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Most people will agree that the best period of life is the childhood phase. It’s at this phase that we believed that everything and anything was possible. Our naivety and innocence led us to trust even in the most unimaginable things. We were protected from the harsh realities of life; then came adulthood. This was the phase we all looked forward to, hoped for, anticipated, but dreaded it when it finally came.
Just in the twinkle of an eye, we realised that life wasn’t just black and white. There were bills to be paid, and responsibilities to be attended to and then the depression set in while we struggled to remain afloat. Sometimes, we did remain afloat and other times we didn’t, sinking deeper into despair. At this stage, some people realised they had a problem and tried to seek solutions. The solution is simple and if you ask me, I’ll tell you; just keep talking.
Talk to those around you that you can trust. Talking is the basic foundation of all the solutions you can think of: therapy, support groups, etc. You still need to do the same thing, and that is talk. According to the New York times, talking has powerful psychological benefits that might not be immediately apparent.
Don’t stop talking; talk about how you feel and what you feel, and you’ll find out that perhaps all you needed is a listening ear. The beautiful thing about this is the listening ear who reassures you and motivates you to keep pushing, even though they may or may not understand what you are passing through exactly but they’ll help with the necessary tips to survive.
Studies have shown that talking to others when faced with a problem increases the level of support and decreases depression. This is further buttressed by the World Health Organization who emphasise the central role of disclosure as a viral component in recovery in 2017. Significantly, the WHO campaign recommends that talking can involve a wide range of potential listeners from family, to friends, to professionals.
This invariably implies that talking to people is good, but talking to the right people is better. As I mentioned earlier, your listener may have never directly experienced what you are talking to them about and you may find their advice vague and void of empathy. And as such, you may not get the adequate help that you require.
I think talking to anyone is better than not talking at all.
One of the hindrances to talking about your problems and challenges is the issue of trust. BBC.co.uk reported that there are many reasons why people might find it difficult to open up about their problems. Confiding in an untrustworthy person can cause more problems than solutions and will invariably lead to withdrawal by the confidante. They may never be able to fully recover from the trauma to trust anyone again. This is why there is a need to talk to the right person. The right person in this context refers to an individual who is in a better position to offer practical help at the moment and be confidential about it.
Nowandme.com is a super helpful website that you can check out, allowing you to interact anonymously while you unbottle your emotions with no form of judgment whatsoever.
Talking to the right person is therapeutic and this is the definition of Psychotherapy, simply known as talk therapy.
Psychotherapy is the provision of professionally trained listeners who can help you get relief from your problems and challenges and make positive changes in your life.
No, you do not have to be diagnosed with a mental health issue to benefit from therapy. Some people think seeing a therapist translates to being mentally unstable, but the fact is persons with mental instability do not see a therapist, but a psychiatrist. Therapy only offers string support for issues such as job stress, marital stress, self-doubt, and other common issues like dealing with family separation, coping with the death of a loved one, or recovery from sickness. Even if you do not have problems, seeing a therapist can give you an outside perspective and help you gain insight to make better choices and make better decisions.
Therapy comes in two different forms; there is traditional face-to-face therapy and online therapy. Just like the name implies, the formal is the form of therapy where you have face to face interactions with the therapist while the latter refers to therapy conducted on the internet through emails, chat, and video calls. Both forms offer the basic service though with a slight difference in cost. Online therapy is gaining more attention than its counterpart with the increased use of digital technology which has come to stay and offers its service sorely at the discretion of the user anytime and anywhere in the world. While some people prefer online therapy as it provides anonymity, some other people prefer face-to-face therapy, affirming that it provides them with the closure they need. As earlier reiterated, both offer the same support; the use of any lies mainly on preference.
Bear in mind that a therapist is no magician, to be able to help you reach your goals and aid you, you also need to contribute your part. The road to recovery is a journey and on this journey, you need to talk. Saral Sharma, a speaker and mentor, says that talking about problems give you a perspective of people, and if nothing else, you get to understand how unique your problem is. You may not realise but it increases your knowledge base.
So; keep talking; and talk to the right people.