pausing.

Can I pitch counselors for a second?  

Counselors are good for everyone. Everyone. People who are in tough spots and people who are in good spots. Everyone can improve. I’ve seen a variety of them and I’m seeing one now. 

Counselors have permission to say it like it is. No one else on this planet does. You think they do, but they don’t. Or the person you are talking to thinks they don’t. 

Counselors get paid to just listen to you and you don’t have to feel guilty for not “asking them how they are doing”… Right? Isn’t that fantastic? You can simply share your story, your views, and they just listen and talk, if you need them to. 

Counselors know what to say. When they do talk, they are able to get right to it because they don’t have to worry about permission and beating around the bush. You’re there to hear it and they get to just say it. And they’ve been trained in what to say. Bonus! 

I often wonder if we called counseling a different name, maybe it would blow up like hot yoga, CrossFit, and mindulfness. Maybe if we kept pitching it as something that keeps you evolving, instead of a mental prescription for a unhealthy mind and spirit, more people would be less afraid of it and likely to start it. 

Have you heard of Pausing?

It’s becoming very popular in LA and New York, and I think it’s really finding some traction. The tradition comes from the East, where it has been practiced for years. Pausing is about finding someone “who listens and talks softly” to encourage humans to stop and think about important things in life with someone of care. People all over are the world are starting to pause and claiming it’s working wonders. 

You should try it.

Some places even practice a form of it on Sunday mornings, I hear.