Relationships July 5, 2018
The world is a better place because you're in it.
There’s such an unfair stigma against therapy. Some people think getting help makes you weak. Some people even think therapy is a scam. Neither of those is true.
Therapy isn’t for everybody, but if it works, it could be one of the best things you do for yourself. It isn’t just for the extremely mentally ill or those who have experienced recent trauma. Everybody could use a little encouragement now and again from somebody who understands the human brain.
However, with so many types of therapy available, it can be a bit tough to figure out which will help you the most. It would be impossible to go over every type since new ones are introduced all the time, but here’s a basic rundown.
Highly successful people often seek therapy for a multitude of reasons. Feeling stressed or overwhelmed by day-to-day life is a perfectly acceptable reason to seek help. It can also help you be better equipped to handle problems and overcome them when they arise.
Millennials are the most stressed generation in the U.S., statistically speaking. An alarmingly high number of us deal with depression and anxiety but don’t get the help we need. Millennial men especially don’t see help. People have a hard time going to therapy, whether it’s because of financial issues or the stigmas. If they do go, they often don’t openly discuss it.
When people think about therapy, they might get a specific picture: a person lying down on a couch in a sterile room while a person with a monotone voice sits there, sighs, and asks “how does that make you feel” repeatedly. There’s a little truth to this, but for the most part, it’s absolutely not true.
There are many different forms of therapy that don’t coincide with that stereotype. Group therapy is an option, particularly if you’re extroverted. Group therapy is also highly beneficial if you suffer from chronic loneliness.
Art therapy is another highly regarded form of therapy based on getting your feelings out through creative mediums such as painting and poetry. Art therapy can be extremely helpful for people who have difficulty expressing how they feel with words.
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a newer but highly regarded form of therapy. DBT gets praise for being focused on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
And that’s just the beginning. There’s music therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), couples therapy, hypnotherapy and so many others.
One of the biggest reasons people don’t go to therapy is because they’re not able to afford it. While this is a completely valid reason to not seek therapy, there are still other methods to help yourself. The website 7cups is a great resource if you need help in an emergency, or can’t afford therapy in general. It’s an anonymous messaging website with a trained staff online 24/7 to help if you need anything.
They have a screening process where they choose “listeners,” who are people trained in specific areas such as family help or LGBTQ+ issues. 7cups also has trained therapists, but that service isn’t free. It’s significantly cheaper at $150 per month. Considering some therapists can charge upwards of $200 per session, this is a steal. It’s also cool because the therapists are there whenever you need them, instead of only during your sessions.
There are also options specifically for those who find going to a therapist’s office difficult. Talkspace, for example, hooks you up with a licensed therapist, with plans starting at $49 per week. Instead of having to sit in a waiting room, you can just call up your therapist to chat online.
If you’re somebody who constantly struggles with mental health and absolutely can’t afford any form of therapy, there are free hotlines for almost everything. Please seek help if you need it. There is no shame in getting help. You are loved, you are valued, the world needs you, even if you can’t see it.
Pleaselive.org has an extensive list of free, confidential hotlines that are all operational 24/7. There’s a hotline for almost every type of crisis you can imagine.
At the end of the day, it’s your life and you’d know if you need therapy or not. However, even if you aren’t having any issues currently, you can make your life easier by seeing a therapist before things get bad. Let’s face it, life isn’t easy, but you can make things easier for yourself in the long run. If you already have coping mechanisms in place, you can utilize them when things really go sideways. Even if it’s just a minimal issue, it is always good to have someone objective give you advice.
Even though it can be hard to smile some days, getting help can make it easier. Always remember, somebody somewhere loves you and the world is a better place because you’re in it.
