My favorite feeling

I know this sounds very therapist of me, but I have a favorite feeling.  And every time I share this with my couples, I always get a head nod and a little smile, ‘like of course you have a favorite feeling.’  But I can’t help it, I do.

My favorite feeling is hope.  It’s one of the most dynamic ones you experience.  And one that’s power best not be underestimated.

When you have hope, the sky is the limit.  There is nothing that doesn’t feel possible. Even the slightest bit of hope, after a very dark season, can feel like the most brilliant warmth in the world.  It’s as if you’ve been traveling through a pitch black tunnel and can just begin to see the darkness fade.  It reassures you, that even if you can’t see the light just yet, you know it’s right ahead of you. 

Hope really is beautiful.

And just as dynamic as hope is when you’ve got it, it’s just as intense when you don’t have it.  When hope feels lost, there are few words of comfort that can help you feel supported. Without hope, you feel alone, overwhelmed and lost.  You struggle to trust that it can be different or even hold the possibility that what you’re walking through could ease up.  Without hope is a scary place to be.

It’s because of these two extremes around hope, that it really is my favorite feeling.  One that deserves so much space and holding in therapy.  One that can never be underestimated and certainly deserves a voice.  

I really believe that one of my jobs in therapy is to hold onto the hope until clients can take it back and hold it for themselves.  To not force hope onto them, but instead let it be a possibility in the darkest times.  And to celebrate the heck out of it when it returns.

Because at the end of the day, hope is too dynamic not to highlight.

Yours,

-A

P.S. If hope feels out of reach, please consider asking for support. I’m here to walk with you and hold the hope until you begin to feel it for yourself.