1. It can be helpful for anyone. There are many preconceived notions about therapy. Some people think it’s for “crazy” patients while others think it’s only useful after you’ve exhausted other options. Some people believe it’s an expensive luxury reserved for the rich while others view it as a last resort for those who have dismissed organized religion. None of these things are true. Therapy can be helpful for anyone. The sessions range in price and you can find a licensed professional that matches your religious preferences or who specializes in a certain area of your choosing. It’s not just for those who have mental health disorders, it can be beneficial for anyone regardless of what may be occurring in your life.
2. It can help you better handle stress and acute life events. One of the key benefits of therapy is that it helps you better navigate through things. As many of you know by now, life has its ups and downs. Some moments you may be filled with happiness in your home life or career and other times you may be struggling with sickness or stress at your job. Going to therapy can help you gain the skills and tools needed to get through those tough times effectively. Talking to a licensed therapist who isn’t a close family member or friend allows you to vent to someone who can give you unbiased advice.
3. It can be “exercise for the mind.” Although many people start going to therapy because they need help dealing with a tough time in their lives or find themselves suffering from depression or anxiety, many others go as daily maintenance. Just as you exercise as a way to stay in physical shape and decrease your chance of getting a chronic disease, therapy can be viewed in a similar manner. Some professionals actually think of it as “exercise for the mind.” It helps keep your mind sharp and provides you with the strategies needed to better deal with stress, life changes, and unforeseen events. When challenging times occur in your life, you are less likely to be negatively affected by it and can use the tools from therapy to deal with these events in a productive manner.
4. It can pinpoint problematic behaviors in a non-judgmental way. One of the unique things about therapy is that it challenges you to find your “why.” You’ll have to search within yourself to find the reason you act and think the way you do. During this process, you may even discover that some of your thoughts and behaviors aren’t as effective or productive as you once believed. As you do this self-reflection, your therapist can help pinpoint any problematic behaviors in a non-judgmental way. For example, my therapist helped me see that I depend on the approval of others in an unhealthy way and understand how that need for approval was impacting the decisions I made in my life. I may not have been as receptive to this critique if it was coming from someone in my family or one of my friends, but to have it come from a therapist who has no personal connection to me really made me want to change.
5. It can help you heal from past traumas and give you a new perspective on life. Besides helping you deal with certain life events and better function with certain mental disorders, chronic conditions, or lifestyle changes, therapy is also really great for helping you get more satisfaction from life in general. It can help reshape your outlook on your family, career, and relationships and help you approach life with more gratitude and zeal than before. My therapist asked me questions I’d never been asked before that really made me question why I act, think, and behave the way I do. I was challenged to think about the ways my childhood shaped my personality and why I have the goals and ambitions I do now. Just thinking about these questions helped me gain a new perspective on my life. Even if you feel things are good for you at the current moment, why not give it a try?