There is a misconception that therapy exists to “fix” people, but this is far from the truth. Therapy is for everyone at every stage of life! It’s intended to help people establish strong mental health and continually grow and change in positive ways, regardless of what challenges they may currently be facing. Here are just a few ways you can improve your mental health with therapy.
Learn how to build resilience
Resilience is the ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity. Without it, you can easily become overwhelmed and may rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drinking, overeating or negative self-talk. Developing resilience is a skill, and it does not come naturally to most of us. Fortunately, working with a mental health counselor is an excellent opportunity to gain this skill and get better at it.
Find a sense of purpose and meaning
Having a sense of purpose fills your life with meaning and empowers you to overcome adversity. It also helps you determine your priorities and find what matters most to you instead of allowing society, your parents or your peers to determine that for you. Therapy can help you sort through life’s challenges to identify the things that you’re truly passionate about and that bring you joy and purpose.
Set and work toward realistic goals
Setting and achieving personal goals can help you enjoy a sense of accomplishment and establish healthy feelings of self-worth. However, it’s also important to be realistic about the goals you set, otherwise you could end up over-scheduling yourself and feeling burned out. Working with a mental health counselor is a great way to identify realistic goals and develop productive ways to work toward them.
Find a balance between work and play
Finding that sweet work-life balance is hard, but work, rest and play are all essential parts of living a healthy life. If you’ve struggled to find balance in the past, working with a mental health professional can help you figure out what that might look like for you and start taking baby steps to get there.
Get help from a mental health counselor
Improving your mental health can feel like a lofty and broad goal, but meeting with a mental health counselor regularly can be extremely beneficial. Not only will it help you keep things in perspective and identify specific areas of growth, but it will also provide trustworthy assistance to help you develop a targeted strategy for self-improvement.
Read a similar article about depression counseling in Mill Valley here at this page.