How do you know who you are?

​Knowing who you are is harder than it sounds. We spend so much of our lives focussed on others needs that we can easily forget (or never knew how) to check in with ourselves.

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Who am I? It's a question we all ask at some point in our lives, but finding the answer isn't always easy. It's often at times of change that we really begin to notice ourselves - starting or ending a relationship, a new job, or moving city can all prompt us to suddenly become aware of how little we know of ourselves, but this awareness is in itself helpful as it can prompt us to bring about change.

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Knowing yourself means knowing what you need. If you know what you need then you'll know how to help yourself when you're struggling, (but also how not to end up struggling in the first place!) Everything we do or say is aimed at meeting a need. We understand this in some ways - we eat when we are hungry, we see friends when we crave company etc but in others we don't make the same connection even though it's there - do you find yourself drinking on a work night because you need to de-stress? or snapping at a friend who's trying to help because you feel unheard? Much as we might regret the after effects of these actions, we're doing them in an (unhelpful) act of self kindness. Counselling can help you to be more aware of your needs so that you can take care of yourself without the need for any fallout.