I cannot resist sharing with you one of the counselling concepts that I find most powerful in therapy.
The paradoxical theory of change is a Gestalt concept that says meaningful change comes when we accept ourselves as we are right now, rather than chasing an ‘ideal’ us. It is by allowing ourselves to live as we are that we see the greatest change occur. In other words, rather than forcing change, we create a strong foundation by becoming more comfortably ourselves, enabling us to naturally flex and adapt to our environment as needed.
This may sound a little woo-woo, but no longer striving to be different is liberating!
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