The mental impact of a life-changing event, such as a horrific car accident or the loss of a loved one, is unexplainable. One day you are one person and the next you’ve changed. Friends and family know you intimately and already have judgments of you based on first-hand experience. Although they may be a great source of comfort and support, they are not medically trained to handle the feelings you are experiencing. Be it depression, lack of confidence, or mental challenges, a trained professional can help you through these motions and feelings after a life-changing event. Talking to a friend may be for free, but working with a therapist, like our friends at The Lotus Wellness Center, can provide you with the emotional and mental skills needed to heal and overcome obstacles. When we are going through hard times, we often lean on friends and family for support.
Of course, it’s only normal to rely on those closest to us, as our loved ones care and want to help us out in life. There are similarities between those we vent to and a therapist, as both require us to be vulnerable and perhaps open to advise too. However, with therapy, this is only a small component of the entire experience.
Therapy is not just about having someone to talk to. The conversation is only an initial layer of therapy. Many people assume therapy is pointless because they cannot see the value of the entire therapeutic process. There are some aspects of therapy that go beyond how you would normally chat with a friend. A therapist can help you:
- Reduce symptoms of mental illness
- Learn how to manage difficult emotions and thoughts
- Challenge negative belief systems that adversely impact your life
- Learn new perspectives on people and situations
- Learn how to avoid toxic relationships and improve good ones
- Identify positive and negative patterns of behavior
- Understand how the past may have affected the present
- Learn therapeutic and relaxation techniques
- Learn more about your authenticity and who you are
Some people assume that a therapist is only going to affirm what they say, which is something a friend would do at no cost. However, therapists are supposed to gently challenge your thinking, if there are new and better ways to improve your life. Your therapist can support you as you work to alter negative thinking, heal from trauma, or reconsider behaviors that are maladaptive.
Going to therapy is not like venting to your friends. Many people like visiting their therapist because they are unbiased person who is separate from their personal life. To learn more about how counseling in Inverness, IL can improve your mental health, contact The Lotus Wellness Center today.
