Should I Consider Getting A Therapist?

[burntlibraryofalexandria]

Every year around this time I get a huge existential crisis which makes me anxious and overly emotional. Currently I've lost my appetite and feel empty. At some point I get over my existential crisis and my anxiety about dying and my family dying but due to the fact it occurs every year around the same time leads me to think that I should communicate my issues to a professional.

There have been other instances in my life where I also cut off people in my life and become a shut-in by not communicating my own issues to the people around me, and I think it'd be best for me to begin trying to get better at communication. A therapist would probably help with this but I've had a therapist before and I found that after the first session that I found it hard to actually vocalise my issues, but in these instances that are unrelated to my yearly existential crises, these were cycles of me bottling up my feelings and then upon irrationally acting on these feelings that I find myself not bothered by them anymore.

[smallwolf]

hello and welcome.

Reaching out for professional support takes courage. A therapist can help provide tools in many instances. Don't be discouraged if opening up is difficult at first - it often takes time to build trust and feel comfortable sharing deeply. One thing you could try is to write down your thoughts when they arise and show the written words to the therapist at the time you see them? This is something I have had to do. Also, commend you for recognizing these patterns and seeking help to break them. Wishing you all the best in your healing journey and if you want to chat more, I'm listening...

[burntlibraryofalexandria]

Thanks for the support. I'll take your advice to heart.

[123cats]

It can be hard at first finding a psychologist you feel right with … it doesn’t need to be perfect but it is easier with someone your comfortable with. I think it would definitely be beneficial to nut this over with a professional for sure as maybe they can help you pick apart what happening during these crisis for you. They may have some valid suggestions… I mean nothing ventured, nothing gained right.

Hang in there buddy 😊

[sbella02]

burntlibraryofalexandria,

Thank you for posting here, and welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling with anxiety.

Those thoughts that you've described are often called intrusive thoughts, but they can be quite derailing and pervasive sometimes. With regards to these, a therapist may be useful to help you work through these, recognise where they may be coming from, and help to alleviate the distress that they can induce.

With regards to communication, I have several suggestions based on my own experiences. Sure, a therapist may be able to help you with communication. But I also believe that communication can be improved by listening to and learning from other people who communicate well. You can find YouTube videos and tutorials on how to be a better communicator or a better listener. Particularly with Ted Talks, they're not only useful for helping to improve different skills but they're also thoroughly entertaining. Listening to videos or podcasts by psychologists or people who have experienced significant traumas in their lives can also give you insight into certain feelings or experiences to help you communicate yours.

I also think that reading a lot can help you to better communicate your thoughts and how you're feeling. You get to learn different ways of phrasing things, or different terms for different states of mind. It can also be helpful for anxiety, as reading has the power to transport you to another world for a little while. You get to disconnect from reality and put yourself in a different setting where characters and/or real-life people have different struggles and life situations, which can broaden your world view and subsequently also help you with communicating your own struggles.

I hope this helps. I may have gotten a little carried away with my perspective on why reading is a useful tool, but the general point still stands. Please feel free to continue chatting with us, we'd love to hear more from you if you'd be willing to share. 

Take care, SB

[burntlibraryofalexandria]

Thank you for the advice and the support. I'm definitely planning on seeing a therapist or psychologist some time about my issues now. 🙂

[burntlibraryofalexandria]

Thanks for replying to my post. The response that I've gotten on here has really helped me. Thanks for offering some alternatives to a therapist based on your own experiences, it really helps showing the options I have and the things that I am able to do in times where I feel helpless.