Many of my clients, after they have been in therapy a while, say something along the lines of, “I should have started therapy a long time ago, but I thought everyone gets depressed sometimes.”
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a great opportunity to help people start therapy. But many people who would benefit wonder if they need to go. In this blog post, I want to help people decide if it’s time to start therapy.
It is true that we all struggle emotionally. We experience, stressful or painful circumstances, and we react in different ways. Some of us become discouraged and depressed. We may withdraw from friends and family, or become less productive at work. Some of us experience a lot of anxiety when life takes unexpected turns.
But struggling with mental health conditions is something different. People who are diagnosed with mental health conditions struggle to a point where they can no longer function at work, at school, and in their relationships. They experience severe symptoms that prevent them from feeling hopeful, or from continuing to push past their negative thoughts and feelings. Some people experience mental health conditions that distort their perception of reality, and they are no longer able to lead independent and meaningful lives.
Use this checklist to differentiate between "normal" feelings and possible symptoms of a mental health condition.
You’ve struggled for a while with no relief: Typical fluctuations in emotions, like sadness, frustration, or fear, generally last a short duration, such as a few days. You may be having a bad week, or something in your life has suddenly happened to create stress. But rather than dwelling on it, you're able to regroup, problem solve, and move forward. If you notice that you have felt much more anxious, depressed, or "not yourself" for more than a few days, you may consider talking to someone about how you're feeling.
You withdraw from friends and family: We all need downtime away from our friends and family. Sometimes, we want to come home after a long day, stream our favorite shows, eat junk food, and get a good nights sleep. But if you have started to withdraw from friends and family regularly, and you spend most of your time isolated, this may be a sign of declining mental health.
You struggle to get things done: We all have days where we don’t make it through our to-do list. But if you’re constantly fighting to be productive, it can be a symptom of a deeper issue.
You have trouble with memory and other cognitive abilities: Everyone has lapses in memory or days where they feel foggy. But if you frequently lose or forget things or struggle to make minor decisions — like what to have for dinner or which color shirt to wear — and it happens all the time, you might need to seek help.
Your hygiene is suffering: Sometimes we just don’t want to wash our hair. But if you’re noticing it takes too much willpower to brush your teeth or wash your hair or make yourself look nice before going out, that might be a sign your mental health is struggling.
You don’t enjoy the things you used to: No one maintains all of their interests all the time. But if you used to really enjoy your hobbies and going out doing things, and now you don’t want to do those things and you don’t want to find new interests, if there’s not much in life that you enjoy or look forward to, then it might be time to go to therapy.
It’s ok to admit that what you’re feeling isn’t just a passing thing. You’re not just having a bad week or a bad month. It’s time to go to therapy because your problems have taken over your ability to lead a joyful and meaningful life.
This blog was originally posted to psychology today dot com
Cover image from Canva.