It is increasingly challenging in today’s society to maintain a sense of self-worth and the experience of true confidence are all but an illusion. A lack of self-esteem manifests in many ways, and it’s safe to say that it is one of the biggest problems we face.
We are constantly in search of pleasurable scenarios we think might bring resolute happiness. We’re attracted to success, power, wealth, relationships, possessions and security — all in the quest to find lasting happiness. Unfortunately, most of our efforts don’t lead to this desired outcome. To say that we live in an emotionally “sick” society is an understatement.
Some people don’t even realise the detrimental effects of this lifestyle. Many, however, do and are looking for help. Some turn to therapists, others seek help by hiring a life coach. What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist, you might ask? A lot actually.
What Is the Difference Between Life Coach and Therapist?
How do you define therapy? Therapy is a long-term process in which a healthcare professional helps a client identify and resolve problematic behaviours, beliefs, feelings, relationship issues, and sometimes physical symptoms. In therapy, the goal is to work through painful emotions and past traumas, to change self-destructive habits, and to repair and improve relationships. A therapy session focuses largely on the past and on introspection and analysis, in order to help resolve old issues and move forward.
How does life coaching work? The goal of life coaching is to help the client clarify his or her goals, identify obstacles, and formulate a plan to achieve desired results with the assistance of a coach who is not a healthcare professional. In contrast to a therapist, a life coach uses the client’s current situation as a neutral starting point and then uses more action-based methods from thereon. Getting treatment from a life coach allows the individual to take control of their lives and take action to guide them in the right direction.
Life coaches also help their clients (not patients) find stress management strategies to avoid chronic stress. One of these strategies is meditation.
How Can Meditation Help?
The mind holds inherent qualities of clarity and well-being that lie beneath the superficial level of displeasure. Meditation can help you access these positive qualities and enhance them. The more often we practise meditation and rely on the positive qualities of the mind — love, peace, well-being and contentment — the less we need to rely on external scenarios for our happiness.
Accessing our inner well-being and natural happiness is one of the biggest accomplishments we can achieve. We begin by focusing inwardly to access this treasure. Meditation helps us to focus internally and we gain confidence in our well-being and innate goodness as we meditate more.
If you have unresolved childhood trauma or any other issues you need to address, a therapist would be your best bet. If you want to live more intentionally, learn how to manage stress and ultimately improve the quality of your life, then life coaching is for you. For more information about life coaching or to book a free session, get in touch with Integrative Coaching today!