Facing our problems may feel overwhelming but therapy can offer a safe space for individuals to reflect on their problems without fear of being judged. Even though there are many benefits of accessing therapy we’ve outlined just four of them here.
Better understand yourself
We run on autopilot so much of the time doing things that we feel we have to and what is expected of us. We find out so much about ourselves in therapy such as our likes, dislikes, and most importantly what we really want out of life. Once you do that, you can spend your life doing the things that you actually want to do, rather than wasting time on things that you think you should be doing.
Learn new skills for coping
In the same way we learn to walk, to read or calculate divisions, we need to learn how to cope with the different situations we find in life. Those challenge situations can be at work negotiating your job´s conditions with your boss, or setting boundaries between your professional and personal life, or in the personal area expressing what you need or being assertive, or perhaps social coping skills in groups, when you meet new people or need to talk in front of a big group. As any other kind of skills, those can be learnt; and that can be done in therapy working with a psychologist who will provide you with new and healthier mechanisms to cope with your day-to-day life in a constructive manner.
Achieve goals
Setting goals is a main part not just at the beginning of the therapy but along all the therapeutic process, as our goals lead our actions and respond to our needs. To be able to set specific, realistic and achievable goals you will need to get in touch with your needs and your emotions. Your therapist will help you with that, creating a personalised plan.
Achieving your goals will boost your confidence and capability, and will contribute to improve your self-esteem and your motivation to fight for the things that are important for you.
Improve your relationships
You will notice that you have a better quality of relationships after therapy – with your partner, family, friends and colleagues. You will realise which relationships are important to you, and which ones…. not so much. For example, you might realise that you have been friends with someone for a long time but the friendship is no longer healthy for you.
Therapy can teach you how to argue less and communicate more effectively. There might be a few intense and difficult conversations along the way, but this will ensure that your boundaries are held and negative relationship patterns don’t arise in the future.