When the word "therapy" is said, people often associate a negative connotation with it. It is often associated with someone who has a dark past of problems or has a serious mental disorder. When imagining therapy, there is often a picture of someone laying on a couch with a box of tissues while a therapist sits in a chair above them, taking notes and making assumptions about their client's life.
Therapy is seen as only for an option for people who experience the worst situations or are suffering in extreme ways through mental illness or bad life experiences. There are also negative assumptions about therapists including that they do not actually care and they are only there because they get paid.
Therapy is not about people finally realizing the root to all of their problems and finding someone to blame. It is about being able to talk to a person who wants to actually sit there and talk through your problems with you. This person wants to help you and wants to get you to be at a level where you are OK and feel good. If this therapist did not care and only cared about the money they get, then they would not be in this profession.
The people in this profession truly do care, and the most successful therapists are successful because they show compassion, care and support on a professional level. Also, another great thing about therapy is that all of your secrets stay secret. This person legally cannot tell your secrets to anyone unless you or someone else is in immediate danger. But that is the only time they can divulge your therapy session. Everything else is confidential.
Another awesome thing about therapy is that you have this person's undivided attention for the entire time of the session. They will even help you get the session started if you are too scared or nervous to start. They will ask questions about your life for you to talk about and ask for specific details about events. These people want to know everything and are willing to help.
A common misconception is that you can only attend therapy if you have undergone some traumatic or life-altering event or have some kind of serious mental illness. But that is not true. According to the Huffington Post, one of the many benefits of going to therapy is that it can help you get through any emotional or stressful event going on in your life.
It is a great way to become emotionally stable and create positive emotional wellness in your life. It does not matter whether you have undergone a traumatic event or if you are just stressed because of work, school or responsibilities at home. It literally does not matter.
Another benefit of therapy is that you learn how to deal with problems in a different way. By going to therapy and talking to someone, you gain a different perspective on how to deal with issues that may make you angry or hurt. Instead of undergoing self-medication, you learn healthy ways to deal with issues, such as taking a minute to pause and think about what is actually going on and getting your thoughts in check.
You also learn how to not become overwhelmed by the mass overloads of events or work due. You learn how to get a clear head and work through each task individually, instead of focusing on every single thing you have to do at once. It also leads to a greater understanding of yourself and others by nurturing the virtue of empathy.
Together, we can destroy this negative stigma surrounding therapy. Everyone should know of the benefits of therapy and know that therapy is actually for everyone, not just those who suffer from extremely traumatic life events. Bottling up emotions and pretending they do not exist is the worst thing we can do for our mental and emotional health. We see all of these magazines, ads and articles about taking care of our physical state of being, so let's also focus on our emotional and mental states because they are just as important.
