Every moment of every day is filled with small decisions and habits. Little things take us from moment to moment, and we often make these choices without thinking. Some of these habits are for the best, while others are detrimental. When things go wrong, or we are dissatisfied with our lives, we can make changes to our habits to try to improve.
Often it is just what we need. We start going outside during our lunch break and to get some sun, which lifts our mood. We choose to go to bed earlier so that we can have enough rest for the day ahead of us. If we want to keep these habits, we need to make the constant small choices to follow through with our habit until it becomes automatic.
In the same way that our habits are established in the small everyday choices, our mental health patterns are established in the small everyday moments. What was an initial coping mechanism earlier in life becomes a pattern that we continue to use to deal with bigger problems, sometimes with positive or negative impacts.
Often it is hard to see our coping mechanisms with impartial eyes because it has worked so well, or we have accepted it as truth even as it turned harmful. But that is the time to consider the decision to start therapy.
Beyond restorative care, therapy can also be preventative, teaching you the life and cognitive skills that can help you reframe your world and help you develop a growth mindset. Going to therapy is an opportunity to learn more about yourself and how you respond in order to grow and improve yourself.
All too often when people consider therapy, they tell themselves things like this:
Toughen up.
You don’t need it.
It’s too expensive.
This could not be any further from the truth.
There is nothing to be ashamed of in going to therapy. Plenty of regular, everyday people go to therapy every day. When your arm is broken, you go to the doctor to get it set. When you have an infection, you go to the doctor to get an antibiotic. When your mind is hurting, you need to do the same thing and seek treatment.
As a starting place, go and get yourself checked out. Intake assessments are set up to get a baseline of where you are and how you can be helped. More and more practices are open to work with you, no matter your income or insurance. Some practices work with you by seeing you on a sliding scale or pro bono basis.
College students can look into their college’s health services, where you can get services at a reduced rate or the charges may even be included in your tuition. Many employers because of this COVID-19 crisis, are offering EAPs, which can be used to help pay for therapy. Alternative faith-based approaches such as pastoral counseling are another resource, which could be at a lower cost or for even free.
As a starting place, consider Covenant Way Clinical Counseling. We specialize in grief, loss, and trauma as well as serving military members and their families, and our heart is for everyone to find healing and vibrancy in their life. We accept most insurance and can work with you even if you do not have insurance. We offer Telehealth therapy, where you can stay in the comfort and privacy of your home and receive therapy services.
If you are interested in Covenant Way Clinical Counseling, call or text 757-606-0971.
For Further Reading: https://www.goodtherapy.org/what-is-therapy.html
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