Several years ago, I bought a book on solution-focused therapy. I found a lot of great techniques that could be utilized by most counselors AND clients. However, there was something in the book that has always held my attention. The authors write an example of an athlete who was battling through the longest slump of his career. After every game of going hitless, he would sit with his hitting coach and evaluate what went wrong. By chance, the manager of the team caught wind of the footage they were watching and simply asked, “why are you watching videos of him striking out? Why don’t you watch the videos of him getting hits and focus on what he was doing well?” The following game, the player broke out of his slump.
Breaking Out of Your Slump
Now, I am not here to say that we will all break out of our slump the next day. However, the story holds a great lesson for all of us. There are times when we are down and all we can see is another challenge ahead. This is true of everyone I know. Most of us have a tendency to focus on everything that is going wrong. Thus, sometimes it just takes a little reminder or encouragement to break out of our slump.
It might help to remember what was going on both behaviorally and emotionally with ourselves during those times. For me, I remember being in a bit of a slump several years ago. Things were going well enough, but I personally felt a little rudderless regarding the next step in my career. This went on for several months until a I ran into an old friend. After several minutes of talking, he commented on my propensity to make long lists. In that moment, I remembered what it was like when I was feeling productive. Later that day, I started writing out my to-do lists. I included a longer-term vision. For me, a structured approach has always worked well.
What works for me might not work well for you. However, the concept of remembering and doing what was working well for you in the past is something that can be applied to everyone.
If you have any questions about Amy Wine Counseling Center and our therapeutic services, feel free to call us at 832-421-8714 or contact us here.