5 Signs You May Need Counseling

Everyone experiences times of more intense emotions from time to time, such as the top-of-the-world feeling of falling in love or getting a new job, crying at the loss of a pet, or feeling like laying on the horn or uttering some choice words when someone cuts you off in traffic.  After all, we are humans and have feelings. Yet, there are other times when our feelings and our actions may indicate a need for some professional counseling help.  If you or someone you care about notice any of the following, it might be a good time to reach out for help.

Experiencing Habit Changes: 

Sleep Patterns

• You are sleeping more or less than usual.

• You are not able to get out of bed, even when you have things to do.

• You wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty getting back to sleep.

• You have trouble falling asleep.

• You have recurrent nightmares.

Eating Patterns

• You are eating more or less than usual.  

• You find yourself binge eating food.  

• You feel ashamed of and want to hide your eating patterns.

• You have lost your appetite.

• You eat for comfort.

Experiencing Behavior Changes:

Financial Patterns

You are acting more reckless than usual.

You are racking up debt.

You are spending money on things you can’t afford.

You are gambling away money you need for your bills.  

Substance Use

You are drinking more alcohol than you typically would.

You are unable to relax without some sort of drug or substance.

Your substance use is interfering with your work or relationships.

Experiencing Extremes in Your Actions

You are being reckless.

You are driving carelessly or faster than usual.

You are shouting at your kids or spouse and being more “on edge” than usual.

You are slamming doors, throwing things, threatening others, or storming around.

You are reacting more intensely than situations deserve.

Experiencing Emotional Extremes

You are feeling guilty or shameful.

You are crying more than usual or feeling sad much of the time.

You are anxious, fearful, or experiencing panic sensations. 

You are feeling numb or distant from life.

You feel that no one understands you.

You feel something is “off,” but you don’t know what.

Feeling Detached

You find yourself withdrawing from activities you used to enjoy.

You feel like you are “just going through the motions.” 

You feel like you are not attached to your body, are watching yourself from outside of your body, or notice that you or the things and people around you don’t seem “real.”

Thinking in Extremes

You are having thoughts of ending it all.

You fantasize about hurting yourself.

You are hearing voices or having thoughts that make you want to do something unpleasant or compel you to take actions you don’t want to take, think about things you find to be disturbing, or have intrusive and repetitive thoughts that you don’t want but can’t seem to figure out how to stop.

Reach Out

If you are experiencing any of the above, you may benefit by reaching out to a counselor.  Please contact us by calling: 541-275-0412 if you’d like to talk to someone about the signs and symptoms you’re having and see how we can help you to get back to feeling yourself again.