We all think that we need to see a psychologist when we’re depressed, mentally ill, and can’t function well in society. There’s no doubt that there’s a real need to see a therapist if worse comes to worst, and you really feel like you can’t take it anymore. It’s very dangerous to get there, and in most cases, it’ll be noticeable by one’s surroundings and loved ones who’ll try to intervene and suggest some sort of treatment.
However, in this article we’d like to focus on a few less obvious situations in which you’d like to consider visiting a therapist, that can still affect your well-being positively and make you a happier and more balanced individual. As society often fails to recognize these conditions as justifications for therapy, we want to inform you that they call for therapy no less than more severe conditions. In many cases, short cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can immensely improve one’s well-being.
Here are a few instances you’ll want to see a therapist:
You’re unhappy and feeling sad all or most of the time.
Being unhappy might be a symptom of depression, and it’s important to note that depression can be severe or can be relatively light. There’s also a condition called dysthymia, or chronic highly functioning depression. Meaning, you can live your whole life without feeling much excitement or joy, and normal things that should make you happy just don’t.
Being unhappy, constantly unexcited, and apathetic might seem perfectly normal to you if you’ve been depressed for a long while. It’s because you forgot the sensation of being happy over time. However, we want to assure you that there’s no reason to go through life feeling like that because depression is treatable. So if you can relate to what we wrote here, schedule a meeting with a therapist.
You drink too much, smoke too much, or do drugs
It might not shock you that excess drinking or using drugs (including prescription drugs such as painkillers, sleeping pills, or antidepressants) is bad for you. If you feel that you’re becoming dependent on any substance that’s a red flag that therapy is what you need. Once you can’t pass a day without using or having something, and you start tweaking your day to fit your substance use, you’re already in a bad spot.
You don’t need to get to this point before seeing a therapist and can start once you start finding some warning signs like lack of control, lack of ability to keep away from a certain substance or behavior, and decreased socialization. As substance abuse can deteriorate your life quickly, it’s highly advised to find a suitable treatment that specializes in addiction, and ideally done in person.
You’re watching too much porn
Porn addiction isn’t to be taken lightly. Behavioral addiction is a common issue many people suffer from, and though it’s purely behavioral it can be as devastating as any other addiction. It’s worth mentioning the many substance addictions have a huge behavioral component to them and are hard to quit for this reason rather than any withdrawal symptoms.
How much porn is too much? Here are a few giveaways: your actual sex life is less exciting than watching porn, it give you relationship issues, your porn choices escalate and you need more extreme stuff, you watch pornography to deal with anxiety or stress, and you prioritize watching it over your responsibilities. You can also take this short porn addiction quiz.
Your relationship has gone bad or stale
Sometimes relationships hit rough patches. It can be from external reasons like stress from the couple’s professional life, financial problems, tragedy or trauma to one or both of the partners, and many other reasons. Sometimes it also happens that something just stops working and the partnership doesn’t function very well.
You might feel you have every good reason to call it quits, but in many cases, therapy intervention can mitigate the differences between the partners and set you on a path to rekindling the love that’s in you. If you feel like full-blown couples therapy isn’t for you, using an app instead might do the trick. Getting coaching through a therapy app such as Relationship Hero can give you a good indication of the relationship can be improved or it’s better to make it a thing of the past.
You’re going through some big changes in your life and feel overwhelmed
Sometimes when we face trauma we feel overwhelmed. Personal trauma, a failing marriage (if you weren’t able to solve your issues after following our advice above), being unemployed for a long while, are just a few examples of things that can make you feel overwhelmed and frozen.
However, not only negative changes in your life can benefit from a short therapy. A new job, a promotion, moving to a new city or state, or the birth of a first child, good things can be overwhelming too. There’s no shame in starting a short therapy treatment to help you cope a little better with your new reality. Sometimes therapy can help us see things with more clarity, and can alter the ways we react to these monumental changes in our lives.
Is therapy only good for mentally ill people?
Not at all, therapy, and CBT, in particular, are also good when you’re feeling shaken, or when you don’t find a life that easy or enjoyable. We all feel a bit down and overwhelmed every once in a while, or unsatisfied in our relationships. It is worth acknowledging though that it’s okay to feel like that, but if you notice that it lasts too long, you don’t see a way to change it, and you feel that your life will always be the same or get worse, it’s a good time to get help.
Getting assistance is easier than it has ever been. The stigma on mental wellness and therapy is a thing of the past, and seeing a psychologist is more normal than abnormal. Online therapy is a perfect solution to most of the conditions mentioned above, as it’s as good as in-person therapy for these cases, cheaper, and far easier to access. So push away any hesitation and sign up for therapy.
