When Should You Start Your Journey With Therapy?

Psychotherapy, counseling, or any form of therapy can benefit people in many ways. Therapy is known to improve the symptoms of many mental illnesses. In therapy, people learn to cope and adapt to situations. Some symptoms may not respond to medication, the benefits of therapy are seen to last longer than medication. Medication reduces symptoms whereas therapy teaches you to deal with the symptoms. 

In today’s world, mental health issues are more common than we think. 1 in 5 people live with a mental health condition and 1 in 25 people have a serious mental illness. However, the percentage of people taking help for their mental illness is really low. Untreated issues can have many negative effects and they can get worse with time. It may reach a point where your mental health condition affects your day-to-day life, making it hard for you to function in conditions such as work and school. It may impact your relationships, the risk of having health issues and hospitalization also increases. The suicide rates are at an all-time high and it is not an individual problem but an institutional problem. The world is leading towards more alienation with each day passing, and people are becoming hesitant to ask for help.

Going to therapy or telling someone to go to therapy can be a tough task because people are not even in terms of the fact that something is not right and they need to seek help. It is difficult to watch a person close to you suffer from a mental illness. Mental illness has no face either, you can seem to be having the best time of their lives while struggling from inside. Having said this, people need to choose therapy on their own as long as they are not harming themselves or anyone else. 

The first step is coming to terms with yourself and your situation. The American Psychological Association suggests considering therapy when something interferes with your daily life, especially when:

• The issue makes you want to avoid people and causes embarrassment. When you do not want to talk to people about it.
• Thinking about the issue and how to deal with the issue for at least one hour every day.
• The issue has negative effects on your work, relationships, school, and other day-to-day experiences.
• You have tried to change their habits to deal with the issue.
• The quality of life has decreased due to a particular issue.

If you are experiencing these feelings then you should try seeking help:

Feeling overwhelmed: You feel like you have a lot on your plate and you can’t breathe or relax. This can lead to multiple physical health issues.

Fatigue: Fatigue is a physical symptom and it often comes with mental health issues. If you find yourself sleeping a lot or having trouble getting out of bed or having sleepless nights even you are tired, you are experiencing fatigue.

Intrusive thoughts: It’s normal to worry about things but if you find yourself worrying a lot and worrying takes a significant time of your day then you are having intrusive thoughts.

Disproportionate rage and resentment: If you find yourself getting angry or resentful of things a lot and if these thoughts lead you to be violent with yourself or others, you should try therapy.

Social Withdrawal: If the feeling of being with people makes you feel distressed and you see yourself losing interest in day-to-day activities, not liking the things you used to like, feeling hopeless, you are withdrawing yourself from social situations.

Therapy is a journey, it may not work the first time, it may not work out multiple times. Trying and seeing no change can be frustrating, it might seem like a waste of time. Therapy is difficult, coming to terms with trauma is difficult, the cost of therapy may be a concern. Having said this, therapy can have benefits like knowing more about yourself. It can help you to have fulfilling relationships and achieve your goals and you are likely to have better health. It may lead to improvement in all areas of your life.

If you are not ready to commit to therapy on your first go, therapists offer a free consultation where they talk you through the process, this might encourage you to get help. Get therapy, it can change your life for the better.