Taking care of your mental health is just as important as tending to your physical well-being. In a world where stress, anxiety, and uncertainty often prevail, seeking support from a therapist can be a game-changer. Whether you’re dealing with specific challenges or simply seeking personal growth, therapy offers a safe and supportive space to explore, heal, and grow.
A few months after COVID shut everything down, I was in a very low space, mentally. Our coop’s board of directors rejected the sale of our apartment in NYC (preventing us from selling it) I lost my job, protests were endless in support of Black Lives Matter, and I wasn’t sure what the future held for me and Kurt. At that point, I realized that I needed to talk to somebody who could give me the tools to overcome my constant emotional challenges. Below are reasons why I see a therapist, and why I feel like it can be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
10+ Reasons I Work With a Therapist
1. Safe Space for Expression: Therapy provides a confidential and judgment-free environment where you can freely express your thoughts, feelings, and concerns without fear of being criticized or judged. My therapist has a really good poker face, which helps when I share a crazy story or something that comes off… let’s just say… ‘unpolished. She is really great at creating conversation that addresses my thoughts or concerns without minimizing their importance or the toll it’s taking on me.
2. Emotional Support: A therapist offers compassionate support and validation, helping you navigate difficult emotions and experiences with empathy and understanding. To me, this type of validation is helpful because it comes from an objective source. Speaking to a family member like my husband, mom or sister is always great, but having someone who can objectively help me navigate difficult experiences, while being on ‘team Jay’ is a game-changer.
3. Personal Growth: Through therapy, I’ve gained valuable insights into myself, my behaviors, and my patterns of thinking, fostering personal growth and self-awareness.
4. Improved Coping Skills: Therapists equip you with effective coping strategies and techniques to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other challenges more effectively. This was a huge plus for me, because knowing that I have a tendency to have not-so-great days, I needed to find ways to manage them in order to function. Working full time, raising a child, keeping a house in order, and growing a business is best done when you’re 100% mentally and physically, however, life doesn’t always give us that luxury. My therapy sessions help me develop and grow the tools needed to manage mental health challenges I have, which becomes clutch the older I get and the more responsibilities that get added to my plate.
5. Enhanced Relationships: Therapy can improve communication skills, boundaries, and conflict resolution abilities, fostering healthier and more fulfilling relationships with others. For me, my therapy sessions not only help me improve my communication skills, but they also help me work through internal conflicts I have when addressing problems with family, friends and colleagues.
6. Increased Self-Esteem: Working with a therapist can boost your self-esteem and self-confidence by challenging negative beliefs and fostering a more positive self-image. My therapist has also helped me pause, look at myself, and embrace all of the positive things I’ve accomplished. Over the years, simple tasks like writing down my own ‘brag list’, repeating positive affirmations, and other ‘assignments’ have helped me remind me of the work that I’ve accomplished and can be proud of.
7. Stress Reduction: When I’m having a crazy week, especially when I’m busy and not managing my time well, I tend to stress a lot. Therapy provides me with the tools and techniques I need to cope with stressors more effectively, leading to reduced anxiety levels and an improved sense of well-being.
8. Clarifying Goals and Values: Therapists help you clarify your values, identify your goals, and create a roadmap for achieving them, promoting greater clarity and direction in life. Before working with my therapist, my mental health routine consisted of just ‘getting through the day’. I had no routine or regimen to help guide me. Now, I’ve developed different values and goals that I believe will help me live a more fulfilling life.
9. Behavioral Change: Whether you want to break unhealthy habits or develop positive ones, therapy offers support and accountability to facilitate meaningful behavioral change. One thing my therapist pointed out is my habit of getting angry when I feel down or stressed. The reality is, it’s normal for these feelings to come and go, especially when you’re juggling multiple priorities and expectations. I’ve worked really hard to not beat myself up if I’m feeling stressed, or if I need some time to unwind and feel down every few weeks.
10. Improved Problem-Solving Skills: Therapy enhances your ability to problem-solve and make decisions by providing new perspectives and encouraging critical thinking. Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out the best way to handle social problems or situations when you go at it alone. Even advice from a good friend or family member can be less objective. My therapist gives me really solid advice, which helps me remove emotions from a situation and helps me solve a problem with logic.
11. Emotional Regulation: Through therapy, you can learn strategies for managing intense emotions, such as anger or grief, in healthier and more constructive ways. Again, the tools that I’ve acquired over the past few years have been game-changing. I wish I had started seeing a professional sooner, like later in high school and throughout my college playing days.
12. Cultivating Mindfulness: Therapists often incorporate mindfulness-based techniques to help you become more present, grounded, and aware of your thoughts and emotions. Staying in the present, especially for me, has prevented me from getting super anxious or nervous about situations that haven’t happened yet… or that won’t happen at all.
13. Better Sleep: Addressing underlying issues such as anxiety or depression can lead to improved sleep quality and overall sleep hygiene. My therapist has recommended a few tools like hypnosis tapes or the Calm app to help me when I struggle to go to sleep, or when I wake up at 3am and can’t go back to sleep.
14. Preventative Maintenance: Regular therapy sessions can serve as a form of preventative mental health care, helping you identify and address potential issues before they escalate into more significant problems. This means even when I don’t think I need a session, my therapist will ask some great probing questions that help me continually improve me emotional well-being.
Therapy is a powerful tool for self-discovery, growth, and healing. It’s a journey that offers numerous benefits, from enhancing self-awareness and personal development to improving relationships and overall well-being. If you’re considering therapy, know that you’re not alone, and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Take that first step toward a brighter, more fulfilling future—your mental health is worth it.