Therapy is usually a good idea. It gives you a real window to open up and deal with whatever issues you are facing. I say “real window” because it is very different from sharing your issues with a friend. With a friend, there is always bias and since you know them well, you might not open up completely because that would mean you need to be vulnerable and take all the masks off.
With a professional therapist, you can be more comfortable with sharing without feeling the need to hold anything back. It helps that the therapist is a third party, and not someone you know. As a result, this helps you get answers to your issues and implement them to improve your mental and emotional health!
Here are few reasons why seeing a therapist is recommended over talking to a friend –
- You get unbiased inputs
Since your therapist is not your friend, they will give you unbiased inputs, which will help you work on your issues in the best ways possible. As their reflections on your behavioural patterns and other issues do not come from a place of pre-defined opinions (like how a friend would have of you), they give you the facts and help you work on them in practical ways.
- The therapist gives you a proper plan and structure to work on your issues
Since the therapist gives you their professional opinions, you find yourself to have a safe haven in them where you are able to see that they want to help you in this journey with you and give you a proper, solid plan for it. It is just not advice, but a process, and a good one!
- Your therapist will keep your conversations confidential
You won’t need to worry about your secrets getting spilled. Your therapist is actually under the law to keep the sessions confidential and respect them that way, which is not the way with a friend. You could have friends that you trust with all your heart, but you cannot just share everything without thinking twice. With a therapist, you can do that. You are actually encouraged to do that. Hence the law!
- You get the time you need with your therapist
With friends, it can get unpredictable if you lose control over your emotions while talking to them about your problems. They may not be emotionally or mentally equipped to deal with that sudden burst of emotion and it may strike a chord with them. They might not want to talk to you again about it. With a therapist, on the other hand, you can be yourself – however you are feeling – and they will still be there for you the next session. They will not take offense to your behaviour outbursts or judge you by them. They will be dedicated to help you work on them.
Seeing a therapist can also be fun! Once you reach a comfortable place with your therapist, you will start loving your sessions because you can be yourself, without any of your masks on! You make actual progress on yourself when you see that, there is nothing like it. How amazing is that?
