Therapy is a self-loving process. It is a process where you learn about yourself, what makes you who you are, what you like and what you don’t like. It is all about listening to yourself in a judge-free, caring environment. Society has this big culture on being healthy by means of hitting the gym, cutting down on carbs and dairy, even having a skincare routine, but for some bizarre reason mental health always gets excluded.
Going to therapy does not mean you are crazy or have a mental illness, in fact, people who are mentally ill don’t have the capacity to identify they need help, therefore they never get treated. Seeking help, or even just wanting to know yourself better, does not mean you are flawed. You are strong and smart for having the courage to go against societal rules and take a positive step towards your mental health. There is a misconception that going to therapy is something to be ashamed of. I can guarantee that at least three of your friends go to therapy and you don’t even know about it because society has made it a taboo to talk about.
In recent years, there have been several campaigns to promote mental health such as Buzzfeed’s mental health week, amongst others. However, there is still a bad stigma surrounding going to see a phycologist. Part of this “taboo” feeling surrounding improving your mental health has to do with ignorance. People often say “I don’t believe in therapy” “it’s useless” or “why go to therapy if I can talk to my friends.” Which raises the question of how come they don’t believe in it or think it is useless if they have not tried it? Talking to your friends is a good way to cope with your struggles, although your friends would never be able to give a professional opinion. Therapy is effective; it helps someone with depression, inner conflicts, outer conflicts, or it can simply be a self-discovery journey.
Often therapy is associated with talking about feelings, which it certainly is, therefore it is more frowned upon if a guy decides to go. The societal issue of gender roles is so influential that it can get to control the decision we take towards or mental health.
Society is wrong for making therapy seem like a taboo. Deciding to go to therapy is an important step towards living a fulfilling and healthy life. There should not be a feeling of guilt and defeat associated with seeking help. In fact, by going to therapy you are making the best decision you could possibly take. Going to therapy should be as common as going to the gym because it truly is for EVERYONE.
