So it begins.

Hello and welcome to the first blog post for The Therapy Space Chelmsford for 2020. I am excited to be sharing this with you but the truth is I am also very nervous.

I have two hopes by opening this practice 1) To offer quality, bespoke CBT therapy for depression, anxiety and trauma to adults  and
2) to help breakdown mental health stigma by sharing knowledge and developing awareness on different platforms as consistently as I am able.
I will be offering CBT therapy in Chelmsford on a face to face and online basis so it will be very accessible. The space offered is calm and confidential. I also offer Counselling for Depression and EMDR in Chelmsford. I am keen to support you to make a difference in your life with whatever you are struggling with. Give me a call or message on my contact page to find out more. 

So, here I go… making my first step into the world of business and blogging! It feels like I am dropping myself from a height of 10,000ft posting this out but I hope by doing so you can see that therapists get anxious too.  My vision for the practice started a few years ago and so far it has been a journey of learning to listen to myself and working through my insecurities. It took me a while to get here, a few years of slow grind with pondering, avoiding and procrastinating, you name it, I was doing it! As an introvert I embrace being able to tuck myself away in the quiet to conserve energy so putting myself out there and selling my personhood in a real and virtual way is a HUGE challenge. One I had underestimated when I first decided to venture into private practice. 

I wondered was it simply my introverted nature though ? Or something more that stopped me taking the leap earlier?  

A couple of years after the initial business idea, I started to feel more anxious about opening a new business and being active online.  The fear was visceral and real but I had worked for over a decade in psychological therapies, it didn't make sense.  What was I so worried about? Failing at something that was so important to me?  Opening myself up to scrutiny?  Not doing things right first time round? Struggling with everything else I had to juggle, NHS work, family life?  All of the above?
So many questions, so many excuses not to take action…. so I didn't, not for quite some time. 

About a year ago, with curiosity I decided to answer some of the worrying questions that seemed to freeze me. I perused the language I was using with interest rather than fear; ‘You are going to fail at this Gill. You need to get this right, otherwise people will not take you seriously! You are still not ready  for this even after a decade of practice’
Drilling down to the core of my fears was a solid, unrealistic expectation that I had to be perfect. Perfectionism is a happiness killer.  I knew ‘perfect’ did not exist but it was there, pushing its way forward in my internal dialogue. An unattainable standard which was punishing and taking me AWAY from my values and any meaningful action.  

I had a choice to make ….. I could see the automatic responses to my questions as a whole truth. By doing so, I could continue to give them the power to freeze me from acting according to my values or I could challenge them and seek to change the way I was talking to myself. I might then be able to unhook from the same unhappy outcome. 

I noticed the more I questioned my fears, the more they started to lose their power…….

A few months ago I decided to commit to the following;  1) give myself some encouragement and settle for being good enough rather than perfect ,  2) to learn 'the ropes' as I went along rather than having it all figured out beforehand and 3) to simply accept that when starting out I am going to make errors, mistakes and misjudge things, how was I ever going to grow and learn otherwise? 
So, here I am embracing the fear of the unknown. I am going to work on perceiving the fear I am feeling as HUMAN and valid, rather than as something negative.  The feeling is simply a SIGNAL that I am moving out of a comfort zone, towards a true purpose and where I need to be. It is something I support and encourage clients through during a therapy process. Fears are conquered and growth occurs however a leap of faith must be taken. 

ULTIMATELY, I am allowing myself to GROW through what I GO through. 

Thanks for reading and for being with me on this journey. Wishing you all a happy, healthy 2020! 

Take care,

Gill | The Therapy Space Chelmsford

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​What fears are you going to embrace in 2020? Comment below!
 
* New blog posts will be released monthly.
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** I am now taking referrals for CBT therapy in Chelmsford as well as Counselling and EMDR , give me a call or send me a message on the Contact page.

***Don’t forget to join me on the social platform of your choice
(Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) and connect with my passion for opening up meaningful mental health dialogue and for sharing and gaining new knowledge.  I am learning all the time, it’s what I love!