”
- “What is the real price of me continuing to feel unhappy, or dissatisfied with my life?”
- “What am I losing, long term, by NOT investing in myself, or in my career, or in my marriage?”
- “How is neglecting myself, my happiness, and my relationship impacting my children?”
- “How is the way I’m currently living impacting my health?”
- “How much will it cost me — in dollars and cents — if we get divorced, or I never achieve my full earning potential in my career?”
When you put the short-term investment in yourself in context of the costs or benefits to aspects of your life that are genuinely priceless… it changes your perspective.
You Deserve Love, Happiness and Success
I want you to know that I see you, and that your well-being and happiness matters just as much as anyone else’s. You deserve space to cultivate growth and healing; you deserve time to rest and reset. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you don’t have to carry this alone.
If you see yourself or your relationship in any of the myths above, my hope for you would be to spend some time reflecting on what is keeping you from this work.
Remember though, whenever you are working with a coach or a therapist, you aren’t in this work alone. Are there other myths or beliefs you have that keep you from reaching out for support? Comment below and let’s continue this conversation!
Meet Brittany: a couples counselor, individual therapist, premarital counselor, and life and relationship coach with a warm, authentic, emotionally-focused approach. She works with her clients to build connected relationships, restore emotional bonds, and grow in their capacity to love others as well as themselves.