There are times in all of our lives where we just need a little extra help. There are times when it can be challenging to handle our emotions on our own. We know and understand that life can get messy and unpredictable, for example… 2020. I don’t think that I know anyone who felt that 2020 was what they expected it to be! We all know this… this isn’t NEW information. More so than ever before, we have found new (and old) ways to help us deal with the big emotions that we are experiencing. There are so many ways for us to give ourselves a bit more TLC – venting with our friends and family, self-care and self-help, meditation… the list is endless. But then why is it so common for us to feel so out of control?
While there is ABSOLUTELY a time and a place for community support and self-help, those options don’t always meet all of our needs. Self-help and community support have a limit on the amount of insight and perspective that they can provide us. When we encounter those times in life where we need greater insight, therapy is a great place to find those new insights and perspectives. The consistency that therapy provides can also be a big benefit in allowing us to set time aside to focus on bettering ourselves.
I like to think about it like we do our physical health. YES – going to the gym alone or working out at home has benefits and is always a good choice for your health. However, think about working with a trainer. You have an accelerated track to your health – they help you know which exercises to start with and teach you how to do them correctly. Your therapist is your trainer. They help you to find the most impactful exercises for your specific needs and then teach you to do them correctly!
Therapy is simply a different kind of self-help. It provides you with a safe and consistent space to focus on learning about yourself and developing tools to navigate the unpredictability of life. Having a place to freely express and understand yourself can often provide immediate relief. A therapists’ job is to help you be prepared with new, more sustainable belief systems about yourself and the tools to maintain them. Having a trained professional with an outside perspective can give you the much needed catalyst for change.
There are three indicators for when professional therapy is needed over self help:
- Your life is impacted by your struggles.
When your daily life is being impacted by your struggles, we think that it is time to seek out therapy. Is work stressing you out more than normal? Are you getting sick frequently? Family life, school, work, social life, and/or your physical health are just a few examples of areas where you may be seeing impact.
- Your attempts to change have failed:
The next indicator that we think you should be looking out for is failed attempts to change. Have you attempted to self resolve and continue to fail despite your best efforts? It may be time to seek out professional help to find different ways to address the issue.
- You’re in a cycle:
Do your problems ever feel a bit like deja vu? If you answered yes, then they probably are. While the details may differ, we replay the same struggle and outcome because of our incorrect thought patterns that are held about yourself, others, and the world around you. Therapy can be helpful in breaking these cycles and creating new, healthier ones.
So – what exactly does therapy look like?
At reTHINK Therapy, in most cases, we use a two step process to therapy. First, we work to help you understand your existing negative beliefs about yourself and how you relate to others. Once those beliefs are identified, we work to identify where these feelings first began. Determining the origin of your negative beliefs is helpful in identifying the patterns that your negative thoughts take. Both of these steps together allow you to have the tools to build more positive and sustainable beliefs about who you truly are.
We think that every single person can benefit from a season of therapy. Therapy can provide you with invaluable tools that can be used consistently. Giving yourself the time and respect to learn more about yourself is always a good idea. Click here for a link to learn more about the therapy services we offer and to book your appointment!