It’s a touchy subject, I know. Traditionally, therapy is a polarizing topic, but I think the topic is more recently becoming less and less taboo. The word “therapy” has transformed into a term synonymous with “mental health,” which it is just that: health. Just like we take care of every other part of our bodies, the brain is no different. It is responsible for the functionality of our thoughts, emotions, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger sensors, and all other remaining functions in our bodies. The brain is pretty important, to say the least. So, with that in mind, why do we normalize the abandonment of such a powerful and necessary organ in our bodies?
Recent studies have shown that the world population is growing sicker and sicker, despite our increasing societal and scientific innovations. The World Health Organization recently published research stating that depression is now one of the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among people from the ages of 15-29. In the last decade alone, there has been a 13% increase in mental health conditions and substance abuse. It’s tough to ignore numbers like these. With the mental health crisis that the world is facing today, I don’t think anyone is too “good” to skip a health check in this department, and therapy is a great way to start taking care of yourself.
Disclaimer
I have not always been the biggest champion of therapy. To be honest, I used to think it was only needed if you truly had a mental aliment, experienced severe trauma in your life, or really struggling with something major. I never saw the universal value in it. I admit there was a lot of ignorance on my part, though I have grown far in my perspective since.
Last year, I started going to therapy. Coincidentally, some of my closest friends started doing the same. I quickly saw the value of it, not only in my personal life, but in my friends’ lives, too. We all come from slightly different backgrounds and have different things that boiled to the surface throughout our young lives, yet many of them are all connected to the same root issue. Anxiety, fear, inability to sleep, constant stress, feeling inferior or not enough, recent loss of loved ones, or depression are examples of these identified challenges. We all realized we were struggling with the same or similar things. I’m lucky enough to have a friend group and community that is very transparent with one another. We call or text each other when life hits the fan; we consistently tell one another what is going on and how we are feeling. This has been such a blessing in my life, and I can’t tell you how freeing it is to be fully honest with those around you. Although we give one another advice and tools that have helped us get through similar situations, having a professional on your side, like a therapist who is trained in these specific areas and probably has better hindsight than your friend group, is invaluable.
For me personally, therapy has felt like a weight off my shoulders, and it has given me a clearer understanding of who I am as 
a person, why I do what I do, and where I fall short in the best way possible. It helps give me a roadmap and life parameters that I keep in the back of my mind when I make decisions and go through life. It also helped me recognize certain relational patterns with other people and how I navigate them throughout my life. Therapy has empowered me to feel more in control in a multitude of ways, and I know my friends have experienced the same. Since starting therapy and unpacking my life stories, fears, and weaknesses, I have gained control of my thought processes and decision-making by understanding my building blocks to get there. I can predict the way I traditionally react or respond to a situation and can now make an informed choice about how to better react going forward. I now have a different standard of who I accept into my life and how I let others treat me. As simple as this may sound, it has profoundly changed my life, not only in my personal life, but in business and day-to-day interactions as well. So, as you continue to read this, know that this is not coming from someone who’s been screaming from the rooftops for years to advocate for mental health initiatives. It comes from a once-skeptic-turned-believer and greatly appreciative consumer.
Historic Societal Reputation
We all know how therapy has been perceived over the years. It is no secret that it has been seen as a “weakness” or something only needed for the “mentally unstable.” And I’m sure we’ve all heard the cliché statements, “If you aren’t traumatized, you don’t need it,” or “It’s a waste of time,” or even, “All therapists are quacks. If you’re religious, you don’t need a therapist. Talk to God.” As I mentioned earlier, I once ignorantly subscribed to some of these ideals as well, so I can’t quite make a mockery of the people who still believe these adages. But what I can say is that the historic reputation of therapy is becoming just that: historic. I believe this is for the better.
Why Everyone Should Consider Therapy
I just want to take the time to acknowledge our generation’s reality. Don’t get me wrong, in MANY ways we have it easier than the generations before us, but that should not overshadow the challenges that our generation endures. For starters, this technological generation is truly unlike and unrelatable to generations before us. Everything you do can be recorded forever and may be used against you at some point in your life if it ends up in the wrong hands. Your fun night out in high school or college…just wait till someone spins that into a tale of your spiraling out of control since you were young.
