Most people wait longer than they should to reach out to a therapist for help. There’s a perception that therapy is only for those who have hit rock bottom or are struggling with serious traumas, and that’s just not the case. Mental health is more of a continuum, and a therapist is there to help pull the person back to the middle, ideally, before it gets to a really bad place.
The tricky part is figuring out when average stress or sadness turns into something that needs attention. Bad days and bad weeks are things that every person feels sometimes. Those are, of course, usually pretty manageable on their own, but there are some signs that people should reach out to a therapist.
When Things Become Hard to Manage
It’s time to talk to a therapist when it feels harder to manage the day-to-day tasks than it used to. Things that are just part of a person’s daily routine start feeling like way more than they can handle. That includes everyday tasks like getting out of bed, showering, responding to texts or even making decisions about what to eat.
It’s not being lazy; it really often means that the brain needs some help.
Another sign is when the person’s sleeping habits have changed. Whether that means sleeping way more than usual, not being able to fall asleep or waking up constantly in the night. Sleep issues are often a sign of other issues going on in the mind, and it’s worth exploring those in the therapy room.
The same goes for hunger and eating patterns. A major shift in the way someone eats, whether that’s eating way more than usual or having an inability to eat at all, can signal issues that need to be addressed.
Therapy can be a great resource for helping figure out why those patterns have changed and how to switch them back.
Deteriorating Relationships
If there has been a noticeable (and recent) change in the way someone has been handling relationships with people in their lives, that’s something to explore in therapy.
People are often feeling more disconnected from loved ones, getting into fights with people they usually get along with over small things or even feeling issues with just being cordial to those in their lives.
Therapy can help turn this around.
Many people have found themselves snapping at their significant others more than usual recently, and getting into fights over things that should be minor issues at the very most. Others feel like they can’t open up to their partners about what’s wrong but really just feel lost.
These are all things that shouldn’t be struggled with alone, and talking to a qualified Denver mental health therapist can help.
Physical Symptoms Without Medical Issues
The mind and the body are one, and when the emotions are running wild, the body often responds in kind. Physical symptoms that are not responding to traditional medical treatments can be worked out in the therapist’s office if they haven’t been responding to anything else.
If someone has had tests run for issues like headaches, stomach issues or ear infections that just keep coming back negative, therapy can be a great resource.
It can even be an answer for why the individual is struggling with the physical symptoms. It might be because of something untreated mentally or even emotionally. The body really keeps score of everything.
Substance Use Has Increased
When substance use, whether that’s alcohol, drugs or another substance, has increased as a way to cope or self-soothe during a stressful period, that’s also something people should address.
It doesn’t even have to be at the level of addiction yet, but it can be on its way there without intervention! Substance use during stressful situations doesn’t have to be an outright addiction to be a cause for concern.
Even habitual use doesn’t mean that things aren’t getting a little out of hand, this can easily just turn into a habit used for stress relief. Even other forms of escapism can be addressed at the therapist’s office, too, rather than using drugs or alcohol.
Habitual behaviors such as gaming for an unhealthy amount of time, retail therapy and even other forms of spending can all be addressed in therapy if these forms of escapism have taken over the person’s life.
Outdated Coping Mechanisms are No Longer Working
Everyone has certain habits that they’ve developed over the years that they use to cope with stress. When those things stop working for someone, it might not feel great, but it’s also not a sign of failure; it might just be a sign that it’s time to come up with new strategies.
Therapy can help people come up with new strategies. It might not be easy trying to figure that out on their own, and that’s why people should come forward to engage with a therapist.
How to Take the Leap
Now that people know it’s time to talk to someone, they might not know where to go next. The next step is often searching for a therapist.
They should do research into finding a therapist who specializes in whatever their issue is (or they think it might be), whether it’s depression, anxiety, relationship issues or others.
Most therapist practices have information on their website that lists the different specialties of therapists who work there. Many even offer a little “get to know the practice” phone call prior to scheduling an actual appointment.
The first visit will most likely be some sort of interview where the therapist gets to know the person and what’s been going on for them that might be concerning. Talking to a stranger isn’t easy, and it’s something that many people struggle with at first. Therapists are professionals who see this all the time though, they know how tough this process can be.
They are there to help clients feel comfortable opening up about their thoughts and emotions.
What Comes Next
Engaging in therapy doesn’t mean that the person is struggling or “broken.” In fact, many of the individuals who get the most out of therapy are those who engage before they feel completely lost with emotions like depression or anxiety.
Reaching out for help isn’t failing at anything. It’s just seeking out more tools to help manage these things. Taking care of mental health can truly benefit people in all areas of their lives, so it’s always worth doing.