Ferro Counseling Services; Helping you make the pieces of your life fit together.

1.  Let's face it, sometimes daily living can seem overwhelming. In today's fast paced world, you'll often hear people talk about the burden of stress in their lives. We use phrases like "stressed-out", "overstressed", "I'm stressing." Stress can be good or bad. The stress of having to perform a specific task will often make us perform to the best of our ability. But when stress becomes a burden, it begins to inhibit our ability to perform. Some people become uncharacteristically moody or easily irritated. Often people begin to exhibit serious physical problems such as high blood pressure or painful headaches. When this occurs, we must take positive action to alleviate the stress in our lives to preserve both our emotional and physical well-being.

2.  Usually, we associate grief with the death of a loved one. Dealing with a death can be difficult to endure alone. But we often grieve for other losses that effect our physical and emotional well being and because the loss is not as great, we don't recognize it as something to legitimately feel so effected by. The death of a beloved pet, divorce, the loss of physical capacity, the separation from friends and family, retirement causing separation from your chosen life's work and co-workers, experiencing your children's transition from childhood to adulthood. Losses and changes can feel emotionally devastating. Talking about it and sharing your feeling with others who understand can be helpful in dealing with the pain so that you can get on with your life.

3.  We are living in a time of rapid change. It's hard to keep up with technological advances and societal redefinition. As change occurs, many of us find ourselves examining our individual role. There seems to be a whole new set of rules evolving in spousal, parental, professional, and sexual relationships. As these rules are being redefined, we are sometimes perplexed about making the proper choices. Often, by exploring why we made specific choices, we can resolve inner conflict and turmoil. Sometimes by recognizing reasons for making our "mistakes", we can set out to avoid similar difficulties in the future, or by examining our behaviors and choices, we can strengthen existing relationships. Personal growth and understanding can be the key to finding and maintaining more healthy and rewarding relationships.

4.  Many people experience feelings of sadness, isolation, or hopelessness that they just can't seem to shake. Feeling deep sadness is appropriate in some circumstances where we have suffered a devastating loss or experienced a traumatic event. When these feelings linger for a long period of time or interfere with our productivity or ability to still experience joy and satisfaction from other things in our life, people may need help to "get back on track." Seeking therapy may help a person to find solutions and the inner strength to come through this difficult period. Depression can often be treated with therapy alone. In some instances, psychopharmacological therapy is also helpful, particularly if you have physical symptoms that are contributing to the depression. It is important to get help and to understand that depression is an illness, not a weakness.

5.  Physical issues are often a source of anxiety. Not only those people directly dealing with physical issues are effected. The loved ones of a person struggling with physical issues can also be significantly impacted. Coping with chronic pain, diminished physical capacity due to disability or aging, and accident-related injuries can impose changes in your daily living activities that might have far-reaching effects on your entire life. Adjustment can be an arduous process that can be complicated by anger, denial, increased dependence on others, and increased responsibility for friends, family, or co-workers who have to "pick up the slack." Psychological issues surrounding physical difficulties are often left untreated. Whether you yourself are experiencing physical issues or if you are the caregiver for a loved one, psychotherapy will help you and those around you adjust, adapt, and adopt a more positive outlook.

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Copyright © 1999 Ferro Counseling Services
Last modified: September 22, 1999