Therapy is Self-Care

Young depressed woman talking to lady psychologist during sessio

July 1, 2021

We often think of therapy as the treatment for mental health issues like depression, anxiety, self-harm, and eating disorders. Though therapy is incredibly important when someone is struggling with these mental health conditions, studies show therapy can help even if you don’t have a diagnosis.

Therapy can be beneficial for anyone that wants to improve their quality of life. It can be incredibly helpful to have an unbiased, third party to talk with and help achieve your goals for mental wellness. Oftentimes therapists can give you the tools or exercises to improve your daily life.

Here are some benefits of adding therapy to your self-care routine!

Decision-making around career paths, education choices and futures. A therapist can be an unbiased person to talk through all of your options.
Improve relationships with friends, family, and/or significant others. A therapist can help us to see all sides of an issue and learn better ways to communicate. Seeing a therapist together can strengthen our relationships and ease any tensions.
Create better habits for a happier life. In learning more about ourselves by talking to a therapist, we can discover what habits hold us back from achieving our dreams. Therapy is a great place for setting life goals and having some accountability in working towards them.
Working through past trauma. Childhood traumas often have a lasting effect on our decisions and a therapist can help us unpack and heal those feelings and see how they affect us in the current day.
Dealing with loss. Because of the recent pandemic, many of us missed out on big milestone events and lost loved ones. A therapist can help us to grieve the things we lost and to look positively to the future.
Learning how to cope with your mental health diagnosis. According to the American Psychological Association, therapy can lead to long-term health improvements and is a safe option without the potentially harmful side effects that medications can have. (Always discuss any medication decisions with your medical professional before making any changes.) Therapy can help calm physical symptoms that stem from mental illness and can help to prevent psychiatric hospitalization.

Have questions about the therapy process? Leave them in the comments below for our upcoming Q&A with a therapist*!

Ready to find a therapist? Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation has a list of resources for you to start your therapy journey.

*Disclaimer: Our therapist will only be answering questions about the therapy process and can't answer questions about specific personal situations.