Ever since grad school, the word “should” makes me cringe just a little bit inside.  Every time we “should” do something, it sets us up for the judgment of ourselves.  Think about it.  Do you ask yourself “should I find a therapist?”  There’s a reason you’re asking yourself this.  The issue with “should” is at the end of the day, if you don’t find a therapist, you tend to feel guilt.  Guilt piles up and we don’t want that!  Instead of “shoulding on yourself,” ask yourself “why do I want to find a therapist?”  This small switch in how you talk to yourself and can totally shift your perspective on things.     

• Do you have a lot of things going on and feeling super overwhelmed?  
• Are there people close to you saying “you need to talk to someone.”  
• Maybe you just want someone to listen and provide a different perspective.  

Once we shift our perspectives on things, it feels uncomfortable and we want to go back to the default setting.  Stick with it and work through the reasons you want to do something different.

• Reasons TO go: 
  • Feel supported, understood, and heard
  • A place to go where it’s all about you and your experience 
  • Having someone else’s perspective on things going on in your life
  • You have things you want to unpack and work through 
• Reasons NOT to go: 
  • Cost
  • Time out of your day 
  • Talking to a “stranger” about problems that they can’t fix
  • You can suck it up and get over it

Trust me, I’ve heard these reasons many times, especially from myself.  Yeah, I do go to therapy and have for the past 9 years.  There are a million excuses we can give ourselves as a way to avoid therapy or needing someone to talk to.   To answer this question for yourself, don’t be afraid to explore things in your life that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable.  This is where we grow and adapt.  That therapy room may seem full of reasons WHY or WHY NOT to go, but you owe it to yourself to explore those whys.