Everyone Needs Therapy

Friend: You good

Me: Of course. Just a little off today, yesterday, and the day before that

Friend: You should see a therapist

Me: I’m good. Not crazy.

Friend: And seeing one makes you that?

So many of us feel as if we have it all under control. We hate asking for handouts or appearing as if we need help. We often see our perseverance through any struggle as a sign of strength. And many of us persevere day after day after day. At some point, some of us realize that we are simply persevering and not enjoying the life we have been given. Yet there are others that faill to see a struggle but they acknowledge isolated crisis and difficult transitions as part of life.

Professionals in the field of mental health concede that not everyone will experience a mental illness or struggle with their mental health. However, we also recognize that just like we need annual checkups as a preventative measure for physical health, everyone should seek therapy to help process and understand their own mental health. Mental health professionals (therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc.) are uniquely trained to provide structure and evidenced-based knowledge to issues and struggles specific to your life. In therapy, you will work together with a professional to develop and implement coping skills through the composition of acquired information, intervention, expertise, and individual experience. The sole basis for therapy and determining factor of that success is growth. Our growth is instrumental in the way we perceive the life we are living. Understanding the ups and downs of life are associated with our emotions can help us to appreciation the experience. For an example, therapy could help you realize that you are both happy and sad about a breakup.

Down through the years, many have shown growth without the structure and confines of therapy. Nonetheless, that growth has most often come with a hefty cost. As we grow, we will find that our struggles are not just about us. Our progress or lack thereof will always affect all those connected to us. Parents experiencing a crisis will affect their children and their subsequent growth. Relationship partners with significant issues will influence the path of the relationship. Employees and coworkers experiencing difficulties will impact the culture of their specific work area.

We all need therapy to assess, address, and connect our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health is a continuum that influences our thinking, mood, perception, judgment, and behavior. From day to day, life change right before eyes, and we do not always have control over the change. For some, these changes can negatively affect our quality of life. Therapy can improve it by helping us to gain greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Without therapy, certain changes and experiences can influence negatively for an extended period of time and lead us to mental illness. A mental illness can happen to anyone at any time. If we are experiencing a mental illness, therapy can lead to symptom reduction in combination with medication management. While therapy can be used as an intervention to treat serious problems, applications learned in therapy can help one lead the life they feel they deserve. Consider seeing a mental health professional today to assess your current circumstance and note the results after your initial session.