A client arrived at my office today paralyzed with fear. He had legal cases. Money and job issues. He feared becoming homeless. His list was long, his face tense with anxiety. It was easy to believe him when he said he was having an emotional meltdown.
After he related what was going on, we began looking for solutions. And the first step was to unravel the tangle of issues he’d brought to our impromptu meeting. Like many clients he’d lumped everything together, making it difficult to unravel what was going on.
However, as he talked, we began making a list. And came up with about five things. Some, like the legal issues, he could do little about because they weren't going away. But as we separated the things he considered “problems” we were able to come up with answers for each.
Once he saw the potential solution for each of his fears, he calmed down.
Like many, especially us addicts, his habit of mixing one issue with another overwhelmed him. Something he could have avoided had he taken them one at a time.
