All of us go through things in life. No one ever said life was going to be a walk in the park, or that life was going to be easy. However, when we are struggling through life, we must know that it is okay to reach out for help when needed. It is imperative that we know when to get counseling.

In the times that we live in now, people feel that asking for help is unheard of. It is okay to tell someone how you feel and get the type of assistance you need. In our society, we are taught to conceal our emotions. The concealment of emotions and feelings can cause more damage than good. In reality, we should know the appropriate resources in case we do need the help and assistance. We should know and share resources with each other.

Is Counseling Right For You?

There are certain signs you can look for when determining if counseling is the right avenue for you. The website Psychology Today has listed some signs that you can look for when you are deciding if counseling is the right path for you (www.psychologytoday.com).

Some of these signs are:

• Feeling sad, angry, or otherwise not yourself.
• Abusing drugs, alcohol, food, or sex to cope. You have begun to use alcohol and prescription meds excessively. You may have started using drugs, food, and/or excessive sex as a form of coping.
• You have lost something/someone important to you. Grief is longer and difficult for others, and it can affect others in many different ways. There can be changes mentally and physically. Sometimes there are multiple losses at once, in a short period of time. Everyone is going to react differently to grief, and you have to know when you need counseling to get you through. The first step to identifying your issues is admitting you have an issue in the first place.
• Something traumatic has happened. The earlier you talk to a professional, the faster you can learn healthy ways to cope.
• You can’t do the things you like to do. When you are having trouble dealing with your problems, and you cannot enjoy the things that once brought you happiness, that is when you know you have an issue and something needs to be modified. That is when you need to call a professional, and see why you can’t do the things that you enjoy.
• You are experiencing physical symptoms. You have unexplained headaches, stomach aches, or a rundown immune system.

When looking at all of the signs, if you are seeing that you have more of the signs than you even realize, you see that you need a professional. You will see that the issues that you have are not going to go away on their own. It is okay to ask for help.

The Next Steps

Once you realize the symptoms, and you finally see you cannot do this on your own, you will get more from the professional help. There will be work along the way, and you will really have to look inside yourself for strength, but you can make it.

The work is not always easy, but you have to look at the end result. You will be a better, stronger person. You will be able to face more because of what you have been through. When you ask for help, you are not weak, you are helping yourself, and your future self.

Do not ever feel that you are strange or weird for going to a professional. You are just doing what you need to do. Always put yourself and your mental and physical health first.

Article by Diana Ashworth
Edited by Marquetta Smith, Executive Director of Safe Harbor IM