Should I seek out counselling?
These days, mental health is far more widely discussed than ever before, removing certain stigmas attached to seeking assistance or counselling. Having widely available counseling services, increasing education about the subject, seeing positive role models such as celebrities and influencers share their mental health stories and normalizing conversation around mental health all go a long way in helping people take that first step asking for help. No matter if you need counselling in a big city like London or out in the countryside, there is always help and assistance available.
Even with all this in place, taking the first step in saying “I think I need some help” is a difficult hurdle for many of us to pass, often never progressing past consideration. The unfortunate result of this is many of us need assistance but never take the plunge, opting instead to struggle in silence.
Common counselling subjects
Some possible reasons or causes an individual may have to seek out counselling are:
- Bereavement
- A breakup or relationship breakdown.
- You have lost something important, such as an item of monetary or sentimental value.
- Loss or lack of work or a job.
- You suspect you suffer the symptoms of a personality disorder.
- You have experienced a form of abuse, whether physical, emotional or mental.
- You have experienced a major traumatic event, such as a workplace accident, traffic accident or natural disaster.
These are simply some of the most common reasons for requiring counselling. There are many additional reasons that are more unique to the individual, or not as easily recognisable. Below we will explore some potential tells and mindsets that may suggest that counselling could help you.
Reason you may need to seek out counselling
You feel like you are not in control of your emotions – daily life can be stressful. Combining work, family, mood, finances and any number of additional factors in life can create a strong emotional response. Do you find yourself losing your temper over trivial things? Perhaps you feel uncontrollably crushed at the cancellation of a service or product, or you find yourself bursting into tears in response to relatively minor events.
This lack of emotional control can be a symptom of a past event or trauma that has yet to be healed, discussed or even addressed. Seeking out psychotherapy or counselling could be the first step in regaining control.
You are prone to wild mood swings – for some of us, one moment we can be on top of the world, only to come crashing down at a moment’s notice, often ending up at the opposite extreme, feeling incredibly low and hopeless. These mood swings can be a response to something major, but they can also happen because of seemingly relatively minor events.
Seeking out therapy is most needed when you are at the lower end of your mood, which is also the time when you are least likely to take that first step. If you think you suffer from mood swings like this, it’s important to recognise it and ask for help, even when you are feeling great.
You feel routinely overwhelmed, feeling like you have nowhere to turn – life isn’t always a walk in the park. There is unfortunately not a definitive guide for how to handle every situation for every individual. It may be that you feel you have exhausted all your options in handling a specific situation or event.
You may not even know exactly why you feel this sense of overwhelm, but you know it isn’t going away. Psychotherapy and counselling are not exclusively for people who are “sad”, these feelings that you are overwhelmed, suffering anxiety or experiencing stress are all things a therapist can help you with.
You feel like you are “trapped” – another relatable overall feeling that many of us deal with quietly is the feeling of being trapped or “stuck in a rut”. This can cover a wide range of possible causes, such as feeling trapped and unable to escape a work situation, relationship or financial status.
This feeling can also extend to being unable to escape a dynamic, such as feeling like you cannot refuse, even when you know the offer is not to your benefit. An example would be the inability to decline an offer to do something you know that you won’t enjoy or benefit from, usually due to the wish to avoid certain social situations. These feelings can build up over time and create habits, pushing you further into the same mindset.
If at any time while reading this you have thought “that sounds like me”, or you have ever considered psychotherapy or counseling but never made the step to book an appointment, then you have to say to yourself, what do I have to lose from asking for some help?