One thing that I want people to know more after they finish time in counselling than they did before: You are worth protecting.
It might be that you don't believe it fully still, or that there are days where it feels particularly hard to hold onto, or seasons where it feels particularly difficult because life circumstances seem to make it seem untrue.
Nevertheless . . .
You're worth protecting.
Sit with that for a moment. Now take a deep breath and read it again...
You are worth protecting.
Does that feel true to you?
Does it bring up big emotions?
Does it make you feel physically uncomfortable somehow?
Do you want to just stop reading now so it doesn't feel as bad?
For some people I work with, the idea that they are worth protecting seems foreign, uncomfortable, or even wrong. I've been asked, "How can I be worth protecting when I've never been protected before?"
You may not have experienced protection, safety or care in your past experiences. But that does not mean you are unworthy of them.
You have deep inherent dignity. You are worth caring for. And you are worth protecting.
In counselling, there are some times when I encourage people to change their boundaries, change their environment, and move away from dangerous relationships . . . because they are worth protecting.
Protecting sometimes mean stopping harm from others, other times protecting means stopping harm from yourself. Gentle care is there for those who only know rough-and-tough ways of managing through (often through self-harm, binge eating, over-work, or over-responsibility in life, just to name a few).
If gentle care seems foreign. If the idea that you're worth protecting seems far-fetched. You may benefit from having someone sit in those places of pain with you, to help you understand what story is there telling you lies about your value.
Reaching out for counselling can be a good first step in that direction - a way of saying to yourself, maybe I am worth protecting. Because indeed, you are.
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