Why Talking Helps: Created to be Heard
To be heard. To be seen. To be known. To be understood. To be fully loved. To be wholly accepted. While we may not even recognize these cravings within ourselves, these intrinsic desires are a huge part of the way each of us have been intentionally created. We are wired to seek connection and relationship with one another in a way that reaches far past the surface of who we are. On some level, all of us seek intimacy with others whether we realize it or not, and that is how we were designed to function. It is who we are.
Despite this innate search within us to find these deep-rooted relationships and to connect with others in a meaningful way, we live in a world where hurt and brokenness marks this journey more often than not. From fractured families to romantic wrecks to failed friendships, many of us have walked out of seasons feeling battered, wounded, and worn down by those we held most dearly.
These moments leave us wondering how we are supposed to pull ourselves up and put ourselves out there again when trust feels more cautionary than comfortable and we no longer know how to break down the walls we have set up around ourselves. Others of us may feel as though we started this walk through life with the walls already surrounding us, as though we need a coat of armor just to make it through the day to day. When you feel stuck in the armor or trapped behind the walls, where do you go from here?
Signs You Need to Talk to Someone
Oftentimes, the hardest part of sharing who we are is that we lack the words and ability to articulate our story or the way that we feel. It’s possible some of us simply haven’t ever really, truly experienced the feeling of being heard. Sometimes it feels easier to hide our emotions behind a mask of, “It’s all okay,” or let the logic in our head continue to ramble on rather than let our heart get a word in. Sometimes it feels safer to cover up the raw parts of ourselves so they don’t get swept under the rug by an inattentive ear or the wandering eyes of a distracted listener.
Sometimes it feels riskier to pour out sentences and paragraphs full of dramas, dreams, and debates just to keep the depths of our hearts from finding a shallow place to land.
Have you ever felt stuck with a head full of thoughts with nowhere for these wanderings and wonderings to go? Have you ever felt a desperate need for someone to know that feeling ricocheting through your chest? Have you ever desired a listening ear who will sit on the edge of their seat to know where the next step of your journey will take you or wait in anticipation to hear how that story ended? If you have, talk therapy may be the right choice for you.
Freedom Found in Counseling
Counseling provides the opportunity for you to tear down walls brick by brick as you learn, or relearn, the joy that comes with being heard, known, and accepted. Coming to counseling serves as one of the first steps in acknowledging that you desire to create these deep connections and find the language to break down those walls yourself.
Vulnerability, the act of openly expressing who you are and saying what you truly feel, can seem incredibly intimidating and one of the benefits of counseling is that it is a place for you to come as you are, find the tools and resources you need, and experience the freedom of being heard, known, and accepted.
Whether it be telling your story in a fully authentic manner for the first time or actually speaking the words you wanted to speak in the last fight you had with your partner, your counselor is there to provide the emotional support and encouragement that you may need as you finally put into words the thoughts, feelings, and stories that make you who you are that you may be buried deep within.
The unique role that your counselor gets to play in talk therapy is that they not only serve as an encourager and cheerleader who walks with you as you face the trials and celebrate the triumphs of life, but counselors also serve as an important resource you can turn to learn the language and develop the skills you need to express yourself clearly.
Practicing vulnerability and experiencing intimacy in the harder moments of life can be especially challenging when you continue to run into obstacles and end up tongue tied. Talk therapy not only gives you the space to experience vulnerability in a safe, supportive environment, but it also helps you fill a toolkit with the resources you need to identify what you may be thinking and feeling and express it clearly to those around you.
From developing a deeper dictionary of emotional words or phrases to fine-tuning the emotional language you already have through practice, talk therapy can equip you with the tools you need to handle conversations and conflicts feeling capable and confident.
Find Support at Soulfully Connected Counseling
There is so much beauty and joy to be found allowing others to know the deepest parts of you and counseling can oftentimes simply look like practice if you let it. As you experience this freedom within the therapeutic relationship, the hope of every counselor at Soulfully Connected is that you find this freedom in your life outside of each session. While your counselor seeks to walk alongside you through the ups and downs of this life, our goal is to see clients walk confidently into healthy, fulfilling relationships and find joy and freedom in the everyday moments of life.
We believe that relationships are one of the most valuable parts of this life and oftentimes it is these connections that give us a glimpse into the love of the Father. Your Creator knows you more deeply than you know yourself and loves you more than you can imagine. In the same way that He knows and loves us, we get to walk side by side with one another in deep relationships that allow us to know our Father more deeply and give us the chance to show His love to others in return. At Soulfully Connected, we hope to not only help you find those deep relationships, but equip you with the tools you need to walk through this life in a manner that leads to abundant joy and love.