Rowing is like life, much of the time we are dipping our oars into the water, gliding forward on faith. Glancing over our shoulder periodically to check our course.
On a sunny warm October afternoon, as I steered my way through a maze of channel markers, I was struck by how familiar this feels. A quick glance over my shoulder, pull a little harder on the port oar, oops, too much, steady, now a little more starboard oar. Gentle yet firm corrections, not too much, just enough to hold a steady course, or we zig and zag…
Of course, there are times in life where we do zig and zag, where nothing seems to go exactly the way we want it to. If we pull too hard on one oar, we just go around in circles.
So, life is about balance, just like rowing is about balance. Depression, anxiety, addiction, stress, and distress can pull us way out of balance and leave us feeling as if we are rowing in circles.
Counseling allows us to regain our balance by helping to process stressors in a way that enables us to move through the challenges, instead of going round and round in circles, sinking more deeply into depression, anxiety, or addiction.
Counseling helps us to capitalize on our inherent strengths, at a time where it can be hard to reconnect to or recognize that we do have strengths. But even the tiniest glimmer of strength is a starting point.
Counseling is the spark that ignites the flame. The flame burns brighter with increasing self awareness. Awareness fans the flame, so that we can continue to grow in our ability to manage the challenges in our lives. It takes courage to take that next step, but the payback is tremendous.
