I’m 36F and have a lot of anxiety/trauma/attachment issues. Pretty much almost everyone close tells me I need to see a therapist. Do many of you have a therapist and were they able to help you identify your problems?
I’m 36F and have a lot of anxiety/trauma/attachment issues. Pretty much almost everyone close tells me I need to see a therapist. Do many of you have a therapist and were they able to help you identify your problems?
Comments
When I realized that it was up to me and only me to actively get better, I felt this strong disconnection from the rest of the world and it made me so scared. I was just a kid, I’m glad I had the self awareness to realize that I needed help.
I saw a therapist when I was fully in mental free fall and couldn’t see a way forward.
Unfortunately the therapist and I were a really bad match, but at least it made it clear what wouldn’t help me. I have considered going back to therapy in a gentler less chaotic state, I’m sure the right therapist would help me unpack a lot.
If everyone close to you tells you that you need to see a therapist, that’s probably a pretty strong sign that it’s a good idea.
I personally think that every living human could probably benefit from therapy at some point in their lives. I started therapy after a traumatic event and have continued for years to help deal with my anxiety. My therapist has helped me identify a lot of ways that my anxiety has affected me that I wasn’t even aware of as well as helping me manage it better.
The first time, I was scared of counseling but I knew I needed to go when I was so miserable that I had to try something. It was simply too painful to continue in my current state. I have been to three different therapists over the years for various reasons. Can’t recommend it enough, it really helps and there are techniques for everyone.
You decide yourself. But everyone telling you is a good indicator.
I did it myself without anyone telling me to do it. It changed my life in the best way.
It’s just normal healthcare. If you feel shame about it, let that go. No shame necessary. Everyone should do it from time to time as a regular part of maintaining their health.
Remember to treat your therapist (I prefer psychotherapists in particular) like you would a regular doctor. Need to find the right one that you feel comfortable with. Sometimes it’s not the first one.
When I realised I didn’t really understand myself. I didn’t know why I behaved the way I did, or why I had unhelpful thinking patterns, or why I would make choices that hurt me.
I have been to a therapist in the past and she helped me tremendously, I cannot thank her enough. I haven’t been to her in a couple years because I sort of hit a wall with where I could go with it. Now it’s just living on and implementing the coping mechanisms she gave me as needed. The trauma fundamentally changed me as a person but therapy helped me regain my sense of self and gave me tools to function for the rest of my life. Highly recommend it but you need to find the right person. You may not get it on the first try.
I started during Covid because I was really struggling with negative self talk. I think I knew I needed it way earlier, I just never had the impetus to go deal with it.
Highly recommend, it got me through some dark times. The biggest habit I learned was that it’s not some failure if I can’t pretend my problems don’t matter. So many problems dissolve naturally on their own if you just face them directly and really look at them.
In my opinion seeing a therapist is like putting on sunblock. If you think you might need it, you definitely need it!
I used an online therapist so it was like a zoom call. I enjoyed it because I was able to freely talk about things without having to worry about someone gossiping, or telling Someone what I said, or just having an unbiased opinion to help me think through things and offer suggestions. It was also nice because I wasn’t wasting extra drive time since it was online, I just go somewhere private and have my appointment. But it only helps if you are honest. Lying or not telling the whole situation etc doesn’t help you at all.
I think it’s important to note that when people refer to therapy, 9x out of 10 they’re thinking of talk therapy, which is only one kind of many.
Personally, I found talk therapy pointless. I saw MANY different therapists over the span of about 5 years. It wasn’t working but eeeevverryyone said that’s what you were supposed to do. I got a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy workbook on my specific issue, and working through the first couple chapters of that helped me more than 5 years of talk therapy ever did. So just keep that in mind when exploring therapy.
When I took a bunch of pills. lol. Therapy has been somewhat helpful.
Therapy is the best commitment I ever made to myself.
And if you want to have healthy, happy relationships, therapy is the best commitment you can make to the people you love.
I was having panic attacks daily and didn’t know it. I went to the doctor and he told me he thought I had anxiety and depression and I should go see a therapist.
It turns out that hating yourself, panic attacks, wanting to die, and the many other symptoms were not normal!! It took me some time to find a good therapist but I’m so glad I did.
My friend attempted suicide when I was 20 and we made a pact to go together. I felt so good after the first session I just never quit. I have years that go
by where it’s just an every other week check in about normal life stressors. And I have years where I’m meeting 3x a week just trying to survive. I think it’s great to have someone who can tell me “hey looks like you’re not doing so well.” Depression kinda sneaks up on you. Better to figure it out after a few weeks rather than months deep into a spiral.
I realized that the stress and emotions I felt about dealing with chronic illness, were so so so complex – it was tough to verbalize all of it. The past few years of chronic illness have been really tough, and have effected my relationships… unfortunately reinforcing longtime insecurities… and it just got to the point where i finally believed that i deserved help.
I believe everyone should have access to therapy, and I wish it was normalized to have annual or semiannual “mental health checkups”. I wish we had a better system in place for “mental health urgent care”. I don’t personally intend to see the same therapist weekly for years and years on end; I am of the mindset that I’d like to see a therapist to make progress and my goal is to eventually not need to come in weekly.
I was 24 – and I wanted to deal with my anxiety and depression. And talk about the things that broke my heart when I was younger. I am still in therapy and I’m 34 years old now.
When I ended a 7 year relationship, and sleeplessness and anxiety wouldn’t leave. My world was crumbling down, and I felt that I was drowning.
I just started seeing a therapist this summer after years of mental health issues and it has been absolutely life changing. I have been going through an extreme period of adjustment disorder over the last two years due to a number of things (both good and bad) and I needed professional help to get back on track alongside working with a psychiatrist.
She absolutely has helped me identify problems and we are working on various coping tools to help me process and feel emotions in a healthier way. Also not every session is super intense. Sometimes we discuss what I am working on at home or at work and she helps me set goals on what I want to accomplish in the week. Or we do guided meditation. She meets me where I am!
I genuinely think anyone can benefit from a good therapist. Just having an unbiased professional view on situations is so valuable.
I had a breakdown. It was time lol.
I had the worst week of my life, everything spiraled out of control. And then I got in EMDR, it helped.
I knew when I was 12, but I didn’t actually go until I was 25. Took a bit to get used to it, but it helped a lot. I’ve also had a number of bad therapists along the way. I asked to be switched to someone else in the practice or found another place to go. My current one has been the most helpful in identifying what’s going on (but that’s because of multiple reasons).
After 25 years of thinking I would be better off dead, my dogs would be better off with someone else, I’ll never be good enough, I’ll never be better. Then throwing a rope around the garage rafter for another attempt before realizing it would just snap. Almost took myself to a mental hospital but I made myself go to the doctor. Got meds. He made me promise therapy. Kept that promise. It’s been 4 years ago & I’m still in therapy & no more serious thoughts of ending my life. If you have to ask that you might need it, you do. Take care ❤️
It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. Mine was random things that sent me spiraling into anxiety and depression. I randomly signed up after work one night, I can’t even remember why but I knew something had to change. Ive since done EMDR to work on my cPTSD and now just do regular talk therapy. The EMDR has made a huge difference for me since I’d get randomly triggered out of nowhere- it was like I couldn’t avoid certain things because I didn’t know what to avoid. Talk therapy has helped a lot too. Highly recommend, the only downside for me is cost but it’s worth it.
I Overreacted during an argument earlier this month so it was essentially an ultimatum but I did try for the first time last year but only did two appts before dropping out