Life Is Not the Way You Want It to Be
You’ve known it for a while now. You’re not living life the way you want to.
Life is short. You don’t want to waste it. You’re afraid you’ll look back and regret not being able to show up fully. For your family, your friends, even for yourself! If only you could deal with the hard stuff, let go of it, and still enjoy the good stuff.
But you haven’t been able to figure that out. So you shove that hard stuff deep down inside and pretend you’re okay. But it’s never gone.
Just Getting By
Gritting your teeth and getting through each day feels like existing, not living.
When you’re working so hard to suppress what’s going on inside you, you don’t get to pay full attention to what’s happening around you.
Life goes by without you.
You’ve Tried So Much
You’ve tried to figure this out on your own. So many times. Despite your best efforts, you haven’t been able to.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. With support, you can create the life you want.
That’s what Lisa did.
New Life, Old Pain
Lisa* decided to come to therapy after she and her husband moved to Denver. Lisa went into the move with her eyes open. She knew she’d have to adjust, but was shocked by how hard it was.
Months after the move, Lisa felt unmoored and constantly on guard. She was apprehensive, edgy, and not sleeping; she cried unexpectedly and for no apparent reason.
The emotional intensity made little sense to Lisa. She’d been the one to suggest moving! She felt out of control. She also told me she was “making a big deal out of a first-world problem” and should be able to “just get over it.” She didn’t express any empathy for her own struggle.
In therapy, Lisa discovered the source of her difficulty when she saw how it connected to being mistreated by peers in middle school and feeling lost and alone. Making the connection helped Lisa understand her prolonged struggle.
Lisa identified triggers and could anticipate when her big feelings were likely to arise. Now, it didn’t feel like they were coming out of nowhere; they didn’t seem irrational. Lisa also learned concrete tools to regulate her emotions. She no longer felt controlled by them.
As therapy progressed, Lisa uncovered her long-term pattern of responding to her big emotions by ignoring and stuffing them down. When that didn’t work, and they leaked into her life, she belittled herself. With support, Lisa could shift her perspective, learn not to judge herself for feelings and to see them as information to guide her.
*All stories on this website are composites based on typical clients I have helped.
Exploration in a Trusting and Trusted Place
Individual therapy provides a place and time that allows you to put everything else away, slow down, and finally take care of yourself. Therapy is also about learning that it is okay, even essential, to care for you.
Individual therapy is the place to bring hard things you cannot figure out – anxieties, sadness, aloneness, painful relationships, and things you can’t leave behind. We can look at them all.
Facing struggles is scary, but you will not be alone. In therapy, you can embrace and give attention to the hardest things with guidance and support so that you can make the life you want.
With gentle attention and no judgment, we will find ways to provide the care you need.
Start Building the Life You Want
My clients experience increased insight and understanding of themselves and their struggles.
They learn concrete, proven tools and improve the skills they already have.
They grow to trust themselves, knowing they have what they need to cope with the hard stuff.
Take action. Call (720) 593-6867 for a free 20-minute consultation.