Sarah Yu | On 23, Oct 2014
The end of summer to my senior year of college was a rough one. I was very anxious about relationships, my future, the endless number of assignments, getting a job and the list goes on. The problem was that I didn’t know how to properly manage my anxiety.
I stayed away from therapy because I didn’t want to seem crazy, when I wasn’t. I felt that I could pull through on my own actions. But there was only so much I could do without someone else’s help.
After receiving great quality counseling, I realized how false a lot of these cliche myths are.
Myth 1: Therapy is only for “crazy” people.
Absolutely not. In fact, you should go to therapy before things get severe, so that you don’t hit rock bottom. Therapy is simply talking and expressing your feelings to someone who won’t judge you for your actions or for your struggles.
Myth 2: Going to therapy means you’re weak.
It’s the exact opposite. It takes a lot of courage for someone to take this first step in recovery. It shows that you have the strength to accept that you’re a perfectly imperfect human. There is nothing wrong with getting help.
Myth 3: Therapy is expensive.
Nowadays, therapists are more than flexible when it comes to payment. You can pay in cash and not go through your insurance, if you’re under a family plan and don’t want your parents to know. My therapist and I came to a reasonable fixed fee after reviewing my budget and I paid in cash.
Myth 4: I have no time to see a therapist in person.
Thanks to technology, you can still have a session even with your busy schedule. Many therapists offer phone sessions. There were a couple of sessions where I wasn’t able to travel to her office so we had it over the phone, and it was just as helpful.
Myth 5: Therapy = Taking meds
Nope, not always the case. Therapists only suggest medication as a last resort. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is common approach that professionals take. All it is, is venting to a person, even things you can’t tell your significant other, family or close friends. Only in severe cases will you have to take medication. CBT is the only approach my therapist took for me, and it was effective.
Myth 6: It only takes one session to make everything better.
You need multiple sessions in order for therapy to be effective. It’s a process and it’s not something that should be rushed. When I expressed my frustrations, my therapist told me I needed to accept and respect the process. Therapy isn’t a quick fix, but over time, it helps a lot.
Myth 7: I can totally talk to my friends instead of spending money on a shrink.
Yes, you can. But professionals have no conflict of interest, no personal feelings. They’re unbiased and can give you an outside perspective. They’re also trained to listen and handle these things. Your friends may not be able to handle such a heavy issue like depression or extreme anxiety. Therapists have the education and training to help you in the best way possible.
Myth 8: They’re going to give me a how-to guide or tell me how I can fix my problems.
This is something I thought too. Despite what Hollywood tells you, therapists will not give you a step-by-step instruction booklet on how to deal with what you’re struggling with. Once you open up to them, they’ll ask you a question, which will make you really reflect and help you see things in a different perspective. They will give you methods on how to deal with stress but there is never a one-size-fits-all technique in therapy.
I dealt with a lot of stress and to me, I always saw it as something negative. But my therapist suggested that I start seeing stress as a positive thing too. Having stress will motivate me to get things finished. It’s a double-edged sword but it still helped me to see stress in a different light, thus, lifting some burden off my shoulders.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and if it isn’t in tact, it can affect your body. If you find that it is interfering with your daily activities, consider going to therapy. It is a courageous and brave move to take and you can avoid hitting rock-bottom. If you’re already deep in, do not fret! It’s never too late to seek help and to start your journey to recovery. No one is perfect and you don’t need to be to have it together all the time.
(Feature Photo via Apartment Therapy)