How To Know When it’s Time To See A Therapist

Though therapy is becoming widely accepted in today’s mainstream culture, it may still be difficult to know when exactly to see a therapist. You may find yourself asking questions like, “How bad should I let things get before I seek out help?”
“What issues should I bring up to my therapist?” “Do I even really need therapy?” “Can’t I handle this on my own?”

Therapy can benefit anyone struggling with emotional difficulties, life challenges, and mental health concerns.
Listed below are some sure signs that it’s time to see a therapist. Even if you aren’t experiencing all of these, each situation is important enough to seek therapy.

Something Traumatic Has Occurred

You’ve experienced abuse or neglect in the past, you’re the victim of a crime or an accident, you’ve experienced some type of chronic illness, or you’ve experienced some kind of traumatic event and haven’t fully dealt with it yet.

You’ve Lost Someone Or Something Essential To You

You’ve recently lost your job, you’ve experienced a significant break up/divorce, or you’ve experienced the death of a loved one.

You Feel Stuck Where You Are

You feel stuck in a negative cycle and you want to leave, but you don’t know how to get out. This could be about to a bad relationship or unhappiness at work.

You Aren’t Controlling Your Emotions Well

You’ve been uncontrollably crying or finding it hard to control your anger. You don’t know how to deal with your frustration well, so you bottle it up until eventually, it comes spilling out. You’ve been recently strongly reacting to a lot of triggers that you have.

You No Longer Enjoy Activities The Way You Once Did

You no longer find excitement and enjoyment in the things you once did. A lot of activities have become boring and you no longer look forward to participating.

Your Inner Thoughts Are Negative

Your inner thoughts and dialogue have recently been negative. You don’t see much positivity in anything.

The American Psychological Association suggests considering therapy when something causes distress and interferes with some part of life, particularly when:

Thinking about or coping with the issue takes up some amount of time every week.

The problem takes up a considerable amount of time (more than an hour per day)?

The issue causes embarrassment or makes you want to avoid others.

The issue has caused your quality of life to decrease.

The issue has negatively affected school, work, or relationships.

You’ve made changes in your life or you’ve developed habits to cope with the issue.

If any of these sound like what you’re experiencing, it’s time to seek therapy. There’s no shame in it, because needs help at some point. Therapy provides a safe space and an opportunity to express yourself without fear of judgment or biases. You have the support of a professional that can help you to heal, grow, set goals.

The sooner you talk to someone, the closer you are to living the happy life you dream of.