Reason #2 – Your wellness impacts others

Do you feel you have to constantly be on your game, available, pleasant, open, or helpful?

Do you feel like saying no more times than you actually do?

Do you feel tired at times and consumed by those around you?

Do other people instantly notice when your mood or behavior changes?

Do you feel like you are two different people sometimes?

Do you notice your generally well behaved child suddenly turning irritable and demanding?

These are all potential signs that you might not be taking care of yourself like you should.

There is a metaphor I heard while I was studying to become a counselor. Another counselor was working with a woman who was the caregiver for her ailing parents, young children, and husband. She also worked full time and managed a team of people there. The counselor told her to imagine that all the people in her life who she loved, cared about, took care of, and answered to were all going on vacation with her. Somewhere along the way, their plane went down and they were all stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere. She quickly asserted herself into preparing clean water for everyone. She would collect and sterilize it several times a day and would pass it around to ensure that everyone had some. Except, most of the time she forgot to give herself any and there wasn’t any left for her at the end. No one ever offered to help her with the water. She considered teaching someone so maybe she could have a day off, but she didn’t want to burden anyone or look selfish so she kept going. Sadly, she turned ill from dehydration and died. Everyone scrambled to learn how to prepare the water but it was no use. Everyone got sick shortly after and died too. No one had the chance to thrive or to even be found because she was uncomfortable with setting boundaries and limits that allowed her to care for herself.

Do you feel like the woman in the story? There is a reason they tell you to put your air mask on first before helping someone else in the case of an airplane emergency. If you aren’t caring for yourself, you can’t take good care of those around you. Let us help.

• Create Boundaries. We can help you find healthy and comfortable ways to establish boundaries with others and feel less overwhelmed and exhausted.
• Improve Communication. We want you to learn to speak up for yourself in a way that doesn’t feel confrontational or explosive.
• Increase Overall wellness. We can explore all the aspects of your wellness and help you find ways to improve them.