How Therapy Can Help in Your Life

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When people think about therapy, they often think about lying on a counch while some guy or girl asks them about their parents and how things make them feel. While these are definitely one part of therapy, they certainly do not fit every single persons situation. Some of us have been through traumatic experiences, while others may just be extremely busy and need help figuring things out, and some others may be stuck in their relationships and need guidance on moving forward. The truth is therapy can help with more than just emotions and our pasts.

Here are just a few ways that therapy can help in our lives:

1. Sleep Issues

Insomnia and other sleeping struggles are something that many people face today. With the “hustle mindset”, chronic pain, and mental health struggles; people are continuously getting less and less sleep or rest. These issues can range from falling or staying asleep, to depriving ourselves of much needed rest due to other life obligations. Therapy can provide us with the space we need to explore the root causes that contribute to these difficulties. It can also provide strategies to address these underlying issues, promoting rest and relaxation leading to healthier sleep habits. Your therapist can explore your sleep habits, social media use and daily schedule or routine with you to discover adjustments that can be made to ensure you are getting enough rest.‍

2. Chronic Health Issues

Chronic illness is something that can not only cause a strain on your body phisically, but emotionally as well. Along with getting support from your primary physician, your therapist can help you to navigate these emotional burdens. Stress and new norms of life such as decreased mobility, fatigue, emotional disregulation are all experiences that may be new to you and have you feeling confused and have a massive impact on your mental health.

Therapy can serve an a support for you. Helping you navigate through the anxiety, stress, frustration and even trauma that often accompany chronic illness. Many therapists specialize in treating clients with chronic illness or health issues. This can mean, and often does, that they have firsthand experience with chronic illness by living with it themselves or have a loved one that does.Having that separate space that therapy provides maximizes the treatment and healing process; and validates the mental anguish that accompanies chronic illness issues.‍

3. Physical Injury Recovery

Physical injury from traumatic experiences or in general take their toll not only on the body, but also on out mental well-being also. Therapy is not the first treatment we think about when it comes to physical injury. But these injuries can limit our daily functioning in our careers, home and social lives and, in some cases, be a permanant change to us. The feelings associated with physical injury can be depression, anxiety, frustration, resentment, anger, and even isolation. Therapy can help t navigate these new feelings and cultivate a positive outlook through coping strategies, acceptance and building a strong support strategy with you.‍

4. Self-Awareness

With the hustle and bustle of todays world and how social we are; it is hard to find or maintain a space for ourselves that is just ours. We often lose sight of who we are as individuals, our wants, needs and identities. This makes it hard to identify our emotions and really connect with ourselves, leading to inner turmoil. A deeper understanding of ourselves is a valuable outcome that therapy can provide; and is often the result of treating underlying issues. These issues can be trauma, depression or anxiety. But, you don’t have to be experiencing any of these to attend therapy, seeking a therapist as a means to explore your own identity and process your emotions is absolutely valid as well.
Therapy can help you navigate and discover insights about yourself you may not have realized before. Behaviors, relationship choices, emotions and triggers; all increase your self-awareness and validates or solidifies your sense of self. This is a core function of therapy; identifying your values gaining self confidence and accepting yourself as you are. ‍

5. Adjusting to a new culture 

Relocating to a new country, transitioning from the military or law enforcement to civilian life, or moving to a new community can be exciting as well as challenging. Starting over, feeling lost or foreign, isolation and confusion are common symptoms that accompany cultural adjustments. While you may be excited about this new chapter in your life, therapy can help you to process the changes that are occuring and help develop healthy coping skills to adapt to this new life.

Having a therapist that shares these experiences can be a huge benefit as well. Having a therapist from the same background allows you to share your thoughts freely wthout having to explaincertain cultural specifics associated with your culture.‍

6. Career Uncertainty

Feeling lost or stuck in your career or in career transitions is a common struggle that may people face. Contemplating a career change or being forced into one can have you feeling like you don’t know what to do. Therapy can help you through this transition by using methods like self-exploration and identifying values. Having the space needed to explore these issues is extremely beneficial in moving forward and making informed decisions about your professional future.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this article answered some questions and maybe gave some insight as to what therapy can be used for. There are many other facets of therapy that were not talked about here. As we challenge the stigma of therapy, we begin unpacking the vast amount of benefits that therapy provides. If you are curious about if therapy can help you, reach out to schedule a free 15 minute consultation today.

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