Life is seldom a straight line from win to win. More often, it is marred by detours, retreats, and re-evaluations. Sometimes we are even straight up defeated. It is easy in those times to give in to exhaustion, confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety. This can looks differently for different people: exhaustion, professional or personal indifference, brain fog, and even resignation. Doing so, however reasonable, only puts us further off course from accomplishing our goals and living the life we believe we are destined for - satisfaction, success, and security. At Keyhole Counseling, we understand with life's overwhelming demands and so offer a path to regain balance and bolster resilience. Our expert approach involves assessing your sources of strength and challenges, values, and goals and guiding you towards a revitalized and fulfilling life.
Life-Transitions...
Change is inevitable, and change tends to be difficult. Whether it is a change in job, relationship status, or phase of life, change is often challenging and in the face of those challenges it can be easy to become overwhelmed. Some may bite off more than they can chew, others may retreat to an earlier metaphorical "save point" in their life when things were not so complicated. However, the ultimate goal should be to move forward, to embrace the challenge and slay the metaphorical dragon. Successfully navigating these life-transitions is just that: taking stock of the situation, deciding on the desired outcome, coming up with a plan, and executing.
Burnout...
We all experience those times when work and personal life seem to conspire against us to offer no shelter from the storm. Other times, maybe it is just one or the other, but whichever it is, it is making it hard to function in either domain of life. This is called burnout, and it is frustratingly common in modern life. Some signs of burnout include:​​
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Physical/mental/emotional exhaustion
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Agitation or cynicism
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Feelings of uselessness, ineffectual, or depression
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Feeling disconnected from friends, family, and the world around you
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Difficulty concentrating
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Sleep disturbance
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Somatic symptoms (head/muscle aches)
Work-life Balance...
The demands of life in the new century are unlike any previously experienced. The pressure to succeed at work is amplified by increasingly economic turbulence; yet, the importance that so many place on family and friends remains constant. The result is the ever-greater struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. And a struggle it truly is. We all want to thrive in both domains of life, but so often it seems that success in one comes at the cost of the other. This can lead to many personal challenges which only serve to increase the work-life struggle.
"Failure-to-Launch"...
While not a clinical term, the concept of "Failure-to-launch" has saturated our culture. It is, simply put, the feeling that perhaps you are not living up to your potential, you are not pursuing the goals or relationships that you should be at this phase in your life. While typically thought of as an exclusively male issue, it effects everyone. No one is immune from periods of feeling lost or indifferent. The causes are often a cocktail of nature and nurture, and so are bespoke to the individual. The goal with Failure-to-launch is to identify the root of their specific experience of it, and then to one's strengths and passions, and to come up with a plan of action that will put them in pursuit. Failure-to-launch make look like the following:​
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Poor work ethic
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Low distress tolerance, motivation, and/or persistence
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Difficulty taking responsibility for one's actions or choices
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Lack of vision (for the future/long-term goals)
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Lack of 'adulthood' skills (e.g., cooking, cleaning, budgeting)
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Tendency to focus primarily or exclusively on one's own needs