Tools Counselors Can Use To Build A Counseling Practice

What do you think about when you read the words slowing down to speed up. I kind of laugh. I really.

As a kid, I was always going and going. My kids are the same way.

I started learning about how to build a counseling practice around 2014, I think it was right around the time Joe from Practice of the Practice started his podcast. I would listen to that religiously. It was my to go to the podcast station. I would listen to it on the way to work, in between classes, even during workouts.

Joe, if you are reading this, thank you!

Years later I was able to get to meet the guy. I had the opportunity to be a guest on the Practice of the Practice episode 380

Today, I want to share with you how I use slowing down to speed up. The concept is pretty simple if you are retired you will more than likely be less productive.

Think about a mother who loves her children. Each day she wakes up and gives it her all. She is present and eagerly supporting her children as they grow and move forward in life. At the end of each day, she doesn’t take the time to recover. She simply keeps going. She keeps moving forward with courage and strength. She continues to move forward with perseverance. Yet, by midweek she is slowing down. She begins to wake up later than usual. She starts to go to bed earlier than normal. She is on edge and irritable. The children whom she loves very much start to notice the subtle change.

At this point, I’m sure that you understand the message of the story.

We must take breaks. All of us have to practice a sense of self-care in order to understand that slowing down speeds things up. In the example of the mother, if she would have taken breaks during the ay. If she would have taken moments to practice meditation or given her space to engage in physical activity the end of the week would have delivered a different picture.

As a counselor, consultant, father, and husband I learned the importance of slowing down to speed up later in my life. Years back I took on everything. My days started at 6 AM and ended at 2 in the morning. I would spend time running from one role to another. I felt productive. I saw the results. Yet, at the end of each week or month. I would find myself experience fatigue. I would feel tired and in the most simple words not my usual self.

I can’t tell you when I hit the turning point. I can, however, tell you who helped me. It was my wife. She is very different than me. She worked with me and joined me in what was my journey to what became our journey.

Before you begin to slow down, I want you to first write down 5 reasons that engaging in more self-care will help you. To walk with you in your journey, I’ll share five of my reasons.