Throughout life there are always ups and downs. People can have their opinions on things, and society can turn them into positive or negatives. One thing that can be known to have a bad reputation through society and word of mouth, especially through out college campuses, is therapy. A cry for help, if you will. Who needs that? Going to therapy means there is something wrong with you, right? That you are weak? You can’t take care of yourself? Wrong. According to SELF, “It can feel really empowering to do this one small thing for yourself.”
People tend to believe they don’t need therapy because they can handle things on their own — their emotions, anxiety and depression. However, once they take that chance, it can really help someone in ways they couldn’t do on their own.
“Therapy has changed the way that I react to situations that stress me or give me anxiety. As somebody who recognizes that they overreact or overanalyze situations and as a result become stressed out and anxious from them, I have found a way to cope with the scenarios that I am put in now. I have a plan of action in the event that I ever feel this way again. Therapy has allowed me to become more self-aware and address those aspects of my life head on, but one at a time. I am fully comfortable in stating that it really has put my mind at ease,” said junior Alex Talbot.
The stigma that can come from therapy can also be a huge problem for college students and young adults today. What will people think? How will my family react? What will my friends think? Will they treat me differently?
“Once they realized that I was struggling, they were looking to do anything that they could to be able to help me. I was reached out to by friends that I haven’t heard from in years and even people that I am not super close with. The overall reaction to therapy from people was positive, and I was supported by my friends,” said Talbot.
With the approval of friends and family comes the outside world. How do we destigmatize the word therapy? How do we not define it as “you have problems and can’t solve them on your own.” How do we define it as seeing a doctor? Instead of your physical health, it’s for your mental health.
“The younger generation of people is treating mental health as much more of a prevalent issue. Due to this, I personally believe that we should treat mental health as having the same importance as physical health. You see a doctor at least once a year, so why shouldn’t we be seeing a therapist or somebody with expertise on the other aspect of bodily health, mental health, at least once a year,” said Talbot.
