Have you ever used a life coach?

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I am totally lost.....I don't know if I need guidance or therapy!
I have lost the ability to be happy. I have no motivation but want certain things to happen and just don't know where to start in terms of getting my life on track. My brain is a muddle of thoughts and ideas. It keeps me awake at night whirring away.

Just wondered if anyone had used a life coach to gain some focus in their life?

Yes, and it was super helpful. Like therapy or counselling but more proactive and focused on the future, not the past. I only had 4 sessions over 8 weeks but that, plus the "homework" was enough that it cleared my head and gave me a clear idea of what I needed to do.

I went with someone who had been recommended by a mentor who worked in my industry. I've known too many senior managers who failed at being promoted to the top jobs and became a life coach as part of "a varied consulting/portfolio career" so I didn't want to end up with someone like that!

I was looking for professional coaching though, because I was frustrated with work and pretty happy with the rest of my life (though of course when you're unhappy with your work it does affect everything, especially if it's work/life balance that's out of kilter).

When you say you've lost the ability to be happy, that sounds more like counselling/therapy territory to me though I am no expert.

CBT is very good. I always think of Jeremy from peepshow when I hear life coach.

I was going to mention Jez too! I don't think you need any qualifications to be a life coach and they aren't registered professions. Getting a recommendation through someone trusted might be a better bet.

I am on a waiting list for therapy. I was told it was 6 months in October but have just found out it's much longer.
Lock down has highlighted a lot of flaws to me in my life. I know I need to work through some stuff that has happened in the past but I also want to look to the future and make plans for that, which is where I thought a life coach might be able to help. I will see if I can get a recommendation from someone.....I had an old colleague suddenly decided (with very little life experience) that she was going to become a life coach and most of the things they said were plain patronising!

I saw a coach through a programme at work and it changed my life so significantly for the better that I am now training as a coach myself! I need some experience as part of my training so I would be more than happy to chat via DM if you are interested in further info (no cost obvs!) or even just to hear my own experience.

As a brief intro, the aim of coaching is to give you the space and tools to recognise what behaviour and thought patterns you fall into that result in the issues you are identifying in your present life. These may or may not be because of past experiences, although the 'why' is not really the important part, it's more about catching it and finding a different approach. We are also not goal based in the sense of I want to achieve X by Y, but by noticing the patterns it takes the blinkers off and frees us from that muddle of thoughts you describe. You absolutely have not lost the ability to be happy, it's just being drowned out by other emotions and coaching can help acknowledge, work through and accept those emotions so the happiness comes back to the fore.

I do know sometimes this kind of stuff can sound a bit hippy dippy; had I not been at rock bottom (and got it free via work!) I would have dismissed the idea of a coach as nonsense. In reality it's pretty simple and just about giving yourself the time and space to work shit out with someone who can gently guide you.

Hope you feel better soon and feel free to reach out xx