What's Up With the Umbrella?

Remember Mary Poppins and her big bottomless carpetbag? Or her unique talking parrot head umbrella? She always seemed to have a solution for every problem and along with her no-nonsense solutions, she often sang! And of course, let’s not forget that Mary was as magic as her talking umbrella, as she appeared out of nowhere floating in on the East wind.

But who feels like singing when a problem is dominating our lives? 

When we get stuck in anxiety, depression, anger, or impulsivity to name just a few, and we begin to act according to those moods, we find that they don’t work so well for us. They get in the way of positive relationships, work, family and our overall success. Sometimes, the more we try to fix them, the worse they get. It’s sort of like struggling in quicksand. They take a life of their own. 

There are many reasons why people can get stuck. Sometimes it’s addictions-think eating, shopping , drugs, alcohol or gambling- actually anything that compels us into repeated behaviors that mask our problems instead of solving them could be labeled as addictive. Even repeated negative emotional patterns that get triggered! 

Sometimes it’s with a difficult child, that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to reach. You see them rapidly going in the wrong direction and everything inside you is screaming, “NO! Don’t. STOP!” And you can’t seem to find the answer. 

And what about recovery from difficult seasons in our lives? Divorce, death, job loss or something else. How do we move past the grief? How do we become functioning again? Or find our purpose or identity?

Therapy, or coaching is not as magic as Mary Poppins! The work can be hard and often is challenging. But when you find a good therapist, one you feel comfortable working with, solutions and their rewards are available. If you come under the umbrella and take a helping hand, you can grow stronger! You can grow better!