Every time you mention you are in a bad place mentally or emotionally; therapy is recommended by someone or the other. Therapy for healing you, helping you, or finding your way in this chaotic world.
But what can therapy do for you?
Therapy is a treatment; it is more than just talking to your friends and family about your life problems. Professional therapists are trained to listen to you and help you figure out your problems using tools. They guide you and make you feel emotionally empowered so you can achieve your goals.
People not only need to heal from big accidents but also paper cuts. Therapy helps in healing not only from something big and horrible but also from the little things. Maybe you have always wanted to ask someone out for a date but could not no matter how hard you tried. What stopped you and made you hesitate? Maybe you cannot participate in loud discussions or feel uncomfortable in large groups of people, why?
If you are diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression, therapy is suggested as a possible treatment. But you do not have to be depressed to seek therapy. Sometimes life can be so overwhelming that you just need someone to hear you out and push you in the right direction.
Therapy helps in healing you in many ways.
Being heard
Talking in a safe space where you feel heard without any sort of judgment can make you feel better. How many times has your heartfelt heavy and crying on someone’s shoulder made you feel lighter? How many times have you wished someone to just listen to you? Talking about your feelings is a start to your journey of self-awareness. And you do not have to worry about any sort of judgment or anyone telling your secrets. Therapy is a safe space.
Therapy is highly personal and gives you control. If you do not want to talk about something, you do not have to. You do not have to talk about your childhood or a major traumatic event. Even being anxious about the future is valid. All your feelings are valid and will be heard.
Bad habits
Bottling in emotions not only has a significant effect on your emotional wellbeing but your body reacts to it as well. Having stomach-ache or biting nails due to anxiety is a way your body reacts to certain triggers in your surrounding which you may not even know of. Therefore, it is better if you talk it out.
Identifying what the real problem is can take time but is a major step towards healing from it. Once you know what your bad habits are, you will learn to stop them.
How your mind works
Now that you have started talking, it is time to process the issue. Once you start feeling comfortable with your therapist, you may uncover many uncomfortable truths. Your honesty will lead you to the realization of the root of your problems.
Therapy is an interactive relationship. Your therapist will not just listen and tell you how to fix your life, instead they will make you understand your own thought process. If you know your strengths, you can use them to overcome your weaknesses.
The human brain is a complex organ and it sustains the whole body. If you are highly stressed, your brain will reflect that, thereby affecting the whole body. But if you could control how your brain reacts to stress, won’t it make it easier for you to live your life? Being in peace with your mental and emotional thoughts can give you the freedom to take life head-on.
Fresh perspective
Your therapist helps you analyze your issues. Maybe you had already known what was wrong but did not know how to tackle it. An experienced professional such as a therapist will give you a new perspective. They may notice things you had overlooked. This will help them develop a plan.
Therapists also help you in making healthy changes. If your goal is healing, they will provide you with the right tools. These tools can be changes to your lifestyle or diet. It can also be a guide on how to deal with a sudden anxiety attack and what to do in high-pressure situations.
Conclusion
Therapy is hard work. It is not supposed to be forever because you will develop positive habits and be more in tune with your mind. Just as students graduate from college, you will be equipped with new knowledge and will not need therapy forever. But as people go back to school to learn new things, you may want to go back to therapy when faced with a new challenge you cannot solve alone.
Therapy is a good investment not only for healing yourself but also to equip yourself with the knowledge to sustain your emotional and mental health.
