What You Need to Know about Therapy
1. It is ok to seek help
Mental health statistics by singlecare.com* shared anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and eating disorders affect over millions of people worldwide. According to American Psychological Association, in 2018, majority of students are aware of mental health services in their campus yet only a small portion less than 20% of young adults receive mental healthcare as reported by SAMHSA. Some common issues people seek help for include: anxiety, depression, alcohol use disorders, eating disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, mood disorders, confidence and self-esteem issues.
Essentially, as long as you’re a growing human being with desires for happier life experiences, therapy will benefit you. You do not need a diagnosis or have mental illness to seek help. Everyone can benefit from getting professional help, whether it is therapy, counselling or coaching.
Here are some apps and resources to consider if you are not comfortable with meeting a therapist 1-1:
2. There are different forms of therapy
There are many different forms of therapy and each can work independently or together with another form of therapy depending on what’s best for an individual. Some forms of therapy include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to name a few
My recommendation is to research on the modalities and go with what feels right for you. Various forms of therapy appeal to different individuals. Some may try them all, some may feel more comfortable towards one modality. Some individuals may prefer to tackle their issue head on, and go with a form of therapy that brings quick results, while some can prefer to take their time. Healing is YOUR process, and your choice of therapy doesn’t have to look the same as another person.
3. The stigma around therapy
Treating mental illness with therapy is similar to treating flu with a visit to the doctor. While we normalize going to the doctor with a physical issue, the same should be applied to mental issue.
Common myths about mental health:
4. Honor the process and be patient with yourself
Therapy is uncovering the trauma and emotional hurts we accumulated possibly 20,30 or even 50 years. There is no quick pill or fast fix solution. Trust your therapist and show up for yourself (i.e. your therapist is not here to save you, you are to participate in the therapy work). Stay committed and know that results will show.
5. Why it is recommended to have therapy before it’s “too late”
When we have therapy, we learn ways our subconscious mind and hidden parts of ourselves voice their needs.
We are able to see the suppress parts of ourselves and learn to show greater kindness, patience and acceptance to ourselves.
We get to learn coping strategies to work with the stresses of life.
We get to perform at a healthier mental state and this increases our growth and productivity to do more of the things we want instead of worrying about the physical symptoms which will manifest itself at inappropriate times e.g. if panic attack will strike us at the workplace or when we are with our loved ones.
*https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/mental-health-statistics/
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