Going to therapy used to be a ‘hush hush’ thing to do. If you went, you didn’t tell anyone about it. Now, mental health is so important and people boast about going to therapy sessions. We’ve learned along the way that therapy is not a bad thing. In fact, it is the complete opposite, but a lot of us do not know the actual benefits of therapy. So, what are they? Let’s discuss!
First of all, what is therapy (my hope is that all of you already know this)? It goes by many different names: therapy, counseling, psychotherapy, talk therapy, individual therapy, play therapy, and more. But no matter what you call it, it means one thing: you work one-on-one with a trained counselor in a “safe, caring, confidential environment.”
Most people go to individual therapy and that is when you will sit down with someone who has gone through years of training in order to help people who are struggling. They are trained to help people explore thoughts, feelings, habits, and experiences in order to gain a better understanding about them.
Why go to therapy in the first place, or you are not sure if you need therapy? There are many different reasons that you might want to start seeing a therapist. Some of these could be to deal with past trauma, help work through anxiety or depression (or both), cope with major life transitions or events, to gain self-knowledge and awareness, and more. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or unhappy, stuck on the same problem that comes up over and over again, or if you feel a general need for some extra support, then it’s probably time to look into finding a therapist.
So now, let’s talk about the many benefits of therapy. Here are some of them:
Develop fresh insights about your life
A therapist can help you learn healthy techniques that you can implement in your day-to-day life that will help you manage patterns of anxiety, depression, self-criticism, and other unhealthy thoughts and emotions. Plus, when you talk about what you’re feeling and thinking with a neutral person who has no personal attachment to the outcome, you can gain new insights on old issues, helping to uncover underlying causes for what you’re feeling.
Learn tools to handle emotions and problems
Sometimes, due to a lot of different reasons, there are areas of life that feel harder to handle than others. Have you ever come across a problem (or if you have the same fight) over and over and feel each time like you just don’t know what to do or how to handle it? A therapist can help give you tools to deal with those situations and help you work through the fights.
Improve relationships
Relationships suffer when you feel bad day in and day out. You might feel like you don’t want to bring other people down, so you stay away from, or don’t talk to, loved ones. You might lash out when your anxiety flares, saying or doing things that hurt your loved ones. Friends and family might start to feel rejected or hurt and pull away. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or helpless, is hard on all types of relationships. When you start working with a therapist, he or she can help you feel better and improve your relationships with others. Plus, if you are bringing down your relationships, I bet your therapist can point out what you can do to improve.
Feel empowered
Probably the best benefit about starting individual therapy is the feeling of taking back control over your life. When you’re in the throes of anxiety or depression, it can feel like life is swirling out of control and there is nothing you can do about it. But once you start working with a therapist, you take back control of yourself and where you’re going, and it feels like you can do anything. You become happier, more self-aware, healthier, and a better person. Plain and simple: you will feel empowered!
Now that you know some of the benefits, are you ready to start your first therapy session? If so, call up the amazing therapists at Ray of Hope Counseling Services. They offer therapy Peachtree City GA, as well as locations all around GA, and online counseling, too. They are ready to meet you where you are and can help work through your feelings of overwhelm anxiety, or a huge life change that might be coming up. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them if you need to. They will help you feel empowered and ready to take on each day!
