We still live in times where people are scared of going to therapy.

These fears can come from very different places such as: social stigmas, beliefs that is not okay to ask for help or that talking with therapist means you are weak or sick.

But we all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and we are still learning how to look after it.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing, it affects how we think, feel and act, strongly impacting our daily lives, our ability to do the things we need and want to, including work, study, getting on with people and looking after ourselves and others.

Having good mental health makes life easier, comfortable and happier. Isn’t this our life goal? To be happy?

What is available to help you feel the best version of yourself?

Let me ask you this: What do you do when your physical health is not good? Do you go to doctor and check what is happening in your body and ask how they can help you?

Exactly, and you can do the same for your mind by going to therapy to see a counsellor or psychotherapist and explore what is happening for you and how you can work towards solving any issues.

Good mental health can be maintained with self-care but, if we experience a problem, it will rarely go away on its own, in these cases we require further help and seeing professional support is the best option.

Therapy helps you to learn how your own mind works and with help of a therapist you can start to navigate your feelings, build healthier habits, change negative thinking patterns and change your mindset so that your life looks more like you want.

Therapy can help you to:

• Change behaviours that hold you back.
• Heal pains from the past (upsetting or traumatic experiences – whether it’s something recent or something from long time ago).
• Feel stronger and more equipped when facing challenges.
• Build relationship skills (manage relationship problems with family members, friends or romantic partners).
• Strengthen your self-confidence.
• Handle strong emotions like fear, anger or grief.
• Look at ways/patterns of thinking that affect how you feel.
• Figure out your goals in life.
• Address long-term physical health problems
• Alleviate chronic stress, anxiety or depression.
• Provide you with tools on how to relax, reduce stress and improve sleep.
• Help you to feel empowered.
• Increase your happiness.

The goal of therapy is to inspire change and improve the quality of life through self-awareness and self-exploration.

Trying therapy could be the answer.

Have you ever felt “healed” by a long conversation with someone or has a particular relationship made you feel good or “normal” about yourself because you realised you’re not alone in feeling a certain way?

Interactions and emotions like this can happen in an environment that was trusting, open and non-judgmental, where you were given a person’s full attention and genuinely listened to.

This is similar to talking therapy, which encourages open and honest dialogue about issues that cause you distress. A professional therapist can be on hand to facilitate personal development, or growth, towards more authentic, congruent way of being.

And trust me, it’s often easier to talk to a stranger than to your relatives or friends!

A good therapist will listen to you and help you to find your own answers to problems without judging you or having any agenda.

Talking therapy helps you improve your day to day life and it isn’t designed only for diagnosed patients or people with serious mental health conditions – it can be for anyone!

Full disclosure: Yes, your first session will be daunting and scary, although try to remain open minded and allow your therapist to help put you at ease.