A while back, I wrote an article about finding purpose and meaning<\/a><\/span>, exploring why it was important to have a sense of purpose and meaning<\/a><\/span>. Today I’m going to expand on that by sharing how a therapist might help a client find their own sense of meaning<\/a><\/span> and purpose in life.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In its simplest of terms, a purpose is why you do something or why something exists (Cambridge Dictionary<\/a><\/span>). But in the context we’re using it in this article, it means what gives you a sense of direction, whether big or small, it’s that thing you have in your life that gives you meaning (Everyday Health<\/a><\/span>). And that can really be anything. For some it might be their family, for others, it could be painting, while for me it’s to help people avoid ending up like me.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Our sense of purpose will also change as we change because life always changes (The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley<\/a><\/span>). When I was a suicidal teen, my purpose was to get wasted on drugs and try as many as I could, because it gave me a reason not to end my life. If I died as a result of that drug use, then that would have been ok too. Since getting my shit together, I want to help people avoid getting into anything like my state of mind back then. That’s my purpose, and why I created this blog.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nFinding Purpose, What Does That Even Mean?<\/h2>\n