We found out last week that our cat, Mr. S, has a problem with his thyroid. Luckily it is easily treated with medication and he is getting back to his old self. It would have been easy to miss the signs that there was something wrong, he is 17 (an old man for a cat) and changes in his behaviour have been previously put down to just getting older. I’m glad that we trusted ourselves when we knew there was something not right and that our vet acted on our concerns rather than dismissing them. This meant he had the right tests which let us know what he needed.
It is only now that he is feeling better that we can see how much it was impacting on his day to day activities – he’d stopped coming upstairs to supervise on our work or going to visit the neighbours who all spoil him with treats. He was even letting some of the younger cats in the neighbourhood into his garden, something unheard of a few years ago. It got me thinking about how often there is something wrong, but because there is not an obvious cause we feel like we have to ‘just get on with it’ and not moan without even questioning if there is another way.
I often have clients who come to me and say they’re not sure they need counselling because there is nothing wrong. Usually what they mean is that there hasn’t been a single big event that has brought them to see me, but just a knowledge that things could be better. Making the decision to not just put up with things that aren’t right is a step towards making the changes needed to bring you to the life you want. Sometimes it is only a small change that is needed and sometimes it is a bigger shift Counselling gives them the space to figure out what’s right for them without having to have a reason to justify the need for change. Just knowing things could be better is enough of a reason to get help.
What are the things you are putting up with that you’d like to get better?
