There are various myths or misconceptions about therapy, such as “telling a stranger my personal problems will not help me solve them; I have to do it myself” or “therapy is overestimated; it will not work for me” or “if I go to a therapist, I will never be able to solve my issues on my own without the help of someone else”. Many people who considered therapy at some point in life had these thoughts, which only managed to impede them from enjoying the benefits of collaborating with a licensed mental health professional. Indeed, therapy does not represent a magical solution that will solve all your problems overnight, but it does teach you plenty of useful things, like building a better behavior and navigating your feelings and relating to your thoughts. Shortly, the main objective of a therapist is to help you face the challenges of life alone once you leave his office definitively. Moreover, people should learn to make a clear difference between therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist.
You have medical symptoms but the tests come back negative
No, you do not opt for a therapy session only if you have severe mental issues or you are on the verge of collapse. On the other hand, going to the therapist is not a glamorous pastime for the rich either. What the media tells you or what you see in movies is not accurate so you should not run away from this option unless you experience it yourself. Keeping all the above in mind, the following question instantly arises: when do I know that I should make an appointment with a therapist? Well, there are numerous telltale signs that you should take immediate action and the first one refers to having medical symptoms despite the tests coming back negative, which gives doctors nothing to diagnose. At that point, even your doctor will ask you “have you thought about or will you consider going to a therapist?”. The sad part is that many patients do not actually understand the connection between physical and mental health so they overlook this helpful piece of advice and either go to other doctors for a different opinion thus wasting money unnecessarily or they struggle to continue living a normal life.
You feel stuck in life and you need a major change
Scheduling your first therapy session requires a lot of courage because it practically means that you admit that you cannot handle all your problems alone and that you have to seek professional help, even if you benefit from the support of your friends and family. The second compelling sign that you should not wait any longer when it comes to finding an experienced therapist refers to feeling stuck in life. If you are in a harmful or unhealthy relationship, if you cannot escape negativism and overcome your bad mood, if your current job does not make you happy, then you definitely need a change, which can start in the therapist’s office. The solution is to stop doing the same actions and looking at your life from the same perspective. However, you cannot do it by yourself; you need someone to show you the way or at least assist you during the process. Just make sure that you perform a thorough background search, to make sure that you are dealing with a serious and reliable person. Stopping the vicious cycle is not easy, but it is possible.
You cannot deal with stress or control your emotions
Do you know what negative consequences stress can have on your body and mind? You experience headaches, nausea, insomnia, aches and pains, irritability, increased anxiety, inability to concentrate, loneliness and memory issues, among others. Generally, people who need therapy cope with a great amount of stress daily. Not being able to control your emotions represents another telling sign that you should collaborate with a mental health professional. Of course, people process things differently, feel things differently, react differently to various situations and some of them display more emotion than others. However, if you experience moments when you cannot control your anger, you have panic attacks or you cannot stop crying, then you should consider contacting someone who can help you regain control over your emotions and your mental health. Keep in mind that not knowing how to deal with such negative emotions forces you to bottle them up and this can only lead to an explosion. Hiding what you feel represents the worst mistake that you could make because it can lead you to mental collapse.
Other signs that you should schedule a visit to the therapist’s office refer to feeling disconnected from hobbies or favorite activities, experiencing problems in the relationship, friends and family members expressing their concern on your health, using alcohol or illegal substances to cope with life or numb negative feelings, not being able to forget about a trauma experienced in the past.