Therapy is a word that is on the lips of many these days as sharing details about mental health becomes more commonplace. This is a positive change, as your mental health is just as important as your physical health, but a misconception from the past about therapy remains.
Some people believe that it’s only necessary for people with diagnosed conditions like anxiety, depression, or trauma. While this view is understandable, it misses out on the true scope of therapy and the benefits it can offer to everyone as a tool for self-growth and well-being.
Accessing mental health services is easier than ever, and many mental health professionals, including Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (NPs), are expanding their expertise through online psych NP programs, which allow them to provide accessible, high-quality care to a broader audience. This shift is helping to normalize therapy as a proactive step in maintaining mental health. In this article, we’ll break down why you should consider therapy even if you don’t have a specific mental health concern.
Therapy as a Tool for Personal Growth
Therapy isn’t just a solution for a diagnosable issue. It is a space for people who want to understand themselves better, manage their emotions, and improve the way they look at their lives. Therapy is like a mirror: it’s a safe place to explore thoughts, behaviors, and experiences without fear of judgment from somebody not qualified to give mental health advice.
The most significant personal change you can make through therapy is developing your sense of self-awareness. Structured conversations and guided questioning with a trained and experienced mental health professional can help you see patterns in your life that you weren’t previously aware of, which can help give you a clearer sense of who you are and what you can do to improve your life.
Self-awareness is the bedrock of personal growth. How can you change or improve aspects of what’s going on in your life if you don’t even know what is holding you back? Therapy provides the tools you need to understand what you’re good at and what needs work, and can give you manageable ways to make some of these changes, one step at a time. If you ever have difficulty managing your emotions, therapy can give you the tools to communicate the way you are feeling with your friends, loved ones, and coworkers, and can make you feel more understood by those around you.
Managing Stress and Improving Mental Clarity
The world moves quickly and we’re expected to keep up, no matter what. Work, personal responsibilities, family – it can all feel like a plate-spinning act with various roles and expectations, with a lot on the line. Even if you don’t have diagnosed anxiety or stress disorder, stress can eat away at you, and is a leading risk factor in heart disease in Americans. Therapy is a safe space for you to unpack stressors and learn how to manage them efficiently and effectively.
A common practice in therapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which aims to target unhealthy ways of thinking and incorporate practical strategies to improve your quality of life. Therapists can also use strategies like mindfulness to help develop coping mechanisms for key stressors in your life. The important part of these strategies is that they are not short-term, nor do they focus on temporary relief. They aim to shift how you perceive and respond to events that will continue to happen in your life, and how you can be proactive in your response so you don’t shut down as soon as something bad happens. It can show you how to control stress, not the other way around.
Destigmatizing Therapy
Here’s the kicker: some people will still be apprehensive about getting help due to the lingering stigma that surrounds it. The problem with the outdated notion that you need to have a diagnosed condition to see a therapist is the assumptions that people with outdated views may make about those who visit therapists, therefore creating social barriers for people finding help.
The truth is that mental health is a spectrum, and nobody lives in a social vacuum. Therapy can benefit anyone along any point of that spectrum, and there is almost certainly something in your social blind spot that may be preventing you from having the best life possible. Think of therapy as part of a healthy self-care routine, like going to the gym or eating healthy foods. When you seek therapy proactively, you’re taking a serious interest in your well-being and future, instead of waiting for a crisis to happen and seeking help afterward.
With awareness of mental health increasing, and the number of avenues to access therapists on the rise, it can be easier than ever for people to access high-quality care without having to leave the house. The normalization of seeing therapists virtually has made it more convenient and less intimidating for those who may have hesitated in the past, especially due to online therapy’s intense competition leading to lowered costs for consumers.
Making Therapy a Priority
Therapy is a tool, not something to be worried about or ashamed of. It is an excellent way for anyone to find personal growth, increase their mental well-being, or temper their resilience in difficult situations. The benefits don’t stop there. Being proactive about mental health can improve your relationships, both at home and at the office, and can allow you to tackle problems before they rear their heads. Like brushing your teeth or putting on sunblock, it’s just another part of a holistic routine that aims to improve your life. You don’t feel bad about wearing a hat when it’s sunny, do you? We can shift the narrative around therapy to make it a part of daily life that everyone can benefit from.
If you’ve been curious about therapy, especially with rising stressors like the cost of living crisis, consider giving it a try, even if you don’t have a diagnosed mental health condition. There’s growth and support that could be a few clicks away, and save you a lot of mental energy in the future. Invest in yourself – who knows, you might just love it.
