5 signs you might benefit from therapy
The decision to seek out professional help for mental health is often a very daunting one, and many tend to put it off for a long time.
Despite the feeling that we may not be having a hard enough time to seek out therapy, or fears associated with talking to another person about our concerns, studies have found that even a single session of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help.
If you’ve been considering seeing a therapist, here are five signs that can help you decide.
1. You think about it a lot
If you have considered seeing a therapist multiple times but have hesitated, it may be a sign that you want to go but that something is holding you back.
As nerve-wracking as it may be, giving therapy a try will help you end the debate once and for all.
2. Basic tasks are difficult
Those struggling with depression or burnout can find it difficult to keep up with tasks like showering, shopping for clothes, deciding what to wear each day, or filling out forms. If this is you, therapy can provide a way to make these tasks less of a struggle.
3. You struggle to make or keep friends
Whether you find it easy to make friends but hard to keep them, or you struggle with both making and maintaining friendships, therapy can help. For instance, some people with insecure attachment styles - which develop when we’re young - therapy can act as a way to learn relational skills that can be applied in friendships and relationships.
4. You’re looking for support
Whether you’re unsure how to make a big decision or are struggling to cope with a stressful event in your life, therapy can help. Though a therapist won’t give their opinions on what you should do, they can help you figure out what you want to do and lay out all of the pros and cons clearly. Therapy can also help you figure out how to navigate the stressful events that come up and develop coping skills to use in the future.
5. You’re curious
Therapy isn’t just for the people who need it. If you’re interested in gaining strategies to use in different areas of your life or you want to get a different perspective on yourself, therapy can be worth trying.
Despite common perceptions about therapy, it doesn’t need to be a long-term commitment or take up a large chunk of time. Since everyone is different, our experiences with therapy will also differ and can involve attending for a long period of time or just a few sessions.
No matter what is driving you to consider going to a therapist, it doesn’t hurt to take the plunge and try it out.
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