As a nation, we have progressed when it comes to mental health. More often than not, people are acknowledging the importance of mental health just as they would take care of their physical health, but there are still a lot of obstacles, financially and socially, that stop people from seeking the treatment they need to live full and purposeful lives.
The first stems from stigma. Many people grow up with the belief that mental illness is for the weak, that you need to push forward and “get over it.” The second stems from access. While the U.S. has created more accessible gateways to mental health treatment, there are still many roadblocks. Depending on where you live, you may simply not have physical access to a licensed professional, and if you do, you may not be able to afford it. Plus, there are a lot of health insurance companies that simply don’t cover most or all mental health treatment.
Things are changing, and many are fighting to make mental health care accessible and “normalized,” but when it comes to our own issues, we can’t let these problems stop us from getting the help we need, and more importantly, deserve. It’s time to fight for our right to live a happy and healthy life.
If we do have the time, money, and need for treatment, sometimes we can make excuses to forgo help.
Here is a list of 7 reasons why we should all go to therapy.
1. You’re Worth It – One of the biggest reasons people don’t seek treatment can stem from shame and a lack of self-worth. We either don’t think we need it or don’t feel comfortable enough to acknowledge we deserve the help others can offer. We think others deserve a life of health and happiness, but for some reason, we’ve convinced ourselves we don’t. But we are here to tell you you are worth it, and you deserve healing. Tell this to yourself every day until you’re ready to make the call.
2. Allows for Healing – Most of us may not realize the baggage we are carrying, and this baggage ends up defining who we are and our future possibilities. We wouldn’t break our leg and simply ignore the problem. We’d head to the doctors and care for it in a cast as long as needed. Mental health needs to be viewed in the same light. Our mental baggage can restrict us from living our best lives. Going to therapy can give us a safe space to work through our past experiences and current feelings so that we can dump the baggage once and for all.
3. Better Quality of Life – We may not realize how much pain we are carrying, and the only time we can see that truth is when we start to get help and heal. Therapy is a great starting point. It may feel difficult at first to unearth our skeletons from the closet, but once we do, we offer ourselves a better quality of life. We don’t have to live in our depression, let anxiety tell us what to do, or let trauma dictate our day to day moods. By unpacking the past baggage, we allow ourselves room for joy in the present.
4. Breaking Generational Trauma – We may not realize how much we carry from our ancestors, but the majority of what we know was learned at home. We learn our first coping mechanisms at home, we learn how to love at home, and most importantly, we learn our self-worth from those who raised us. Therapy allows us to slow down, analyze how and why we do the things we do and think and redirect the sails if there are repressed trauma and other mental health issues stemming from our blood. If we don’t stop to correct, we are living Einstein’s quote about the definition of insanity, literally and figuratively.
5. Coping Mechanisms – Connecting to the point about generational trauma, therapy offers us a space to learn new behaviors and thought processes. We can begin to map out and use healthy coping mechanisms that will keep us safe from harm and working towards healing. When we get stuck in our heads, we think our thoughts are the only guiding light, but therapy can offer new ideas, new hopes, and new dreams to follow.
6. New Technology – While it can be difficult to find the right therapist, access treatment or find the funds to support the endeavor, we have new technology that can offer us more opportunities. For example, there are new apps and programs that can connect us to a licensed professional through text messages! We can Skype our therapists, and we can even do sliding-scale work over the phone. For someone that has anxiety or is so depressed they don’t want to leave the house, therapy can now come to us in the comfort of our own homes and bring us the tools we need to change our lives.
7. Inspire Others – Whether you realize it or not, taking the first step towards bettering your mental health can have a domino effect. If you go, a friend or family member is twice as likely to do the same for themselves, all because YOU opened the door to normalizing the process.
The first step to getting yourself into therapy is admitting there is a need. From that simple act, you open the doors to a new life. Don’t wait. Let yourself be free from suffering by taking the first steps toward inner health and wellness.
Sometimes therapy alone isn’t enough, and that’s okay! Inpatient programs are designed to give you the same health benefits as a therapist with the security and comfort of a residential program. If you’ve been in and out of treatment and have been struggling to find the right fit, reach out to Burning Tree Ranch to learn more about our residential program. We know there is no quick fix when it comes to mental health needs, so let us help you with the next part of your journey. Call today to learn about our treatment options: (877) 389-0500
