5 Reasons Why Therapy is Beneficial
Four years ago, the word “therapy” terrified me. My thought was that if you needed to be in therapy, there was something wrong with you. The dictionary defines therapy as 1) treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder and 2) the treatment of mental or psychological disorders by psychological means. The definition alone didn’t sit well with me, specifically the words–mental or psychological disorders.
I didn’t truly know what mental or psychological disorders looked like, which scared me. Did I have one? I grew up in a family that didn’t believe in mental illness and I didn’t realize how much help I needed and would need as I got older, which was a difficult thing to come to terms with and upset me for a long time. And finally, I had the sad belief that if I did have a mental or psychological disorder, I was weak, defective, and had no purpose or reason to live.
Now, having been in therapy, I have been able to understand that while my feelings of being scared, upset, and sad were valid, it wasn’t impossible to change my way of thinking. I still have moments of negative thinking and feelings toward therapy, but it’s because of therapy that I am better able to see how beneficial it is in my life and I’d like to share some of those reasons with you:
Support
Everyone deserves to have support in their life. Many find support from family, friends or even animals such as therapy dogs. However, there are also many who don’t have support or access to any. For a long time, I was lost and had no one to lean on or talk to when it came to mental health. Finally, I realized that if I didn’t try to reach out for help, I wouldn’t be able to survive for much longer. Now, being in psychotherapy for the past several years, I have found support in my psychologist and have also been able to find a support system outside of therapy.
A Safe Place
Therapy is A LOT of talking. It took some time for me to build trust with my psychologist and want to talk, but I slowly began to get to a point of recognizing that therapy provides a safe place. It is where I can let go of my sadness, anger, confusion, hatred, and pain without feeling judged. It allows me to be vulnerable and gives me the opportunity to let go of the pain of the past and troubles of today.
Improve Relationships
Having Bipolar has caused many of my friendships and relationships to fall apart. My rage, negativity, easy ability to push people away, and lack of being able to forgive others or myself have had a lot to do with that happening. Even though there is still a lot of work for me to do when it comes to building and sustaining relationships, therapy has given me the tools to work on this. I’m learning how to not only be a better friend to others, but to be better to myself. If I don’t treat myself well, I’m not going to treat those around me well.
Coping Mechanisms
Before therapy, I had no coping mechanisms. I take that back. I had ways of coping but none that were beneficial. I dealt with things by running away (have lived in six different states), being confrontational with others, putting myself in dangerous situations, and drinking. Now, when I am not in a good spot mentally, therapy has shown me there are several positive ways to cope. A few mechanisms are taking deep breaths, going for a walk, recognizing when I need to step away or slow down, and being vocal abut what might be bothering me rather than run away.
Perspective on Life
Four years ago, if you told me there would be a day when I would see myself as someone who deserves to live a full life and has a purpose for being here, I would have looked at you blankly and said “Ok.” Sitting here today, if you told me that same thing, I would give you a slight smile, nod of the head, and say “Thanks. I appreciate that.” The response might be equally as short, but for anyone who knows me, the latter is a confirmation that I do believe what you are saying. I’m slowly finding my purpose in life and believe I do deserve to live a life full of success, happiness, and love.
If you have feelings of hesitation or are scared about starting therapy, know that there have been many before you who have felt the same way. It’s a door that is challenging to open at first, but once you do, the benefits and results of therapy are unparalleled to anything you will experience.
