Should I See A Therapist?

Most people experience struggle, adversity, trauma, or emotional difficulty at some point during their life and it can be difficult to determine if professional help is the right step when you’re facing your own moment of struggle. Common struggles include difficulty in a romantic relationship, problems with a family member, stress at work, trying to balance ‘all the things’, or a traumatic experience. Other times, struggle can be about emotional pain such as unexplained or recurring anxiety, depression, anger. Perhaps you’re struggling with a behavioral problems such as difficulty saying no, setting boundaries, or overindulging in food or substances. Sometimes people can find relief through speaking with a trusted friend or family member in combination with taking better care of themselves. However, there are also times where the struggle does not improve by taking those steps, and that is when you may wonder if seeking out a licensed therapist is the right move.

There are some helpful questions you can ask yourself to determine if therapy is right for you. The first is to examine your level of distress: ask yourself if you are in distress and if the distress is interfering with one or more aspects of your life. Is your distress making it hard to focus, fulfill responsibilities, feel safe and accepted, enjoy relationships and hobbies, succeed at work or school? Is the distress leading to overwhelm, depression, or anxiety? Is the distress leaving you feeling hopeless or like withdrawing from others? Are you coping with your distress in unhelpful ways such as by eating too much or too little, using alcohol or other substances, spending too much time online, shopping, or gambling? Has the distress used up your threshold for tolerating others causing outbursts or disproportionate anger? Once you have determined if your distress is leading to quality of life issues, you can look at the amount of time you are spending thinking about your distress and struggles. If you are spending noticeable time each day thinking about or trying to coping with your distress, and relief is nowhere to be found or short-lived, it is most likely a good time to reach out to a licensed mental health professional.

Below is a list of signs that seeing a therapist is a wise choice:

• Disproportionate feelings or anger, rage, or resentment: These feelings are normal human emotions felt by all people sometimes. Having extra support to deal with these feelings is a good idea if they are extreme compared to the situation, do not pass  after the situation has calmed, or leading you to act out in destructive ways towards yourself or others.
• Overwhelm: You may feel as if you cannot cope with all that you have going on, like you can’t rest or breath leading to increased stress. Stress and being overwhelmed not only affect emotional well-being, but they can lead to serious physical health issues as well. Working with a licensed therapist can help you develop healthy methods of coping with all you have going on, preventing the creation of unhelpful coping methods that may be difficult to stop doing later.
• Intrusive or anxious thoughts: All people worry sometimes, but if your worry or anxiety is taking up time during your day or taking the forefront of your mind and thoughts, therapy can help you understand the root of your worries and successfully cope so you’re not continuously distracted, fearful, and nervous.
• Losing interest and feeling apathetic: Depression and anxiety are most likely at play when you use interest in usual activities, life in general, your relationships, or the world around you. Working with someone qualified to support you in finding relief can prevent depression or anxiety from snowballing and causing significant harm both emotionally and physically.
• Hopelessness: Losing hope, motivation, or a positive outlook about the future are signs of depression or anxiety. It is normal to feel this way sometimes, especially after a difficult time or experience, but if the hopelessness persists it can lead to thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Therapy can help you make sense of this difficult emotion, process it, and find your way back to yourself.
• Social withdraw: Everyone needs time alone, especially introverted people, but if you are feeling embarrassed, distressed, anxious, or fearful around others you used to feel good with, therapy can help you understand and cope with these feelings so you can again find comfort and connection in your social relationships.
• Fatigue: For fatigue that cannot be explained by a physiological issue, a mental health issue can often be the cause. If you are feeling tired all the time, sleeping too much, or struggling to get out of bed it could be a symptom of depression that a therapist can help you move through and overcome.
• Relationship issues: If you are struggling in an important relationship, it can have drastic effects on both physical and mental health. Talking through what is going on with a therapist can improve your ability to understand your experience, process your feelings, set boundaries that keep relationships healthy and safe, and communicate effectively. 

Common Benefits of Therapy:

• Self-awareness: A skilled therapist will listen to your story and compassionately help you look at your blindspots without judgement. While this can feel scary it first, it will actually empower you to modify what isn’t working and strengthen what is working leaving you with more power and control over how you want to live your life.
• Healthier, more fulfilling relationships: Therapy can help you address difficulties such as effectively communicating, struggles with trusting others, difficulty in relating to others, and insecurities keeping you from sharing and embracing yourself. 
• Improve your health: The mind and body are intricately connected. Emotions can show up as physical symptoms or disease. By investing in your mental health, you are investing in your physical health. 
• Achieving goals: Therapy can help you set and achieve goals that align with your values. If you aren’t sure what your goals are, therapy can help you clarify them. If you are sure of your goals, but struggle to meet them, therapy can help you create a plan of realistic steps you can take in order to meet them.

If you would like to talk more about how therapy can align with your needs and goals, call or text 480.378.7341 or email [email protected] to set up a free, 15-minute consultation with a licensed therapist today.