A Concept I'm Learning in Counselling: Trusting Myself

One of the key concepts I've been exploring in my counselling is the idea of trusting myself. What does that really mean, you might ask? Even after spending a lot of time working through it, I'm still figuring it out. And - while learning what it means is one thing - actually living it is a whole different challenge.

Trusting myself means recognizing that I know myself best and remembering that I am the one who truly understands what is good for me and what isn't.

Trusting myself means listening to my inner voice, my heart, and my gut, even when outside influences try to pull me in different directions.

Trusting myself means practicing self-compassion. Being gentle to myself in the hard moments because I know that I'm always doing the best I can with what I know and feel at that time.

Trusting myself means accepting that life is hard, but also believing in my ability to do hard things.

Trusting myself means making decisions based on what feels true to me, even when those choices don't align with what others see as "normal."

Trusting myself means accepting that I can't control everything, but having the confidence that I will figure things out as they come.

Trusting myself means allowing myself to be vulnerable with others - letting them witness my grief - and trusting that my relationships will remain strong, even in challenging times.

Trusting myself means knowing that when things get difficult, I can rely on myself to find the support I need.

Trusting myself means owning my journey - embracing all of it; the pain, the growth, and everything in between.

Trusting myself means filtering out the noise - the opinions and judgments that don't align with my truth. It's grounding myself in my own knowledge, worth, and intuition.

My amazing counsellor warmly and consistently reminds me to trust myself. In fact, she encouraged me to write it on a sticky note and place it on my computer monitor - a small but powerful reminder to carry with me through my day. Each time I notice it, I take a deep breath and I choose to trust.

What about you? Are there aspects of your own grief journey where you're learning to trust yourself, or maybe something else entirely? Whether you're working with a counsellor or navigating this path on your own, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.