By Andreas Gkoumplias,
One of the most important, but, often misunderstood aspects of mental health is seeking therapy. Whereas people nowadays seek ways to better their mental health and in doing so, improve overall their quality of life, it is not an uncommon phenomenon (especially in small cities/ communities where people know each other well) to be stigmatized/viewed as weak, etc. In this article, we are going to be going over the reasons why seeking therapy of any kind is beneficial, even for people who are seemingly healthy.
Stereotypically, people subconsciously ‘’connect’’ in their mind that in order for someone to seek advice in the expert hands of a seasoned psychologist; that person has to be going through some very severe and insurmountable issues in their personal life. It was the view that dominated in the previous decades and it still is up to this day the reason why so many older people think that happy and mentally healthy people waste their time seeking therapy. That is where most people are wrong. See, it is true that in order for an individual to unlock their true potential, both in their personal and in their work life, one needs to have self-knowledge and self-control and, of course, put in a lot of work on their own.
With the expert guidance of a person that knows how to dive deep into the subconscious and knows how to help resolve any issues that arise, even the happiest person can be even better off. Then, there is the argument “Well, can I not just talk to my friends instead of searching for a stranger?’’. Sure, and it is in every way beneficial to talk to your friends about your issues, your frustrations, etc. The catch here is that sometimes friends, siblings, etc. may give biased advice/opinions, whereas a psychologist, for the most part never ceases to remain impartial.
A different reason why therapy can benefit anyone is the fact that it helps people develop coping mechanisms that are not a detriment to others. To put it simply; when each and every one of us faces a serious problem, we all react differently to it; some people ignore it till they have a solution, some take it to face, etc. However, there are some examples of coping mechanisms that are detrimental to your mental health and sometimes to others; for example, holding every negative emotion inside in order not to upset anyone, or screaming and yelling at everybody when angry, in order to blow some steam off.
Therapy, for the most part, helps you process different situations and respond in healthy ways. Finally, therapy is the perfect way to dig further into the person you are right now, the experiences that shaped you, and decide and work further into who you really want to be in the future. Discovering yourself, your wants and your needs is not an easy process, as it takes a lot of work and sometimes a lot of acceptance but it can definitely help anyone achieve their goals and dreams in the long run.
The best way to summarize this article is to close off by simply saying that seeking therapy should always be a priority. The whole process has a lot to offer even to the seemingly healthy ones and the process of discovering yourself further is truly valuable. And, of course, when one seeks therapy or is already in sessions, it should not be viewed as a sign of weakness and need but rather as a sign of acceptance and self-growth.
References
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50 Shades of Self-Care: How to Give Yourself TLC for Every Occasion. greatist.com. Available here
- 5 unexpected ways everyone could benefit from therapy. emergeprofessionals.com. Available here
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3 Reasons Everyone (Even Happy People) Should Go to Therapy. hopecounselingeap.com. Available here
