Today I want to discuss a topic that I believe often gets overlooked.  Therapy.  I currently see a therapist and have seen one at different points in my life for various reasons.  I won’t go into details about the reasons I am currently seeing a therapist, but I will say that it is for more than one reason and I have always found many benefits by discussing issues with an outsider who has no bias.  Often we think of people who need therapy as “broken” or “wounded,” but I don’t think I am either of those.  I believe people who seek outside help are often stronger than they get credit for.  Realizing your issue(s) is bigger than you is a huge step in personal development.  It shows that you are human and understand that you can’t fix everything (by yourself).  I want to share the different reasons I believe in therapy and how it helps me.

1. My therapist helps me see things through a different light.  Therapy helps me to take a step back and realize that my view is very narrow.
2. Talking issues through is a part of self-healing.  Acknowledging your mistakes and faults is part of the healing and growing process.
3. You learn new things about yourself.  Some people don’t see the benefit of therapy because they think therapists just listen.  While they do listen, they often make suggestions of ways you could approach situations different or think about an issue in a new way.
4. Sometimes you do answer your own questions.  By hearing your thoughts out loud, sometimes you are able to see how crazy/funny something sounds and realize you need to make a change.
5. Therapy is a stress reliever.  I am an emotional person.  A little thing can make me sad/frustrated pretty quickly.  By talking things through with my therapist, I am able to get everything out without exploding on an individual who hurt or upset me.
6. It is my me time.  Having a designated time to talk about my feelings and really think past situations through is very valuable for me.  I am the type of person to sweep things under the rug and try to move on quickly, but therapy forces me to go back to certain situations and think about how they could have been handled differently.  It has definitely taught me to address the problem head on rather than avoiding it.  
7. Therapy has helped me realize that I am not the only one.  My therapist has helped me to realize that something I might think is a huge deal is really not that abnormal at all.  My therapist has helped me to realize that a lot of people go through the same struggles that I do.  It is nice to hear that you are not alone (or crazy).  
8. There is almost always a fix.  Therapy has helped me realize that there are ways to fix certain behaviors and ways of dealing with situations.  You don’t have to change who you are to better yourself.  I am constantly striving to be a better version of myself and to have the opportunity to learn of ways to do this from a professional is very helpful.  

Therapy is not for everyone.  I totally get that.  But, I do think most people could benefit from it.  You do not have to have something terrible happen to feel the need to talk to someone.  Therapy can be beneficial in all stages of life.  In life, we all go through turning points/major changes such as figuring out a career, job searching, completing a degree, getting married, moving, having children, etc.  These can all be very positive moments in life, while being very overwhelming and unsettling at the same time.  I think it is important for people to understand that therapy does not make you weak.  In fact, I believe it makes you really strong.  Sometimes it is hard to tell a complete stranger everything about you, including your flaws.  But, the benefits certainly outweigh the costs.  If you are thinking about seeing a therapist for any reason (you may not have a reason at all), I encourage you to do it.  

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this topic and I will do my best to answer them!  Have a wonderful day!

Questions:

1. Have you ever gone to therapy?
2. What was the biggest life change you have encountered so far?
3. What is your favorite way to spend “me” time with yourself?