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7 Common Reasons Why People Go to Therapy

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There are many misconceptions when it comes to seeking therapy. Society leads us to believe that there is something shameful about seeking help from a mental health professional. This stigma is often the reason why people don’t seek help in the first place. I want to reassure you that this is actually not the case. Therapy is a very useful tool in treating a wide variety of issues, giving you an outlet to talk through what you may be feeling.

Whether you are experiencing anxiety, sleep issues, emotional challenges, or relationship problems, therapy can help you improve many areas of your life. Keep in mind that no issue is too big or too small for therapy. The following are seven reasons to go to therapy, should you want to seek help from a mental health professional.

1. Changes in Sleep

Have you noticed a change in your sleeping pattern? Changes in sleep include sleeping too much or sleeping too little. Often, there is an underlying issue, such as depression, that is causing the problem in the first place. Therapy is an effective way to help you uncover what is bothering you and restore your sleep to its usual pattern.

2. Worrying

We all have our worries and worry about things from time to time. When you notice that worrying is starting to take up a large portion of your time, therapy can help you combat these worries. Another sign that you may be worrying too much is that you’re starting to experience physical symptoms. These include stomach pain, nausea, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, and sweating, to name a few.

Therapy can help you identify the source of these worries. You will then be given strategies on how to deal with your condition so that the symptoms start to decrease.

3. Relationship Problems

Are your relationships feeling strained? Therapy can help you deal with this issue as well. Whether you decide to do individual therapy or couples therapy (where your partner will attend therapy with you), you can learn ways to communicate better and deal with issues as they arise. Better communication is a skill we can all use and will help you with all of the relationships in your life.

4. Stress

Stress can take a serious toll on your life. If you start to notice that you are constantly feeling stressed out, therapy can teach you skills on how to manage stress effectively. This will not only serve you well in the present moment but will stay with you for life. Being able to effectively manage your stress can significantly improve the overall quality of your life.

5. Use of Substances

When you start to notice that you’re turning to substances such as drugs or alcohol to cope with your feelings, this is another sign that you may want to seek therapy. When you experience high intensity emotions for a prolonged period of time, there may seem like there is nowhere left to turn, so substances start to make you feel better.

Seeking therapy can give you other ways to cope with what you’re feeling. This way, you no longer need to turn to substances to help with your emotional challenges.

6. Loss of Pleasure in Activities

Also known as anhedonia, a loss of pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, can be an indication of an underlying mental health condition. There are two types of anhedonia: social and physical anhedonia. In social anhedonia, you experience a disinterest in social contact, as well as a lack of pleasure in social situations that you once enjoyed. Physical anhedonia is an inability to feel tactile pleasure, such as eating or touching.

Some of the causes of anhedonia include depression, use of prescription medication such as antidepressants, recreational drug use, anxiety, and stress. If you think you may be experiencing this, seeking the services of a psychotherapist like Brian Collinson can help.

7. You Want to Talk to Someone

While it’s always beneficial to talk to friends and family about your feelings, sometimes you just want an impartial third-party to listen to what you have to say. In therapy, you can express your feelings and thoughts to someone without worrying about feeling judged. A therapist not only provides an outlet to express your feelings but can offer you constructive advice and suggestions that a friend or family member may not be able to do.

If you feel you need to speak to someone, therapy is a valuable option to consider. If you aren’t sure if therapy is for you, many therapists offer a phone consultation that can help answer any questions you may have. From there, you can determine if therapy is something you want to pursue.

I'm Nikos Alepidis, blogger at motivirus. I'm passioned for all things related to motivation & personal development. My goal is to help and inspire people to become better.

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