The term “Self-care” is bandied about pretty freely these days. Everything from taking a bubble bath, to going for a walk, to treating yourself to an iced coffee is labelled “Self-care”. And it’s true that for some folks, these things are genuinely nurturing and restorative. And for others, not so much.

But one thing that I can definitively class as “Self-care” is going to counselling. Counselling is a fantastic way to support your mental and emotional help, and assist you with making changes in other areas of your life. Let’s take a deep-dive into some of the ways that counselling can be used as self-care

Time to Focus on You

A counselling session is one hour carved out of your day to focus solely on yourself and your needs. If you struggle to find time for yourself, or feel like you’re “too busy” to spend time working on yourself then having a dedicated spot in the calendar to do just that might be helpful. Booking a counselling appointment is a way to prioritise your needs and make sure that you can zero in on them without any distractions

Space to explore

One of the best parts of seeing a counsellor is having an opportunity to get to know yourself better. In our sessions, we’ll work to understand your emotional patterns, figure out your values and define your goals. You’re likely to be pleasantly surprised to learn something about yourself that you weren’t aware of before. Counselling also offers space to dig into the things that you find difficult, and celebrate your strengths and accomplishments. Counselling gives you a chance to understand yourself and your needs more fully, so that you can then take better care of yourself.

A chance to feel truly heard

In my time as a counsellor, I’ve noticed one thing that most people have in common: a need to be heard. Most of us are dying to have someone really, truly listen to us and fully hear what we have to say. Not just listen to the words, but deeply understand our perspective and how we’re feeling and thinking. Having someone who will do this for you is so validating, and can bring a lot of relief. This is especially true if you feel like you aren’t being taken seriously by the people in your life, or if your needs often go unnoticed. Giving yourself the opportunity to express yourself fully is a beautiful way to look after yourself.

Develop coping strategies

Perhaps you’ve noticed that stress and anxiety have crept into your life and are wreaking havoc. You know that you need to do something about it, but you have no idea where to begin. Well, I can help you with that. I can assist you to figure out how stress is impacting you, the resources and strengths that you have on hand and some strategies to put into place. We can work together to create a stress management plan that works for you, and I will support you as you try new techniques and figure out what works best. Counselling gives you a chance to develop a targeted self-care plan, so that you can move forward with confidence that you’re doing what you need to look after yourself.

Counselling can be both self-care in itself, or a gateway to understand the needs that require tending. Counselling prioritises your needs and gives you the time and space to fully engage with them and focus on yourself. It’s also a powerful tool to help you to get to know and love yourself more deeply, and offer yourself compassion.