Social media? Oh, we all know about that all too well. There’s even a social media platform for the business/career version of 
you. You want to be successful? Don’t forget that there’s a published list of the most successful 20-something-year-olds that is published in Forbes every year to remind you of what you could have done if you worked even harder. 30 under 30. You want to spend time scrolling on TikTok, Reels, or Shorts before you go to bed? Remember the 17-year-old you’re probably watching is making millions. Gone are the days of being praised for living out your 20s like Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton or becoming a household name like the stars on Jersey Shore. Our generation is very different than even the one before us.
Don’t even get me started on the family dynamics we all face. If you think about it, most of us probably grew up in households of handed-down trauma. We may have grandparents or great-grandparents who fought in Vietnam or World War II. Our parents, aunts, and uncles may have gone to war in Afghanistan. That in itself creates a certain mental health dynamic in a family unit. PTSD is so common in these environments, and rightfully so. This is not at all an attack on the men and women who serve to protect our borders. I can assure you that I could never do that, but I do think it is important to draw light to how few mental health services are offered to these men and women during and after their time in service. Many of us might have grown up with an alcoholic in the family or someone who had or has a substance abuse problem. Many of us come from parents who had an abusive upbringing, grew up in utter poverty, or lost a parent at a young age. All of these life experiences have, arguably, gone untreated and unaddressed for generations. Imagine how that impacted our own upbringings. Generations of complexities passed down, bubbling to the surface in various ways, with a big ole swirl of the modern world mixed into it. I think it’s about time we all ask for some help.
Our world is constantly changing and evolving, and so is your life. I think our generation is realizing the power behind something as simple as therapy to use as a tool when navigating the turmoil that life inevitably throws at you. There is vulnerability in strength and being able to articulate your feelings and emotions. This is a superpower that we should all lean into, not shy away from.
How Therapy Can Improve Your Life
As I mentioned before, your brain is an extremely important organ in your body. Treat it just like you do the rest and give it a check-up, then make it hit the gym (therapy) and do some exercises. Now, everyone’s reasoning for going to therapy will be different. I can share why it has been important to me and some of my friends, and you can determine whether any of these reasons resonate with you.
- It can help you better frame or understand your life.
- It can help you foster deeper, stronger, healthier, and more intentional relationships. Whether with friends, family, or a partner.
- It can help you mend or learn how to navigate tough family dynamics.
- It can help prevent you from passing on your trauma to the next generation, your spouse, your friends, or co-workers.
Emotional intelligence is a skillset that is more powerful than most people realize. Having control and dictation over your emotions will serve you greatly in every aspect of your life, so don’t scoff at the idea of growth in this arena. It’s not easy to cope with modern life challenges, so give yourself the best shot possible.
Affordable Therapy Options
Therapy can be very expensive, especially in the United States. I’d argue it’s a flaw in the American Health System because therapy is often not seen as medical treatment but an optional service. I can’t speak for the system that exists in other countries, as that is not my experience, but I hope that there are some overlaps here in the options provided below. Before you count therapy out due to your finances, see if some of these options may work for you.
- See if your job offers mental health services. More and more employers are willing to cover this expense or provide options to help.
- Check out online therapy services like betterhelp.com, growtherapy.com, talkspace.com, etc.
- Look into whether your health insurance has any options. Give them a call…you’d be surprised what they might cover.
- Look for a therapist on zocdoc.com. Many of them are free or very cheap with insurance.
Another aspect to think about is making appointments as you see fit or as you can afford them. I do not think the “all or nothing” approach is the best way to enter therapy. You don’t have to go weekly, or even bi-weekly, especially if you can’t afford it at this moment in time. Make a system you can afford to keep up with and stick to it.
You can also reassess your spending and determine if there are other areas you can cut back on that don’t provide much value, then reallocate that money accordingly. If therapy is still not possible for you, that’s okay. Maybe make it an obtainable goal for your health and well-being in the future.
Invest in Yourself
I don’t mean to sound crass because I know therapy can be a touchy subject, and it truly can be like opening Pandora’s box for many. But if you take a step back and recognize where you spend your time, where you put your money, what you pay for to improve your skillset or your education, I want you to ask yourself why you don’t view improving your mental health and taking care of yourself as a similar initiative. Treat therapy as self-care. Treat therapy as a pathway for personal growth. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So why not start today, if you can? Something tells me you’ll be glad you did in the end.
Sources
Brain Anatomy and How the Brain Works. (2021, July 14). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain#:~:text=The%20brain%20is%20a%20complex,process%20that%20regulates%20our%20body.
Mental health. (2019, December 19). https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1
