what problems can be helped?
Sometime, somewhere, we will all have a problem or two. We would'nt be human if we didn't. That really is the bottom line, and just the way it is. Having problems sometimes is nothing to be ashamed of or to feel weak or a failure about. So it's best, at the outset, if we don't let ourselves have a problem with having a problem, because if we do we have already doubled the number of our problems!
And when we do have problems, they are, of course, unique to us - nobody has your problem (if you have one) in quite the way that you do, because nobody else is living your life with your thoughts and your feelings and your personal history. I always remember and respect this fact when I am working, and because of it I always say that I really treat people and not problems.
Assuming one does have a problem, the obvious question then is: "What do we do about it?" Some people sit on their problems, hoping that they'll go away (and sometimes they do), some people can sort out their problems for themselves, and some people seek help. No approach is wrong or right, and only you know which is the best way forward for you. In fact it could be said that solving our problems is a bit like rearranging furniture - perhaps you could do the rearranging yourself, or you get someone to help you do to do the moving and changing, or you could just leave things as they are, and live with the current arrangement.
And that is the next point that needs to be considered. Is the problem small enough for you to live with, or is it really getting in the way of you living your life to the full and in the way you want to? Here, taking a look at the bigger picture of your life and the years behind you, and ahead of you, can help. Has the problem had a significant impact on your happiness and well-being so far? And do you want to go on smoking/worrying/feeling anxious, or whatever your problem is, for the next five or ten years. Again, no answer is wrong or right, but at least asking yourself the question means that you are taking responsiblity for your future and your happiness, and choosing where you are going, and that has to be good thing.
