Let’s Talk about Therapy!

this is when you hear of people having mental breakdowns because they are unable to cope with the pressure of suppressing their emotions and feelings for a lengthy period of time.

For many years if you spoke of having any form of therapy, many people would use the term “Mentally Unstable” to describe you. However, nowadays that perceived stigma is much less prevalent. With so many forms of media promoting wellbeing and mental health, therapy is now at the forefront of most people’s minds, especially since the pandemic.

However, there is still a minority who believe that they don’t need any form of therapy and that their coping mechanism is all they need in order to survive on a daily basis. This said, the coping mechanism I refer to is not sustainable and therefore

Suppressing ones emotions can be a cultural thing as being a British born Asian myself, my parents never promoted talking openly about your feelings and mental health. From their parents teaching them to show no emotion and just get on with it attitude, this was filtered down to my parents who as loving as they were, did not encourage my siblings and I to share their issues or concerns. To then carry this mindset onto the next generation is heart breaking because this pattern will continue unless it is addressed and spoken about. I was bullied throughout the whole of my secondary school and because I was never encouraged to express emotion I suffered with this trauma for a large proportion of my life and this was very detrimental to my wellbeing.

It can also be a gender issue where again men were told “to be a man” and not to talk about how their feeling etc. My clientele currently is predominantly male. I hope this will continue and more males will learn from their peers that it is not a sign of weakness to express emotion and to seek help when they feel they need it.

It is also vital that you find the right counsellor/therapist that works for you. You need to feel comfortable and be able to talk openly and without feeling prejudged and that whatever you disclose will be in confidence. The therapist needs to be the right fit for you so if it is not working for you, it is your prerogative to find another.

Therefore, as a Life Therapist of my own company RMJ Wellbeing, I encourage everybody to talk. However, “trivial” or petty you may think your concerns are, I would implore you to speak to a professional. It is far better to deal with a what you may categorise as petty now, rather than have to deal with a major disaster further down the line.

Mostly it is when somebody reaches crisis point, that is when they will seek therapy, however, why not address it at an earlier stage and this way your able to work through it before it reaches the point of no return and you can start living your best life!

For more information visit www.rmjwellbeing.com