I make a point as a counselor to be clear with my patients: There are no miracles here.
People come to a counselor or a support group because they’re experiencing distress. Does the counselor wave a wand and make it disappear? Absolutely not. In fact, much of the change that can occur is due to the patient putting in the work. This takes time and dedication; simply having a chat with a counselor for an hour a week is no cure. But a dedicated, motivated patient, in collaboration with a counselor, can be quite effective in reducing distress.
A support group is similar. For your consideration, as helpful as it can be to spend time among empathetic peers once or twice a week, that remains but a small fraction of one’s total week.
Use your tools. Seek peer support. Be enough of a priority in your own life that you build your days upon a scaffold of behaviors and activities that give you a chance to feel better.
Sometimes all the tools and support available to you will fall short, and that is ok. On the days during which you cannot seem to answer the bell, time is always on your side. That is, the way you feel will inevitably change. All things must pass, and that includes your difficult days.
