When should I go to therapy? How do I know it’s time?
Date: May 14, 2024
How do you know when you need help? Or when someone you know needs help? It’s different for everyone, but here are a few signs that can guide booking an appointment with a mental health professional.
How you are feeling/acting/thinking is noticeably getting in the way of your social life, your work life, or your personal interests.
You don’t have people you can talk to in your life because: 1) it would be a conflict of interest 2) they wouldn’t understand 3) they wouldn’t be safe to talk to 4)they don’t have the training or knowledge to support you with your concerns 5) you’ve talked to them enough as it is and you don’t want to burn out your support network.
Your are using numbing/maladaptive coping mechanisms to manage your day-to-day at a higher amount then usuall.
In other words, it’s okay to doom scroll every now and then…but are you doing that for hours and hours on end?
Your coping mechanisms are spilling into other negative behaviours/feelings/thoughts.
For example, you watch hours of netflix which causes you to avoid exercising or drinking water and you don’t take showers which impacts your overall hygiene and mood.
You don’t feel like yourself
You feel stuck, broken, or like you are moving ‘backwards’
You are having suicidal thoughts or hopeless thoughts
Although we all go through ups and downs, you feel like the ‘down’ portion has been lasting longer then it might be expected to last.
Note: grief due to the loss of someone is a major exception to this rule. People can feel the impact of loss from grief for years after the person has passed.
You are avoiding people or places or your usual activities.
Your weight has fluctuated outside of what would be expected.
You are under eating or over eating.
You are approaching a major life change or milestone and the change is impacting your routine, your sense of self, or other outlook.
You are exploring aspects of your identity, your behavioural patterns, or the way you show up in relationships that you want someone to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of.
You are not being treated well by the people in your life, or you are not treating yourself kindly in the way you talk to yourself or act.
Note this is not an exhaustive list. Also, I wrote these signs in no particular order so feeling even one item on this list can be enough to prompt talking to someone.
On that note, if you’d like to coordinate a free 20-minute phone consultation to talk to me about the support you require or someone else requires at this time please click ‘here’. If you’d like to go directly to my booking page please click ‘here’.
Written by: Melissa Campos
