Why Would It Do Everyone Good to Go to Therapy from Time to Time?
Therapy is an excellent tool for dealing with our problems from another point of view. Our friends can give us advice, but often it’s not enough, or not quite what we need. That’s where psychologists come in. Society is starting to understand that not only crazy people go to therapy, but that more people are starting to go to therapy to find the support they can’t find elsewhere.
It’s now very common for people to go to therapy in order to get to know themselves. For many people therapy has become a space to learn about themselves. It’s not about getting advice from someone who doesn’t know you, it’s about learning to see your problems from another perspective.
Mistaken ideas about therapy
People still think therapy is when you lie on a couch while the psychologist digs into childhood trauma to explain how you’re feeling. Others think the therapist will solve their problems, just like that. Then there are others who think the opposite, that the therapist is passive and just listens.
These ideas are wrong. That couch belongs to psychoanalysis, and not all psychoanalysts actually use a couch. We could say, especially in Europe, that today’s version of psychology has gotten rid of the therapy couch. They are now the exception and not the rule.
Psychologists won’t give you the answers. Instead, they will help you to find them for yourself. Some will even ask you questions you’d perhaps never asked yourself before. But they may be very relevant to the problem you came to them about.
Also, depending on the situation, they may give you exercises to help you. Therapy has changed quite a lot. Now, there are fields like cognitive-behavioral therapy and third wave cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Why is it good to go to therapy from time to time?
Therapy is not exclusively reserved for people with mental disorders. It’s a helpful resource for everyone, because we are not invincible, and sometimes we need other points of view to add to our own. And we certainly are not perfect, so probably we’ll make mistakes that we’ll need to review in order not to make them again.
“Some people say they haven’t yet found themselves. But the self is not something one finds; it is something one creates.”
-Thomas Szasz-
A lot of people need to go to therapy. For others, it may not be a need, but rather just a very good thing for their emotional and mental health. Life is full of trauma and difficult times, and there’s no reason we should have to handle them alone. Psychotherapy is always there to give you a hand.
7 reasons therapy can help
It is interesting to analyze the different reasons therapy is a helpful resource for people without mental disorders. Let’s take a look!
It makes you feel better by giving you a new lens to see the world through
Therapy teaches you strategies to make you feel better. Also, not only does it alleviate the symptoms but it also helps you understand how they came into your life and why they’re still there. For example, it can help not only reduce your anxiety but also understand why anxiety has come up at this moment of your life. Then, you can see what’s happening to you from a new perspective.
It is good for your emotional health and understanding your emotions better
The therapeutic process is a good tool for improving your emotional intelligence. It goes deep into your fears and repressed emotions. It brings them out into to the light and helps you express them, so that they then can cease to be a problem. For example, if you’re afraid of being alone, a psychologist can help you share this fear and start handling it differently.
It invites you to step out of your comfort zone
You know what doesn’t work. That’s why good therapy can help you explore new areas and handle uncertainty better. For example, say you’re upset because you don’t have any friends but you don’t do anything to remedy this situation. If you go to therapy and learn to open up, you’ll be better equipped to interact with people.
It helps you to distance yourself from your problems and see them from a broader perspective
When we are right in the middle of our problems, it is often difficult to find a solution. But a psychologist can help you to see more options and even to understand why you reject some, claiming logic. For example, if you have a problem with a relative, putting yourself in their shoes, through role-playing, will enable you to understand the conflict better.
It enables you to get to know different parts of yourself better
We never get to know ourselves fully, and there are always parts of ourselves yet to explore and understand. Sometimes, we have ways of being and acting that we reject, consciously or unconsciously. For example, in psychotherapy, you may come to realize which parts of yourself you don’t accept and start to reconcile yourself to them.
It clears your mind and helps you see what’s important in your life
Often, our minds get so clouded over with what’s wrong and not working in our lives that we forget to what’s really important in life – enjoying the present and appreciating our loved ones. For example, you may be so caught up with work that you forget about your marriage. Therapy can help you to put your problems into perspective and value what is truly important.
It fosters self-knowledge and a compassionate attitude
Self-knowledge means being aware of thoughts, emotions and attitudes that we weren’t previously aware of. For example, sometimes we mistreat ourselves and we don’t realize, so therapy helps us to have more self-compassion and patience and to be more understanding with ourselves.
It reinforces your mental health, preventing possible emotional lows
Therapy is a good resource to strengthen your self-esteem and help you get back into harmony with your inner world, which we tend to lose in the whirlwind of daily stress. On the other hand, you already have many tools to help face your problems, therapy is just going to help you to become aware of them and to select the best for each moment.
Remember you are the one who chooses your destiny and is at the helm of the boat, so you can learn to keep yourself afloat or even to navigate and enjoy the process. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it doesn’t make you weaker. Quite the contrary.
It’s never too late to discover the benefits of therapy and to start to enjoy your day-to-day life without so many burdens or headaches. Therapy is good for everyone because we are human, we go through rough patches in life and there’s no reason we should know how to resolve them alone. Sharing your problems and benefiting from psychological treatment can be a great decision, and in the long-term your mental health will thank you for it.
