Today I have finished my fourth lesson in the counselling skills course and it’s safe to say that I’m getting a lot out of it. Even if I’m not enthusiastic on the day, I still manage to feel better when I sit down to learn and I can be engaged in the theory work. I especially like the part of the lesson where we practice the counselling skills with a fellow classmate; like I expected, I tend to prefer learning that way.
There is a nagging feeling that gets to me when I’m away from the class environment though and it probably has to do with the effects of the isolation on my self. I tend to become deflated, fall into negative thought patterns and lose confidence in myself and my abilities. It’s not all the time, but I feel I will have to make more of an effort to escape the isolation and find more reasons to go out into the world, which I’ve mentioned before anyway and is a continuing problem for me.
It’s nice to get encouraging feedback, both from tutor on the homework and the skills practice from my partner in the class. It feels like what I’m doing is more like the right kind of fit for me and that does bring me some reassurance and faith that I’m doing what I need to be doing.
At this point, it’s more a case of maintaining and building upon the positive experiences and trying to rework the negative ones into something better.