7 reasons to stop postponing a visit to a psychologist

1. You strive to find yourself

• What's happening: you change jobs, hobbies, partners, cities and countries in order to become happier, but not yet.

The restless feeling "I don't know what I want, but definitely not this" can cover at any age and with any degree of well-being. To stop rushing between affairs, people or locations in search of harmony, you need to dig deeper into your own consciousness. True, self-digging often plunges us even more into a chaotic soup of thoughts, fears and social expectations. Oddly enough, for a closer acquaintance with yourself, you need another person. Of course, no psychologist can decide for you what to do in life. But he will give the tools to understand himself. Therapy is not an arrow at an intersection telling you where to go. Rather, it is a GPS navigator that helps you plan your route and prepares you for dangerous turns, bumpy roads and difficult fellow travelers.

2. You want to learn how to defend personal boundaries

• What's happening: other people (often your loved ones) decide for you how best to live for you.

A parent, partner, or other loving person may think they know better than you how to dress, where to work, and what books to read in your free time. Not everyone succeeds in finding the strength to disagree and to do in their own way. As a result, some do as they are told, and inside they accumulate anger and resentment, sometimes without even realizing it. Others quarrel with loved ones in an attempt to regain freedom. It is not easy to calmly build your own boundaries. We are hindered by the projection of other people's expectations onto ourselves, the fear of not justifying hopes, blocks from childhood, the desire to be good for everyone. With a psychologist, you will figure out why other people are in charge of your life, make a strategy to protect your personal boundaries without quarreling with loved ones, and stop living in the “I owe everyone” mode.

3. You have a need to share your experience with someone

• What's happening: you are afraid that people will judge you or look differently, so keep everything to yourself.

Some situations are not easy to share with friends or partner. For example, about those where you do not appear in the best light. If you have deceived someone, cheated, cheated or done something that you are ashamed of, the guilt for this can lie like a stone in the back of your mind and poison your life. I want to share such a load, but the fear of condemnation is stronger. That is why so many people tell their shameful secrets to night taxi drivers or random fellow travelers on the train: they will not look with reproach in their eyes for the rest of their lives. However, it will be much more productive to turn to a psychologist: he will not only listen to you, but also give constructive feedback, help work through guilt and forgive himself.

4. You have panic attacks

• What's happening: you sometimes have a rapid heartbeat, feeling short of breath, trembling in your body, but going to the doctor did not reveal any health problems.

When a person first feels a panic attack, they think they are dying or terminally ill. After doctors do not find a physiological cause for this condition, many begin to take sedatives, antidepressants and antipsychotics to relieve symptoms. But pharmacological treatments for panic attacks havePanic Disorder: Should I Take Medicine? side effects such as insomnia or headaches. That said, research confirms that there are non-pharmacological methods that work, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.Reducing the Symptomatology of Panic Disorder: The Effects of a Yoga Program Alone and in Combination with Cognitive ‑ Behavioral Therapy combined with yoga. Classes with a psychologist will help you not only to drown out the symptoms, but to find the inner cause of the problem, work it out and arm yourself with an arsenal of useful practices against panic.

5. You are in a relationship crisis

• What's happening: you love your partner and do not want to leave, but at the same time you often swear and do not seem to hear each other.

Even the most beloved person pisses me off from time to time. And when relations become a sluggish war and squabbles over the same thing, they give up. It is important to be aware that when your partner is arguing with you over spilled tea or scattered things, in fact, something else can hurt him - for example, a lack of love and attention. Psychotherapy sessions will help you get to the bottom of your fights. The specialist will also teach you non-conflict communication with each other. It is impossible to completely stop feeling resentment or anger - these are normal human manifestations. But you can learn to catch these emotions and live them without toxicity to your loved one. You can start classes with a psychologist alone and eventually involve a partner in the work.

6. You are going through a period of change

• What's happening: your life has changed, you do not know what to do about it, and you are afraid that you will not be able to cope.

You have moved, entered into a new relationship, changed jobs, moved into a new role - for example, become a parent. Even positive changes can be stressful, and previously unexplored phenomena raise fears that you are about to fail. Give yourself time to adapt and go into therapy. A psychologist will help make the unfamiliar more understandable and provide clues to enjoying life during difficult times. Negative changes are an even more compelling reason to seek specialist advice. You don't have to take out the stress that comes with being fired, the loss of loved ones, health problems, or any other problem alone. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of emotional maturity and a way to keep from going crazy when life is not fun.

7. Would you like to become more determined

• What's happening: you know what you want, but you don’t start doing it and you live in limbo.

Getting started on your dreams is not easy. You can endlessly update the "wish board", read smart books on motivation, listen to webinars of successful people and... continue doing nothing. And all due to the fact that each person is individual. This means that the paths that have led to the prosperity of others may simply not work for you. But lack of confidence in one's own strengths, fear of revealing one's true desires and procrastination can and should be worked out with a psychologist. A good person can help you prioritize, gain the determination to move from plans to actions, and find the resources within yourself to implement ideas.