In this day and age of mental health awareness, it’s astounding how many people are still reluctant to try going to therapy. As much as people might want to deny it, mental health and mental illness are still largely stigmatized, an increasingly problematic issue in a world where sources of mental health crises are plentiful. Many people still believe that therapy is only for individuals who’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness, or who pose a danger to other people.
Obviously, neither of these things is true. Therapy, just like visiting any other doctor, can help you to maintain health as well as treat health issues. Furthermore, mental health issues don’t just manifest as life-altering mental illnesses. Virtually everyone has current and old sources of lingering harm to their mental health. A therapist, however, can help to restore and heal mental wellbeing in everyone.
Therapists don’t have to be seen in person, either, especially if you’re hesitant about meeting one face-to-face. The best online therapy for your needs, with a trusted provider, can be just a click away. If you have been considering turning to therapy to help you achieve inner peace and recover from past traumas, then here are five ways that seeing a therapist can help you to live your very best life.
1. Therapy Can Help Close Old Wounds
Life is filled with ups and downs, or so the old saying goes. As we live, we encounter both high moments of exceptional happiness and low moments of equally profound misery. Many people have old scars and moments of trauma throughout their childhood, or just from their past, that they’ve never taken the time to deal with. For instance, the loss of a close childhood friend, the death of a loved one, or the absence of a parent are all traumatic events that can leave an imprint on our mental wellbeing.
Unfortunately, that emotional scar can remain there until we take the time to acknowledge it. Although you may not recognize it, the average person’s life is filled with moments of anger, pain, tragedy, or betrayal. All of these experiences need to be resolved in order to allow us to fully move on from them. Speaking with a therapist, however, is a fantastic way to heal old wounds that are too painful or too cumbersome to address on your own.
If you’re seeking professional help, consider reaching out to a qualified therapist in Philadelphia. These professionals are well-equipped to provide you with the tools necessary to start your healing journey. They can guide you through emotional exploration and assist in resolving old traumas, helping pave the path toward a healthier future.
2. The Effects Are Long-Lasting
While you should ideally be visiting a therapist regularly or semi-regularly in the same way you get annual or bi-annual check-ups for your physical health, what you gain from it isn’t immediately lost. Even if you choose to leave therapy after some time attending sessions regularly, you won’t lose the progress you’ve made. The benefits of therapy continue to improve your life in the same way that old emotional scars continue to detract from your life had you not addressed them.
The fact is, spending time in therapy isn’t just about improving your quality of life now. It’s also about persistently removing the negative consequences of poor mental health from affecting your life moving forwards. Just a few sessions with a trained therapist can help you get the much-needed closure you need to allow you to heal. And once you’re ready to resume it, your therapist will be ready to help you to continue your journey.
3. It Helps You To Understand Yourself (and Others!)
Therapy is fundamentally about helping an individual understand themselves better: why they do the things they do, what factors are limiting them from achieving their best self, and how they can move past them. Not only does therapy offer a guided method to explore yourself and your own emotional and mental issues, but it also teaches you to better understand yourself and the human mind moving forwards.
Understanding yourself helps you to be better at self-care on your own, aiding in helping you to understand how to care for others better, as well. This introspection can lend you more empathy, allowing you to be a better friend, partner, or parent. The benefits to your relationships cannot be overstated. While therapy is ultimately something you should do for yourself, its benefits can also be incredibly far-reaching.
4. Someone Else Can Help Carry Your Burdens
Everyday life in the modern world is filled with little sources of stress. Financial burdens, work or school, childcare… all these little things can pile up on a person, further compounding the anxiety and mounting pressure on them. Although friends and family are there to help you cope and persevere through hard times, they have their own problems and burdens, as well. There are only so many times you can vent to them before overstepping healthy boundaries.
The fact is, you can’t expect your loved ones to constantly be there to listen to your problems and help you deal with your anxieties. While they can offer a warm shoulder to cry on, a therapist is what you actually need. They can be a fantastic resource to just vent to and speak about things that have you down on a day-to-day basis. Therapists are there to listen and guide you to achieving your best self, and they can take an enormous burden off your shoulders if you let them.
5. Therapy Helps You Feel Better Physically, Too
Although emotional might be in its name, emotional trauma and other mental health issues don’t just affect you mentally and emotionally. They also affect you physically. Poor mental health can result in the excess release of cortisol and other hormonal responses that have unpleasant physical symptoms in the short run. It can lead to shortness of breath, sweating, and increasing heart rate, as well as severe health risks in the long term. Some disorders like skin picking disorder have you literally affecting your physical health every day as it goes untreated. By dealing with your emotional issues and improving your mental health, you improve your physical health as well.
No doubt, mental health isn’t just a problem for a select few in society. Nearly everyone suffers from poor mental health, and everyone can benefit from some help every now and then. The value of considering attending a therapy session regularly to maintain and aid your mental and emotional health and wellbeing can’t be overstated. By taking the time to reach out to a therapist, you can finally overcome the emotional obstacles that are affecting your life today for a healthier, happier you tomorrow.
Article Submitted By Community Writer