Tuesday, June 28, 2005
I could've been a great therapist
So sitting around talking to granddad (for future reference that is John's grandfather and abuelo is my grandfather) anyway, we are talking, telling each other things that I doubt he tells to many people and I am responding with stuff that I actually do tell to people because it is nothing I am ashamed of, just shit that has happened. Granddad tells me that I could've been a great therapist.
Which is funny because a good chunk of my life I thought I was going to double major in psychology and political science. But then I didn't. Political Science was more of a love and I didn't have time to double major, work and take all the other classes I wanted.
The bigger reason is now the reason I think I would be a good therapist. I hate it when people whine for no reason. I hate it when they let themselves get miserable over things they have control over and I think most of the time when people are upset it is stuff that if they were proactive about could be changed. And I realize that, seeing as I can be sensitive to people's emotions, that annoyance could have transfered very well.
A lot of times I think people need to stop looking at what people do to them and start looking at what people LET other people do to them. I don't know if folks are selective enough with who they let into their lives.
I'm also rather holistic with my approach to health. I think a lot of our emotions, attentions spans and health can be attributed to how often people get outside. It is lame but as a culture I think we have just stopped getting enough sunlight. And how you eat REALLY affects your mood. I think we have going around with the assumption that people who are depressed eat high fat foods because of the depression but I think all that high fat food may cause emotional disorders by not letting your body function properly. It's also be proving that adding more green foods to your diet increases your positive emotions (it is like getting the sun light through an intermediary).
And I am not saying people should never be medicated but I don't know how drugs became an option of first resort. I think if we look at the bigger picture there are natural ways to cure lots of people's dysfunctions. And I know it is hard to admit but sometimes people are dysfunctional because they should be, there situation is just that jacked up. I think prescribing something may prolong it by making them feel good in a situation where they are SUPPOSED to feel bad.
I also think there is merit to letting teenagers suffer through a bit of depression (notice the adjective "a bit"). That way later in life you can look back and say "I got through that, I can get through this." I mean what happens if years from now we have a generation of kids that CAN'T say, "I got through that" on their own. You're gonna have a group of adults on very strong meds.
Lately I have been wondering how I can become a life couch for professionals. Go into their lives, helps them clear up some clutter, get them organized in their task, make them get some exercise and then put them on a diet (not to lose weight but to eat better). A completely holsitic approach. What qualifies me to do this?, a bit of a ton of things but mostly that I made it through Law School while working 1.5 jobs and with a blood disorder. I mean basically I will be showing them what works for me and people I know. I think lots of folks can't see the forest through the trees and since they can't see it they assume the forest is a LOT bigger than it really is. Translation: There problems are small and have easy solutions but they don't realize it because they are in the middle of their problems. Sometimes just having a different person look at your situation gives an insight you can't have and I don't know if you need to spend years in school to do that (and I am not talking about being a therapist for their bigger problems just a couch for the right now I am sure I would need a list of folks to refer them to if they have bigger issues).
P.S. This is not me deciding I don't want to be a lawyer cause I hate studying for the bar. I do want to be a lawyer, I do hate studying for the bar BUT I have always juggled a billion things and I figure why stop now. Who knows 20 years from now this life couch thing may be a very real part of my life. The only thing I haven't figured out is how I would get clients
So sitting around talking to granddad (for future reference that is John's grandfather and abuelo is my grandfather) anyway, we are talking, telling each other things that I doubt he tells to many people and I am responding with stuff that I actually do tell to people because it is nothing I am ashamed of, just shit that has happened. Granddad tells me that I could've been a great therapist.
Which is funny because a good chunk of my life I thought I was going to double major in psychology and political science. But then I didn't. Political Science was more of a love and I didn't have time to double major, work and take all the other classes I wanted.
The bigger reason is now the reason I think I would be a good therapist. I hate it when people whine for no reason. I hate it when they let themselves get miserable over things they have control over and I think most of the time when people are upset it is stuff that if they were proactive about could be changed. And I realize that, seeing as I can be sensitive to people's emotions, that annoyance could have transfered very well.
A lot of times I think people need to stop looking at what people do to them and start looking at what people LET other people do to them. I don't know if folks are selective enough with who they let into their lives.
I'm also rather holistic with my approach to health. I think a lot of our emotions, attentions spans and health can be attributed to how often people get outside. It is lame but as a culture I think we have just stopped getting enough sunlight. And how you eat REALLY affects your mood. I think we have going around with the assumption that people who are depressed eat high fat foods because of the depression but I think all that high fat food may cause emotional disorders by not letting your body function properly. It's also be proving that adding more green foods to your diet increases your positive emotions (it is like getting the sun light through an intermediary).
And I am not saying people should never be medicated but I don't know how drugs became an option of first resort. I think if we look at the bigger picture there are natural ways to cure lots of people's dysfunctions. And I know it is hard to admit but sometimes people are dysfunctional because they should be, there situation is just that jacked up. I think prescribing something may prolong it by making them feel good in a situation where they are SUPPOSED to feel bad.
I also think there is merit to letting teenagers suffer through a bit of depression (notice the adjective "a bit"). That way later in life you can look back and say "I got through that, I can get through this." I mean what happens if years from now we have a generation of kids that CAN'T say, "I got through that" on their own. You're gonna have a group of adults on very strong meds.
Lately I have been wondering how I can become a life couch for professionals. Go into their lives, helps them clear up some clutter, get them organized in their task, make them get some exercise and then put them on a diet (not to lose weight but to eat better). A completely holsitic approach. What qualifies me to do this?, a bit of a ton of things but mostly that I made it through Law School while working 1.5 jobs and with a blood disorder. I mean basically I will be showing them what works for me and people I know. I think lots of folks can't see the forest through the trees and since they can't see it they assume the forest is a LOT bigger than it really is. Translation: There problems are small and have easy solutions but they don't realize it because they are in the middle of their problems. Sometimes just having a different person look at your situation gives an insight you can't have and I don't know if you need to spend years in school to do that (and I am not talking about being a therapist for their bigger problems just a couch for the right now I am sure I would need a list of folks to refer them to if they have bigger issues).
P.S. This is not me deciding I don't want to be a lawyer cause I hate studying for the bar. I do want to be a lawyer, I do hate studying for the bar BUT I have always juggled a billion things and I figure why stop now. Who knows 20 years from now this life couch thing may be a very real part of my life. The only thing I haven't figured out is how I would get clients
Comments:
I wish I could hire you as my life coach right now. I do pretty well with diet and exercise. It's time management that gives me trouble.No matter how carefully I plan, the hours slip away.
Hey Nina!
It only takes two-ish years to get a masters and be a licensed therapist (NEVER RULE IT OUT!) Plus, I like your philosophy. PEOPLE SHOULD SUFFER A LITTLE!
And finally... I believe the first lady of our fair city has coined a name for a similar point of view calling herself a "cheerleader therapist"
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It only takes two-ish years to get a masters and be a licensed therapist (NEVER RULE IT OUT!) Plus, I like your philosophy. PEOPLE SHOULD SUFFER A LITTLE!
And finally... I believe the first lady of our fair city has coined a name for a similar point of view calling herself a "cheerleader therapist"
# posted by 
: 8:42 PM
: 8:42 PM