Getting Therapy To Help With Your Mental Health
Mental health is still seen as a subject not to be talked about. Consequently this means that so many people suffer in silence. There is a definite stigma attached to the fact that you may have mental health issues, however the amount of people suffering from depression is huge.
Sadly so often people don’t realise how difficult it is to live with depression, and although people’s attitudes towards depression is changing, there is still a belief that it is not a health condition that needs treatment, but it’s simply not a case of putting a smile on your face, pulling up your socks and getting on with it, if only it was that simple. Unfortunately mental health problems still have an element of stigma surrounding them.
Thankfully over recent years, times and attitudes are changing and people are not suffering in silence. The world has changed and there are many more resources available. This probably also has a lot to do with the growth of the internet and nowadays you can receive therapy online. However therapy may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s an avenue of help that should definitely be explored.
I recently had a stroke, which as I have already written, left me luckily without any major physical problems, but it has left me with some mental health issues. It’s made me question for the first time in my life my own mortality. This is something I have never even thought about before. Trying to process everything that has happened to me over the last few weeks has at times been very difficult.
I have spoken to my doctor about my feelings, and if I’m honest they were of little or no help, and too quickly they wanted to prescribe me anti-depressants, which to me seems a massive over-reaction. I have been prescribed anti-depressants before in my life and the truth is it was probably the right thing to do at what was a difficult time in my life. The downside is that it took me years to stop taking the medication as I felt I had become addicted to them.
This time I felt very different and knew I was stronger, and I needed to talk about my feelings, not possibly suppress them with medication. What I was looking for was some sort of therapy to help me make sense of how I was feeling. As such I went online and came across BetterHelp. A website helping people with mental health issues or problems. I instantly thought this could be for me, and thought it was perfect to be able to receive therapy in my home in a more relaxed atmosphere. To help me talk through all the issues I’m currently facing and give me reassurance that everything will be ok.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. It defines how we live our lives, being happy in our heads, can without question give us a better quality of life, and allow us to enjoy all the good things that life has to offer. We shouldn’t suffer in silence. We should be able to enjoy family or whatever it is you enjoy in life to the full without the restrictions of a mental issue that can hold you back.
Medication is not always the answer and it is always a good idea to check out other ways to help your mental health.
Do you suffer with mental health problems. How do you deal with it? I would love to hear.