Therapy Isn’t Just For “Crazy” People

[caption id="attachment_833113" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/High angle view of female patient conversing with psychologist in clinic[/caption] Millennials may be the first generation that is comfortable not only going to therapy but also admitting they go to therapy, and even talking openly about it. If you watch some of the most popular standup comics today, you’ll see that a lot of them speak about their adventures on the psychoanalyst’s couch, having someone take notes on their obsessions, odd behaviors, and bad dates. But while millennials may be mostly comfortable with the idea of therapy, they still come from a generation who may have been more private about it. And their parents came from a generation that absolutely did not talk about going to therapy, and thought it was mostly reserved for people who were dysfunctional. Those past generations may still be affecting you, if you feel insecure about seeing a therapist. But here is why therapy isn’t just for “crazy” people. [caption id="attachment_701574" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You never know what might come up

Most people go into therapy thinking, “I don’t need therapy” and then most come out thinking, “I can’t believe I almost didn’t go to therapy.” A lot of us are so busy that we don’t even realize we are discontent with a certain relationship in our life or experiencing some negative emotions that we ignore. But all of these things slow us down and actually dictate our decisions and how we experience life. If you’re given a little space to let those negative emotions come up, you’ll be amazed at what you find. [caption id="attachment_716083" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

It can help with your career

Whether you’re in the wrong industry, not sure what you want to do, feeling stuck in your position, or feeling afraid to go after what you want, therapy can help. You may not even realize you’re feeling those things in your work because other, unresolved matters are blocking you from seeing it. But therapy can leave you feeling very clear on what you need to do next in your profession. [caption id="attachment_720938" align="alignleft" width="414"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Your problems matter

Many people resist therapy because they believe it’s self-indulgent. You’ll often hear people say things like, “There are children starving in third world countries—what do I have to complain about?” But problems of every nature, from physical health to mental health, deserve to be treated. In fact, it’s the responsibility of people like you to strengthen your mind and emotions so that you can go out in the world, do great things, and help people who you perceive to have graver problems. You have the resources to better yourself, so use them. [caption id="attachment_697853" align="alignleft" width="468"] Shutterstock.com/woman going crazy[/caption]

Everyone is a little “crazy”

Okay, so the title of this article is a lie. Perhaps therapy is just for crazy people because everybody’s a little crazy. The term crazy is just simply misused. But let’s put it this way: everybody has habits they wish they could break, feels out of control and lost sometimes, and faces emotions they’re afraid of. If that makes someone crazy, then we’re all a little crazy and could benefit from a little therapy. [caption id="attachment_712167" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You’ll feel more in control

Speaking of feeling out of control, you’ll feel far more in control of your life after you’ve spent some time in therapy. Do you ever feel like you do or say something you regret, and you don’t know where that came from? At the time, you could not stop the behavior from coming out, but later, in retrospect, you think, “That wasn’t me.” That was you—just parts of you that you have yet to acknowledge. A therapist can help you with that, so you begin to feel more in control of your actions. When you stop repressing those unattractive or unproductive parts of your mind, you can get a handle on them. [caption id="attachment_704630" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You’ll stop bad relationship patterns

Maybe you think, “Hey, it’s not like I’m in an abusive relationship or date married men.” But bad relationship patterns stem beyond the blatant ones we see in soap operas. If you’ve struggled to find a satisfying relationship—one in which you feel both safe and invigorated—for your whole life, then you likely have some bad relationship patterns. You cannot see them clearly, but a therapist can help you spot them. [caption id="attachment_709851" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You can mend your relationship with your family

I’m not saying you and your family are suddenly going to see eye to eye on everything. In fact, maybe you aren’t supposed to—maybe your family really does have some unhealthy and unproductive ideas. Your therapist can help you work out all of that messy stuff, and help you find a way to interact with your family that allows you to still feel close to them, without allowing them to ruin your mood or self-esteem. [caption id="attachment_703763" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Some things need to be said out loud

As I said before, we are all very busy. We often only make room in our lives for problems and tasks that are written on a list, sent in an email, included in a memo or typed into a text. You likely have thousands of unexpressed thoughts and feelings every day. You need a designated space and time to let those out, so they don’t control you. [caption id="attachment_713452" align="alignleft" width="414"] Shutterstock[/caption]

You’ll learn to self-analyze

Therapy can be kind of cool in the sense that the good therapists don’t just give you a fish; they teach you how to fish. In other words, they give you tools to start recognizing your own patterns and behaviors as they happen, and start connecting dots by yourself about your life. A good therapist will leave you, eventually, not even needing a therapist. [caption id="attachment_701294" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You may eat healthier

If you have unexpressed emotions, negative patterns, unhealthy relationships and many of the other items discussed on this list, then there is a very good chance they are affecting your eating habits. Emotional and mental distress often manifests itself in our eating patterns, whether that’s through binge eating, restrictive eating, obsessive calorie counting or other disordered eating. The issue may be mild, but therapy can help you feel liberated in the eating department. [caption id="attachment_607271" align="alignleft" width="462"] Corbis[/caption]

Your anxiety could decrease

Anxiety is often just the result of unexpressed emotions and negative thoughts that we allow to get the best of us. There is a good chance that you don’t need anxiety medication; you just need therapy.   [caption id="attachment_708390" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

The more you go, the more you get

The more you go to therapy, the more you get out of it. Therapy can be, in many ways, like a math class. Your therapist will teach you equations that show you how this thought plus this behavior tends to equal this result. Just like in a math class, you’ll learn to improve on and build upon those equations, and you’ll be able to analyze situations quicker in life. [caption id="attachment_708547" align="alignleft" width="621"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Everybody represses something

If you were ever a child, then you’ve repressed something. I know, I know—this is what therapy rejecters fear goes on in therapy. Just a lot of talking about your childhood. But the truth is, childhood is a strange time. We take in a lot of information and images, and while we aren’t yet capable of understanding them, they can impact us deeply, and shape our behaviors into adulthood. Unless you were an emotional genius at the age of 4, then you likely have some repressed childhood issues. [caption id="attachment_609049" align="alignleft" width="415"] Shutterstock[/caption]

It’s better to break down there than elsewhere

If you don’t go to therapy, you truly could end up having a breakdown in the middle of an important meeting, or on a first date, or at the altar of your wedding. High tension moments in life tend to usher in breakdowns if we have repressed stuff. But if you get that out in therapy, it won’t bite you in the butt in real life. [caption id="attachment_220080" align="alignleft" width="500"] Shutterstock.com[/caption]

You’ll appreciate open people

You’ll really grow to appreciate other people who have clearly gone to therapy and are dedicated to having a healthy mind and emotional life. You’ll be drawn to emotionally open and communicative people, which will make all of your relationships feel richer.

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