How Therapy Has Been Beneficial To Me

Since starting my blog, I have been incredibly open with my mental health struggles. For anybody that is new to my little corner of the internet, here we go. I was diagnosed with OCD when I was only 14 years old. Since then, I have developed rather chronic anxiety which can spiral into depressive episodes. More recently, I was also diagnosed with ADHD. I have now idea how they can all work in conjunction with one another, but here we are. However, I am currently at a very happy place in my mental health journey. Part of that, I put down to going to therapy. There is no shame in going to therapy and that is why I wanted to write this post today. I want to share with you the 5 reasons why therapy has been beneficial to me.

 

 

Speaking to somebody independent is easier.

When I first told my husband that I wanted to speak to a professional, I could see a little hurt in his eyes. He loved that I leaned on him for support. However, I didn’t want to weigh him down with how I was feeling all of the time. Sometimes, I would water things down because I didn’t want him to worry about me. However, to a trained professional, the things that I was saying weren’t new. They would hear this kind of thing everyday and they would know how to deal with it and speak to people about it. I needed that.

 

It gives me an outlet to vent.

As fantastic as my at home support network are, I need to vent sometimes. I love my husband more than life, but sometimes he is the one that tips me over. You guys cannot tell me that your other half has never annoyed you before. This is similar to my point above about having somebody unconnected. However, sometimes with my OCD I can feel straight up range. I would never want to show that to my husband or my family. That is where therapy is essential for me. I can go there and release what I need to let go of. For me, that is a wonderful feeling. This is one of the main reasons why therapy has been beneficial to me.

 

They suggest helpful next steps.

After years of speaking to people about how I feel, I am rather good at it. However, I tend to leave it there. I don’t really think about the next steps. What can I do to help? What can I do to move out of this mood? That is where speaking to somebody that really knows that they are doing can help. My therapist will do things to help and push me into the right direction. It is very much needed because it helps me lift me up. Sometimes just by talking about my issues over and over again, I can dig myself into a deeper hole. She makes me plan how to improve.

 

They will speak to those closest to you.

Another reason why therapy has been beneficial is that they are amazing communicators. There have been a number of occasions in my life, where I couldn’t put into words how I was feeling. My friends and family knew that I was struggling, but I couldn’t articulate. Plus, in some instances after speaking to a therapist, I didn’t have the guts to repeat it. In this circumstance, she is more than happy to communicate with my loved ones. She will leave out the confidential information. However, with my permission she will reach out to them and let them know that I am ok. Or if I am going through something. She will always make sure I am happy with what she is going to say, before she says it.

 

It saved my life.

In a nutshell, it isn’t too far fetched to say that therapy saved my life. Speaking to somebody with the skills to crisis manage and help is invaluable. As I have shared before, I pay privately to speak to somebody. Which shouldn’t be required. The NHS should help, much quicker than they currently do. I pray that everybody out there that needs help, can obtain suitable help. As wonderful as those closest to me can be, speaking to somebody qualified to help, makes a whole world of difference. I couldn’t recommend it more.

 

I hope that you guys enjoyed this blog post about why therapy has been beneficial. Honestly, I don’t know where it would be if it wasn’t for counselling and therapy. Throughout my journey, I have had many highs and lows. There were periods that I never thought that I would get through. However, for me, more so than medication, talking therapy is what works for me. If you guys do need help, please do seek it. We have the wonderful NHS at our disposal, but they still have a way to go before the help for mental health is readily available. Use the tools that you have access to and if you have the means, please seek independent support. As always, I would love to hear from you guys on this subject. Please leave me a comment.