HOW TO KNOW WHEN IT IS TIME TO REACH OUT?
In case you only read this far...really ask yourself; "Why not?"
Can we just admit that life is hard? There are so many situations in life that cause us to feel stuck, confused, or overwhelmed. While this experience can be normal, why choose to push through it without support? If there was someone who could help you learn tools to go farther, wouldn't you want them? Asking for help doesn't mean you are weak, you lack faith, or you don't have a great support system. Therapy can be an additional resource for you, and it can allow you to grow and enrich your life. Before you read on, if it is not already clear I am biased and truly believe in the benefits of therapy after years of doing it. Read below to determine when it is time to consider a therapist.
11 SIGNS ITS TIME TO CALL A COUNSELOR OR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
1.) You or someone you love went through a distressing or traumatic event. Now more than ever, people are beginning to open up about the fact that many of us have our own trauma experiences. If you or your loved ones have experienced any type of abuse, neglect, mass trauma, miscarriage, or other distressing event, therapy may help. With techniques like EMDR therapy, people can reprocess and attach more helpful thinking patterns to these painful memories. Many report this reprocessing allows them to grapple with their experience in a way that brings less damage to their present self.
2.) You are currently going through a life change. Events such as retirement, marriage, deployment, or your children moving out can prove challenging to adjust to. Having someone to talk to can help make these transitions easier.
3.) You find yourself irritable over things that wouldn't normally bother you. Your spouse, kids, or co-workers never seem to bother you, but lately you find yourself irritated by little things they say or do. Being irritated over little things in your day to day life can be a sign that you need to process an event, emotion, or decision to find balance again.
4.) You feel overwhelmed with the pressures of your life. It can be difficult to keep up with the demands placed on us at work, home, and socially. Sometimes having someone to help you look at a situation from a different perspective or teach you ways to tackle goals in manageable sections can be necessary.
5.) Your coping strategies and support systems don't seem to be enough. Most of us have developed coping strategies and a network of people that got us to this very moment. I am truly thankful that those existed for each of us to meet a need and help us survive the circumstances in our lives.. However, for some of us, those same skills that brought us to this point, can become ineffective and at times, can even get in the way of further growth.
6.) You or your family member has an illness or injury that impacts their life or yours. The impacts of a new diagnosis or injury can ripple through an entire family. If you or your family member has a diagnosis or injury that impacts their life, there may be any number of complex emotions to work through such as grief or anger. It can be hard to express these things to family if you are worried about how it could impact them.
7.) You need to talk to someone who is unbiased. As mentioned above, we can often carry struggles privately because we don't want to hurt others. Relationship conflict, illness, and abuse are examples of things that can be easiest to talk about someone who is unbiased prior to addressing them with others.
8.) You need help with relationships in your life. We all love someone that stretches us. At times, these relationships can become unhealthy. Whether you could use help understanding how to better set boundaries or conversely, you find it is time to tear down some walls and learn to accept love, therapy can help. While I truly believe your loved ones want what is best for you, they may also need someone to show them what is healthy, making it hard for both parties to grow.
9.) You want to make changes, but don't know how. Does the path to making changes look obscured? Maybe you want to stop yelling at home, possibly change your career, or increase your self esteem but don't know how. Often, when stuck, simply having some accountability can help us become consistent in making the changes we need. Other times, we need someone to help us find the road blocks and move them.
10.) You want to increase success within your career. Surprisingly, one thing I have noticed is how some people view therapy as an expense with a fairly large return on investment. I have had several people share that their productivity at work increased after starting therapy, or they have been more willing to ask for what they deserve because they now realize that they, and their time, are worth it.
11.) You are a therapist. Let me speak to other therapists for a minute. If we are asking our clients to take care of their needs and invest in themselves, we should be continuing to do so and looking for ways to be challenged ourselves. Believe me, I wouldn't ask you to do so if I wasn't willing!
While reading these if there are any that stand out, it is probably time to make that call to schedule your own therapy today. However, I know this can be a scary step. To help, I have written additional educational articles to help you find your therapist. See How to Pick The Right Therapist and Best Therapists Springfield, MO for more information! To schedule with one of our expert therapists at The Mind and Body Clinic click the link below to get started.
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