How to tell if you need therapy?
We all have those moments when we have extreme feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety or happiness but does that mean we need therapy to deal with them? Nah, that just means we are humans. Most of the time, we're able to bounce back soon enough from all those events. Well, sometimes we might need a little extra help from family and friends but we do manage them, right? Once someone important in a random video said "Taking care of your mental health strengthens your ability to cope with everyday stressors and handle challenges more effectively," and I don't think anyone can put it in a better way.
If you've decided it's time to see a therapist, then you’ve already done the hardest part. Understanding and recognizing that you could use support for your mental health and finally accepting the fact that you are ready for it is a huge step in itself. If you are still struggling with the decision then you're in the right place, I might be able to help you with that process. You are troubled or perhaps you are confused about a few things in life and don't know where to go or what to do, therapy might be a good option.
There are some common reasons that come up in therapy.
1. Extreme feeling of sadness or anger (Constant sadness and hopelessness): If you feel sad more than 2 weeks and it starts getting in the way of your day to day activities, you might need to address it. We all experience anger or sadness but those are usually short-lived so if it stays longer then it could affect your physical health such as loss of energy or exhaustion all day long. It can also bring up unexplained body aches and pains (that is, they aren’t because of an accident or exercise).
2. Sleeping too much or too little (Or eating too much or too little): We all need sleep and it has to be considered among major jobs of the day, taking them as supportive tasks can lead to negligence. Too little or too much sleep can lead to the decline in cognitive functions including memory. The ideal amount? Seven hours a day (it's not accurate though, the hours can be a little more or less depending on your bodily functions). Similarly with appetite, stress primarily affects your digestive system and hence, we start eating too little or too much to cope with extreme stress. Sometimes, it gets little too much out of hand and the role of therapy comes in.
3. Lashing out even on petty issues (Any major issue or series of problems hindering with daily life activities): Irritability, lashing out, sudden outbursts or any uncontrollable emotion can be a sign of unhealthy coping and you might want to consider talking to a professional. There is a possibility of major or long-standing stress due to series of little events or one specific issue that can start hindering your basic tasks like difficulty in waking up, tiredness throughout the day, no motivation for work or talking to people and thinking of death every now and then.
4. Loss of interest in things or activities that used to please you: Issues like extreme stress, depression and anxiety can suck all the life out of you and it doesn't feel very nice, does it? The things that you used to love or seek pleasure from, become boring and uninteresting for you. Once you start losing interest in different things, we either blame ourselves for exhausting ourselves or the world that suddenly became lame and stupid. It may even feel like you have no future or that you’ll never be happy but trust me, it gets better.
5. Abusing drugs, alcohol, food, or sex to cope: We are usually quick to take up unhealthy coping mechanisms for our stress management. We often hear phrases like 'eating my feelings', 'humping my life away', 'drinking away sorrows', 'snorting in my depression' and so on and these sound funny until they're true. That reminds me, humour is also an unhealthy coping mechanism, well, it's okay to an extent but not when you reach into the denial phase.
And perhaps there are more reasons those lead us to seek help such as any kind of transition which generally takes time to get comfortable with. Confusion, anger, anxiety and stress come along with that, so it gets overwhelming for our mighty old brain. Then there is the loss of a job, family issues or relationship management.
You may have great insight into your own patterns and problems. You may even have a set of the skills to manage them on your own. Still, there may be times when you could use a little help—and the sooner you get it, the faster you can get back to enjoying your life.
There are some common reasons that come up in therapy.
1. Extreme feeling of sadness or anger (Constant sadness and hopelessness): If you feel sad more than 2 weeks and it starts getting in the way of your day to day activities, you might need to address it. We all experience anger or sadness but those are usually short-lived so if it stays longer then it could affect your physical health such as loss of energy or exhaustion all day long. It can also bring up unexplained body aches and pains (that is, they aren’t because of an accident or exercise).
2. Sleeping too much or too little (Or eating too much or too little): We all need sleep and it has to be considered among major jobs of the day, taking them as supportive tasks can lead to negligence. Too little or too much sleep can lead to the decline in cognitive functions including memory. The ideal amount? Seven hours a day (it's not accurate though, the hours can be a little more or less depending on your bodily functions). Similarly with appetite, stress primarily affects your digestive system and hence, we start eating too little or too much to cope with extreme stress. Sometimes, it gets little too much out of hand and the role of therapy comes in.
3. Lashing out even on petty issues (Any major issue or series of problems hindering with daily life activities): Irritability, lashing out, sudden outbursts or any uncontrollable emotion can be a sign of unhealthy coping and you might want to consider talking to a professional. There is a possibility of major or long-standing stress due to series of little events or one specific issue that can start hindering your basic tasks like difficulty in waking up, tiredness throughout the day, no motivation for work or talking to people and thinking of death every now and then.
4. Loss of interest in things or activities that used to please you: Issues like extreme stress, depression and anxiety can suck all the life out of you and it doesn't feel very nice, does it? The things that you used to love or seek pleasure from, become boring and uninteresting for you. Once you start losing interest in different things, we either blame ourselves for exhausting ourselves or the world that suddenly became lame and stupid. It may even feel like you have no future or that you’ll never be happy but trust me, it gets better.
5. Abusing drugs, alcohol, food, or sex to cope: We are usually quick to take up unhealthy coping mechanisms for our stress management. We often hear phrases like 'eating my feelings', 'humping my life away', 'drinking away sorrows', 'snorting in my depression' and so on and these sound funny until they're true. That reminds me, humour is also an unhealthy coping mechanism, well, it's okay to an extent but not when you reach into the denial phase.
And perhaps there are more reasons those lead us to seek help such as any kind of transition which generally takes time to get comfortable with. Confusion, anger, anxiety and stress come along with that, so it gets overwhelming for our mighty old brain. Then there is the loss of a job, family issues or relationship management.
You may have great insight into your own patterns and problems. You may even have a set of the skills to manage them on your own. Still, there may be times when you could use a little help—and the sooner you get it, the faster you can get back to enjoying your life.
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