26 TOP COVER ISSUE 12
WELFARE COACHING INSIGHTS
When do you acknowledge that you need help?
S
ometimes people are scared to try something different, jump outside the box with an alternative therapy or maybe they just have too much pride? That means that they live with problems and issues that restrict their choices making their lives much more difficult for months and years, whilst the stress & anxiety dismantle their confidence, motivation & self-belief piece by piece in front of their very eyes. There is definitely something within the human spirit that makes us all reticent to reach out for help until ‘we have tried everything we can to fix ourselves’ when that doesn’t work, sometimes the light dawns & that moment of clarity
WRITTEN BY RAK NATHWANI
arrives & we understand that we must look outside of ourselves to help resolve our issues & tackle the demons. Some examples: fear of a variety of things from ‘failure’ to ‘social interaction’ to ‘returning to work after illness’ & an inability to cope having lost confidence from daily stresses and strains of life and work, an over reliance & addiction to coping enablers such as smoking, gambling, drinking or prescribed drugs. Or even more emotionally driven issues such as trouble coping with traumatic & challenging deployments (with or without proper debriefings), or bereavements and relationship break ups - which often lead onto other habitual troublesome issues such as eating and sleeping disorders, which can wreak havoc with the life of the person & those around them.
Officers & people alike often carry around their burdens for months if not years, wearing an ‘I’m OK mask’ whilst trying everything in their power to ‘shake off’ their demons.
RAK NATHWANI