Ambivalence & Conquering Mixed Emotions

It is often assumed that once you have set your mind down a certain pathway of confidence, any conflicts that have arisen will obviously vanish. Consequently, we think that making the “right” decision is any decision we have settled on. But, what happens when your mind and heart are at battle, and two paths seem equally as satisfying and justified?

Ambivalence will plague everyone, at some point in time. Mixed feelings and contradictory ideas are common in all therapy and counseling sessions. Sometimes, it is even the presence of ambivalence that will send individuals and couples into therapy, in the first place. The constant questioning of yourself and your ideas can become endless, sucking in every possible solution or consequence that pops into your head. The basic idea of counseling and therapy is to help battle any demons that you may be facing, but examining too many sides of the story can become detrimental and counterproductive. This is where Metro Detroit Counseling can help. By understanding a few ways to battle ambivalence, you can get more out of your therapy sessions and grow faster towards progress and conclusion.

• Look Back: What started this entire inner monologue? Take the time to look back at how this situation arose, why it escalated, and if any other parties were involved. By answering some of these questions, it may become apparent on which path would be most optimal for you to chose.
• Embrace The Opposition: There is a reason to your ambivalence, and it stems from an inner dialogue war going on inside your head. Both sides of compromise seem either ideal, or detrimental, making every decision more difficult. Understand and accept that your soul is being true to itself, and that rushing into a decision is obviously not the answer.
• Don’t Sacrifice Your Morals: Any decision you move along with shouldn’t comprise who you are, what you believe, and how you chose to value your own life. Feeling deprived or unfulfilled in the long run, will not have made this decision any easier or clearer to you.

Once you have reached the point of a committed decision, recognize that it may still not always feel safe or leave you feeling relieved. But, in time, the ambivalence will start to fade away, as you will adapt to the situations that occur due to your decision. The instinct to keep inner turmoil and tension at bay, will allow you to eliminate any future regret or indecision.

Negative consequences occur in almost any situation, regardless if they are personal to you or not. Strength comes from not obsessing about these issues, and moving forward. Walk with confidence and make the steps towards decisions, today!