When is it Time to Seek Counseling?
If you haven’t been feeling great, but aren’t sure when it’s time to seek counseling, we hope this article will clarify that question. Firstly, counseling is for everyone, and if you’re questioning if counseling might be beneficial for you, then that’s probably your first indicator that it’s worth looking into. Before you continue reading, please remember that seeking counseling is a sign of strength and insight. It’s a sign that you care about yourself and want to make sure that you feel better.
Here are times when you may want to consider counseling
You just started taking medication for your mental health (depression, anxiety, etc).
If you have just begun taking a medication to address mental health symptoms, I highly recommend working with a counselor. Studies show that medication and counseling together yield better results than medication alone. In working with a counselor, you’ll have an additional person who is monitoring your medication. Your counselor might ask how you’ve been feeling on your new medication, they might ask if you’ve been taking the medication daily as prescribed, and they might also encourage you to speak with your psychiatrist sooner than your next appointment if there are concerns.
Additionally, by participating in counseling, you’ll have the opportunity to work through the stressors that may be contributing to your mental health. A therapist will introduce new coping strategies that you can use in addition to medication, so that you feel more capable of managing your mental health symptoms. This way, you’re creating a team of providers who are working together to help you feel better. You can sign a release of information form, allowing your providers to communicate with one another about your care.
You haven’t been feeling so great.
If this persists, it might be time to look for a counselor. Counselors can help people who feel anxious, worried, depressed, sad, tense, or irritable. They can help if you’ve been experiencing low energy, low motivation, and loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy. They can also help if you’ve been increasing drug or alcohol use (or some other not-so-healthy behavior) in response to how you’ve been feeling.
The emotions you’ve been experiencing have become too intense or too frequent.
This is really important! Everyone feels down, sad, angry, or anxious from time to time. That’s not a problem. What IS a problem is when these emotions become too intense or too frequent. When these emotions become too intense or too frequent, they can start to create negative consequences.
The emotions you’ve been experiencing have begun impacting your relationships.
It’s not uncommon for anxiety, worry, or depressed mood to impact someone’s relationships. Have you noticed being more irritable or short-tempered than usual? Perhaps you’ve begun isolating by avoiding the people who care about you and by not returning their calls or texts.
Some people notice that they avoid family gatherings or social activities as a result of their mental health symptoms. By seeking counseling, you are taking steps to help yourself feel better while also making sure that you are able to maintain the relationships that are important to you.
You are having difficulty functioning as usual.
When people experience mental health concerns, they often find that their mental health symptoms have an impact on their ability to function on a day-to-day basis. For example, people often report that low energy, low motivation, and difficulty concentrating result in avoiding their work and not completing tasks. Perhaps you’re staying in bed longer than usual and are having difficulty getting out of bed. Pay attention if you have been missing work or school or if you have been showing up late for work or school. You want to recognize these things sooner than later, so they do not create unwanted consequences down the road.
You’ve been having difficulty sleeping.
It’s not unusual for mental health issues to create difficulty sleeping. For example, some people have difficulty falling asleep at night due to racing thoughts while others find that they wake up through the night. Other people notice that they are sleeping more than usual and still feel tired when they wake up. There are still others who have difficulty sleeping at all.
You’ve noticed changes in your eating habits.
When mental health concerns arise, some people notice that they lose their appetite, feel nauseous, or experience GI problems. This can sometimes result in weight loss. Others, however, notice that they are eating more than usual and experiencing weight gain.
Your organization and personal hygiene have fallen to the way-side.
Have you noticed that you’re not showering or bathing as usual? Perhaps you’ve stopped washing your face or brushing your teeth as you normally would. If your home has become cluttered or messy, and if your dishes or laundry have begun to pile up, ask yourself if this might be related to how you’ve been feeling.
You’ve become preoccupied with cleaning and keeping things in perfect order.
While some notice that they neglect their usual routines for cleanliness and hygiene, others notice that they spend more time cleaning and picking up when stressed or anxious. If you have been spending an excessive amount of time cleaning or if you feel irritated or angry when things are not in perfect order, take a moment to check in with yourself to see what’s going on.
You’ve been engaging in unhealthy or harmful behaviors (or you’ve been thinking about them).
For some people, this looks like an increase in drug or alcohol use. For others this might mean cutting or engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors that you later regret. Some people experience thoughts of death or suicide. If you have immediate concerns about your safety or well-being (or that of someone you care about), you can call or chat with someone from the National Suicide Prevention LifeLine at 988.
A professional is available 24 hours/day when you call this number. Please note that you can call this number for any mental health crisis, not just thoughts of suicide. In more serious cases, you can call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or go to the nearest mental health urgent care clinic.
Other people have started to notice a change in you, and they’re concerned.
Have other people started to comment that you “seem different?” Perhaps they’ve been asking if everything is OK. Sometimes the people who know us well can see changes in us before we do. In these cases, try to be open and understand that these questions are coming from a place of care and concern. It’s not uncommon for family members to call our office to ask about counseling services for someone they care about. While this is a caring gesture, it is ultimately up to you to commit to counseling.
If this information resonates with you, perhaps it’s time to seek counseling services. If this information describes someone you know, feel free to share this article with them. You can also let them know that you are concerned and want to make sure they’re getting the help they need. By speaking openly about counseling, we are able to break the stigma about mental health and mental health counseling services. Whether you’re reading this article for yourself or someone you care about, it’s important to remember that seeking help is a sign of insight and strength. It shows a commitment to your personal growth and well-being.
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Interested in Counseling for Anxiety or Depression?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online counseling for anxiety and depression aren’t the only services offered at our Maryland office
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students and international students.
Written By: Melissa Wesner, LCPC
Photos: Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
Date of Download: 7/23/2020
