Have you ever felt like the response to your emotions has been to “get rid of” them or “fix” them? That is how a lot of us grew up, especially in the Maritimes, where, as a people, we like to “just keep going”. 

Therapy is often thought of as a resource for extreme or serious situations. While that is true, it can also provide opportunities for self-reflection and personal growth that carry over into different aspects of everyday life. Our world today often pushes the idea that you need to get over things quickly and move past the feelings that make you uncomfortable. But instead of minimizing these important feelings, what if you could shed some light on them instead?

When a feeling arrives, something in us moves away from it. Rather than seeing these feelings as something to brush over, therapy can offer a safe space to unpack them and gain a deeper understanding of why you experience them and how they may connect to other parts of your life. From the mundane to more significant events, therapy can be a useful tool for learning how to interact with yourself and the world around you. 

This is where being curious about yourself can become an important part of the therapeutic process, allowing you to gain deeper insight into yourself and improve your quality of life. With acceptance can come a new way of being, broadening your understanding of yourself while also influencing how you connect with others. 

When you learn to be curious about yourself, you become more aware of the things you might need the most. Things like emotions, values, and connections serve as areas that can provide learning what you want and need in your life. What if when a feeling arrives, you don’t move away from it? Think of how much less power that offers the feelings, and how much more confidence that offers you. 

Being curious about yourself is a lifelong process, with ebbs and flows of life’s challenges and victories. You learn to extend compassion to yourself and instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?”, you can begin to believe, not that everything is easy or fine, but that your reactions, patterns, and struggles are understandable in the context of your life and you don’t have to carry the idea that something is fundamentally wrong with you.

Written by: Sol C. Edited by: Nat Y.