Finding Your Voice By Reclaiming the Narrative
Finding Your Voice by Reclaiming the Narrative
As humans, we long for connection with others, whether that be romantic or platonic. We are always seeking to build lasting and meaningful relationships with others. That instinct is constantly reinforced by society and mirrored in our media: you will only feel complete once you’ve found that other part of your soul.
You might feel like something’s missing. Maybe you crave a comforting presence to cuddle with, a partner to share your intimate self with, or maybe to fulfil a carnal need. Maybe you want a family, kids, and the idyllic life you see in the perceived happily ever after. It can feel impossible to reach.
You might not be happy in your current relationship and wonder what’s missing. Perhaps the dating scene is exhausting and feels hopeless. You want a list of things you can do to make your life as perfect as you can imagine it to be.
These desires are supplemented by expectations: our own expectations of what a relationship should look like, our expectations surrounding our life trajectory, societal ideals and expectations of citizens. These expectations can cause distress when they aren’t met both internally and externally.
Whether explicitly stated or implicitly understood, many people have some expectation of life where they go to school, graduate, go to college, find a job, get married, and have children. These messages can be hard to question and even harder to subvert. Deciding not to have children can be ostracizing and scandalous. Identifying as LGBTQIA+ can be stigmatizing.
Just questioning expectations can take strength and can open the door to a plethora of other questions. It can lead to anxiety - the pain in your chest, nausea, difficulty sleeping, and so much more. These effects can be physical or maybe you just have trouble focusing.
We are here to help.
Through psychotherapy, we can help you break down your preconceptions and sit with you as you contemplate your own expectations and redefine your own experiences. Not all expectations are bad, but together we can mitigate the distress you feel when you don’t meet them.
Your distress is real. Disrupting expectations and going against the perceived path can cause a huge amount of stress. Perhaps there are people in your life setting these expectations, who voice their displeasure when certain landmarks are not met (like parents wanting grandchildren, or friends expecting more of your time). Sometimes that voice is internal (you feeling that you should already have met the love of your life). We’ve all seen the cliched Hallmark romances where the hardworking woman topples headfirst into love with the attractive businessman or any other romcom template. We want that satisfying ending.
Life is rarely so clean. Our expectations might be completely wrong. They might have to be amended. They might break our hearts because we expect something to be easy and get frustrated when it isn’t. We can help with that.
Your body is screaming for care and for help. We hold that space for you: to grieve over expectations that must be let go, or to restructure ones that are too strict. You have power in your life to restructure your worldview and we can help you along the way.
Together we will craft a worldview that enables you to rise to your challenges and increase your resiliency. We can transform your expectations into something that will help you and that can ease your own burden. You deserve relief from this distress.
Let us hold this space for you. CONNECT WITH US to learn more about anxiety THERAPY.