We all experience bad days, but occasionally a bad week or month can seriously impact our mental health. When we find ourselves spiralling downward and cannot seem to pull ourselves out of it, it may be time to see if therapy can help. According to WebMD, therapy provides many benefits, such as reducing anxiety, improving mood, and learning to communicate effectively. It can also help us overcome negative thought patterns and set attainable goals. The mental benefits of therapy are not limited to those experiencing mental health issues, either. Therapy can help people of all different levels of society learn how to cope with everyday life.
The mental benefits of therapy can be massive. Therapy has even been shown to improve brain health. While the full effects of regular therapy can take some time to develop, the initial changes can be astounding. Therapy can be a powerful tool for learning how to cope with issues you may not even be aware of and resolve issues that have been around for years.
1. What Therapists Do
Therapists help people work through their problems and make good choices. They can help you:
- Change unhealthy or destructive behaviours
- Increase feelings of well-being
- Develop more effective coping skills
- Build a more positive outlook on life
- Improve relationships with others
2. Who Needs Therapy
Anyone who feels stuck or unhappy can benefit from therapy.
- Adults
- Adolescents
- Seniors
- Children
3. What Therapy Can Do
Therapy can provide benefits that extend beyond the individual. Because therapy helps promote a sense of connection, it can also help relationships with friends, parents, co-workers, and others.
4. What Therapy Looks Like
Therapy is a collective process with the therapist and you working together to find methods that you can use to maintain your progress.
Here Are the Mental Benefits of Therapy:
-
Reduction In Anxiety.
While therapy may provide emotional benefits, such as reducing anxiety and depression, the cognitive benefits of therapy are often more understated. While we know that therapy helps stabilize emotions, recent studies have also demonstrated that therapy can help reduce anxiety, improve cognitive functioning, and help prevent the development of chronic illness.
-
Increased Self-Esteem.
When you feel sick or hurt, you go to the doctor, but have you ever visited a therapist to improve your mental well-being? Therapy can help individuals manage everyday stressors, such as difficulty with work, family, and social interactions, and can be a powerful tool. Studies have shown that therapy can help people alleviate stress, improve relationships, feel less anxious, boost self-esteem, and feel more content with themselves.
-
Improved Moods.
Like many people, you might believe that therapy is for those people who suffer from emotional problems like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. But therapy can also provide benefits to those with healthy minds. Many therapists recommend therapy as a healthy way to cope with stress, manage anxiety, and improve mood. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, therapy can improve mood by lowering depression and anxiety and decreasing chronic pain.
-
Changing Behaviour.
Therapy can help you work on any unhealthy behaviours that may be causing you to feel bad about yourself and contributing to your depression. Changing behaviors can be a daunting challenge, but therapy can teach you the skills you need to manage this and improve your mental health. Therapy can help you develop new coping skills and shows you how to change negative behaviors into positive ones.
-
Understand Depression.
Therapy can help you understand how your depression developed so you can understand why you feel the way you do and take steps to improve your well-being.
-
Understanding Illness.
Therapy can help you identify how your mental illness affects your day-to-day life.
-
Learning Coping Skills.
Therapy can teach a variety of problem-solving skills and teach you to adjust your perspective and behaviour to deal with your depression.
It is always good advice to seek professional help when you need it. Many people do not seek therapy until the situation is dire; others are forced to seek it by taking medication for a medical condition. Others still do not seek it because they think it is too embarrassing or expensive or that having to see a mental health professional is an admission of failure. But therapy can benefit those seeking it—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can save lives.