Mental health,  Therapy

If you’re from Winnipeg you probably shouldn’t read this.

One of my recent clients recently described a sense of overwhelming pessimism which they were experiencing. They were from Winnipeg, which some people might consider reason enough to feel that way, though that’s not a view to which I subscribe.

Many years ago I had a very sweet client come to see me to quit smoking. It was in the early days of the practice. She was a very kind lady, name Carla. I believe she was the manager at Joe Fortes, a restaurant in Vancouver. I helped her quit smoking successfully. However, in subsequent years she sent so many of her staff to see me that I will always think kindly of her. I lost touch with her years ago, however I would from time to time have a client come by and they’d say Carla sent them. I lost count how many people she sent me. The last I heard of her she’d relocated to Winnipeg, and that was about 10 years ago. It sticks in my mind because I remember seeing a Facebook post of her, when I used to use that dreadful thing.

In the background of the picture was a small roadside sign welcoming people to Winnipeg. It said, and I am pretty sure my memory is right here, “Welcome to Winnipeg. We know you’re lost, but we’re pleased to see you anyway.” It struck me that this was very much the attitude my client needed to adopt.

I really don’t mean to sound off on Winnipeg in particular. The people from there do always seem very nice. However in my online quest to see if this road sign was ‘a thing’, I did come across another that also stuck in my mind. It read “Please turn off the blade when moving your combine harvester through urban areas, as it causes some pedestrians anxiety.”

It almost makes me want to visit. However, that’s not really what I am writing about today. I really meant to write about the one common theme shared between my various clients. That is the desire for change.

I consider myself very lucky to be connected to my clients at a time in which their focus is on the need for radical change. The reasons for change are quite peripheral. Make no mistake, that doesn’t make it easier. However, regardless of whether it’s to do with chronic illness, addiction or a mental health challenge the common thread remains a desire for change.

After the tumultuous events of the last couple of years many of us did make changes. There was the desire to ‘get back to normal’ but many of us did shift a few things about. Personally I’ll be happy never to return to an office again. Few of us really did just slide right back into the old ‘normal’. And that’s not a bad thing. As we change, we can re-experience once familiar things in entirely new ways. Revisiting previously heard music, or movies we saw years ago, can feel a little different post COVID. Perhaps it’s just the turning of the wheel of time – but if we wait a little even the old becomes new again.

The concept of change is a little like asking fate to roll the dice again. Let’s see if we get a better result.

How we stimulate change is a very personal thing.  For some it’s a matter of going out and climbing a mountain, or doing an epic road trip, or doing some therapy work. In BC we’re blessed to be able to live in the coastal splendor of a beautiful land, so were surrounded by options. However, a couple of things caught my attention recently of how others stimulate change. One was surprisingly from a CNN article about an NFL player that is worth repeating. You can find it here. Another came from a young couple I follow on Youtube, who told the story of how they changed things in their life.  You can find that HERE. It’s an uplifting story, and one we could all learn from. How lucky you are that I keep an eye on these things for you!

I hope you enjoy those two as much as I did. In the meantime, I have always found the fastest way in which to change your mood is with music. Jacking the volume up as loud as you and blasting the crap out of your living room is a  great way to get both mind and body moving. If you do it at 3 am you might even get to meet your neighbours or a friendly police officer. Try revisiting Prince below if you doubt what I’m suggesting.

Ave a wonderful week.

Rob Hadley

PS. Call if you’d like to set up an appointment.

http://RobHadley.ca

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