Now more than ever, times are tough. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, daily routines continue to be disrupted, economic anxieties permeate throughout nearly every career field, and uncertainty has never felt more stressful, it’s very easy for everything the world throws at us to feel like too much to bear. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way.
While we don’t always have control over the stressors of our daily lives, we do have control over how we deal with them. Therapy, specifically talking therapy, gives you the opportunity to vocalize what’s on your mind to someone who will listen and offer professional advice to help you cope. Regardless of what’s going on in your life, the truth is that everyone can benefit from talking to a therapist — especially now.
Depression is more than just feeling sad from time to time or something you can simply snap yourself out of by thinking positively. In reality, depression is a condition that can last weeks — even months — at a time. In conjuncture with medications, talking to a therapist can significantly reduce those feelings of depression. In a time where it’s all too easy to slip into a state of mind that encourages those thoughts of despondency and dejection, talking therapy, EMDR therapy, and other groundbreaking treatments such as these can be truly life-saving.
Despite what you may think, anxiety can present itself in more ways than one. While most are familiar with the stereotypical symptoms, high functioning anxiety is a real thing and can manifest itself in anyone, really. Things like Generalized Anxiety Disorder — a form of high functioning anxiety that is characterized by multiple stressors like finances and works becoming all-consuming in a person’s mind — go to show that even people who think they don’t have high functioning anxiety can actually be suffering from it.
This is why talking to a therapist is so important, even if you think you’re okay: They can help you process and understand the stressors you didn’t even know you were anxious about. If you’d like to know more, consider reading more about high functioning anxiety and other mental health treatment options.
For those who suffer from addiction, no matter what kind it may be, talking to a therapist can mean the difference between sobriety and relapse. Keeping people quarantined means keeping them healthy and COVID-19-free, yes, but it also means keeping them from the mutual aid fellowships that keep them from giving way to their troublesome vices. This means that talking therapy can be the one and only lifeline for those struggling with addiction during the pandemic.
If you struggle with addiction but were not in a mutual aid fellowship like AA before the pandemic, please consider exploring treatment options today.
After months of spending more time with your relatives than you’re used to (and with many occupations and schools continuing to focus on at-home work and education for the foreseeable future), it’s not a bad idea to look into talking to a therapist as a family. This kind of atypical dynamic where everyone is home a lot more than usual can bring up hurdles that weren’t there (or were more easily bottled in) before COVID-19 hit, and simply speaking them out loud and hashing things out with a professional can be incredibly helpful.
The same goes for couples or partners who have seen the dynamic of their relationship change in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Talking to a therapist gives you and your loved one the chance to tackle problems like anger, depression, addiction, and more before they end up driving a serious divide between you two. Talking therapy can serve as the all-important mediator for couples who just need to set aside time to talk things through. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to pursue different ways to strengthen your relationship as a couple.
If you or someone you know has contracted this novel coronavirus, you’re probably harboring a lot of feelings of uncertainty and anxiousness about the doctor’s prognosis and its impact on the future. There are therapists who specialize in this sort of thing who are more than capable of discussing your physical illness and the impact it has had on your life with you. It doesn’t even have to be related to COVID-19, either — from cancer to autoimmune diseases to even the most acute issues, talking to a therapist about your illness can really work wonders.
As we continue to hear that we need to social distance and self-quarantine from others to help slow the spread of COVID-19, it’s not hard to see why loneliness has been booming in individuals across the globe. This is especially true for people above the age of 65 because they have to be extra cautious of the virus and, if they’re in a nursing home or long-term care facility, might not even be able to have people visit them. Talking to a therapist gives you the opportunity to feel less alone by providing you with someone who will sit and listen to you for as long as you need and as often as you need.
Given today’s revolutionary (and highly convenient) technology, talking to a therapist is honestly easier than ever. Many practices offer online virtual therapy sessions so that you can speak with professionals without even needing to leave the house. In addition to this, many therapists are pursuing groundbreaking techniques like experiential therapy to provide even greater treatment for their patients.
At the end of the day, no one will walk away from a therapy session worse off than they were when they entered. No matter what you need to talk about, the professionals at Transformations Treatment Center are here to help you live the life you deserve. Contact us and schedule a time to talk today.
