Why You Should Be Seeing the Forest AND The Trees

Exploration of Self: A Journey to Clarity and Satisfaction Through "Seeing the Forest and the Trees" by Matthew Lowe, LCPC.

The common saying goes “You’re not seeing the forest for the trees!” By this we’re telling people that they need to focus on the big picture rather than the little details. Which is good advice!-- but it’s incomplete. Yes, you need to see the bigger picture… but you shouldn’t lose sight of the little details. I’ll use the metaphor and put it this way: If you only see the trees, you won’t be able to find your way through the forest. But if you only see the forest, you’re gonna bump into a lot of trees!

This is the message throughout the chapters in my book Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Mapping Your Inner World for Greater Clarity and Satisfaction in Life. The book is a compilation of essays capturing the many talking points I’ve made over and over to clients in the last 10+ years of my work as a therapist. There are six sections, each about a different “forest” that you can find yourself lost in: language, limitations, emotions, time, relationships, and therapy itself. In each section, I introduce big picture ideas (forest-level awareness) in order to get into the nitty-gritty (tree-level awareness) of managing those aspects of life. 

Some questions I address that you might find relatable:

• How can I solve personal problems without getting confused and overwhelmed?

• Is it ok to have weaknesses?

• What should I do when I’m burned out from “caring too much”?

• How do I move on after a difficult experience?

• How can I stop getting into fights with my partner?

• How do I get the most out of therapy?

To see the forest and the trees you have to be willing and able to step back from life to reflect on it, as well as jumping right in and experimenting with it. You have to be both abstract and concrete, philosophical and realistic. I will show you how.