No matter where we come from or where we are heading, we all have one very distinct thing in common: our pursuit to live a happy and fulfilled life. While many people associate happiness with feeling a positive sense of mental well-being, there is more to it. Mental wellness is an important component of our overall health that should be exercised often. Just like we go to the gym to work out our physical selves, our mental wellness needs to be looked after.
Making therapy a part of your wellness routine can help you feel a greater sense of satisfaction in your life, no matter what challenges you’re currently experiencing. The goal of therapy is to allow you to live a more fulfilled, functional and happier life by helping you work through your thoughts, emotions and daily stresses more effectively. Let’s take a closer look at what makes therapy such a valuable component of our overall wellness routine.
Wellness is a term to describe the holistic integration of your physical, mental and spiritual well-being as each dimension can be exercised to enhance our overall health. A wellness routine involves every aspect of your day to day that helps you establish a lifestyle that is naturally healthy. While every person differs in how they define their own wellness routine, we are all aiming to strive for a “personal harmony” that feels most authentic to ourselves.
We all vary in our wellness routines. What works for one person may not work for everyone and that’s ok. Here are some examples of healthy habits you can add to your routine today:
The one thing missing for many people when they consider their own wellness routine is the incorporation of regular therapy sessions. Considering that we all go to the dentist to invest in our smile twice a year, we want to encourage you to invest in a reason to smile. Make sure to check your current benefit plan because these counselling services are usually covered!
It’s common to find that a majority of individuals who seek out therapy do so during a crisis or stressful life transition. Although this is still a critical time to seek counselling support, we are here to discuss the advantages of maintaining ongoing support through the good, the bad and even the peaceful moments in your life.
Scheduling regular counselling sessions can provide a myriad of positive benefits that the occasional sessions simply can’t offer.
From breaking deeply ingrained habits to working on long-term goals and everything in between. Below are 3 ways scheduled counselling sessions can change the dynamic of your current situation.
1. Routine therapy sessions will help you build a stronger rapport with your counsellor
When you walk into your first counselling session with a new therapist, it’s difficult to break down your own emotional barriers and share your true self with this person. Attending counselling on a regular basis will help you build more trust and engage in more vulnerable discussions — and for counselling to have the greatest impact, this is exactly what needs to happen. In time, you will be able to open yourself up more to your counsellor which allows for more valuable conversations to surface.
2. Discussing the “good” with your counsellor can be just as important as discussing the “bad”
For many people, counselling is an attempt in getting their life back on the right path after a crisis or significant life change. When there doesn’t seem to be any sort of problems to face, investing time and money into regular counselling might not feel like a priority. The fact of the matter is, counselling over the long term can significantly improve your progress towards a variety of mental and physical health goals you may have.
Here are some examples of non-emergent counselling topics to discuss in your sessions:
When you’re not in crisis mode, you will be that much more open, optimistic, and even motivated to discuss these deeper personal challenges in your life — this is a major benefit of routine counselling.
3. Routine counselling sessions provide you with a safe space to emotionally unpack
When you first set out on your counselling journey, you might have a specific goal in mind. Although the initial few sessions may be targeted towards that particular goal, the consistency of maintaining regular sessions can offer the opportunity to branch off into different areas of discussion.
Investing an hour regularly to address your current stressors and challenges will help you gain more control over your mental health in the long term. Routine visits give you the peace of mind that a session is coming up soon, allowing you to emotionally rest in the meantime.
At On Your Mind Counselling, we welcome every person who walks through our door (or virtual doors, so to speak) no matter what challenges or hardships you may be facing at this time. We especially want to encourage those who are on the fence about starting their counselling journey for the reason of “not having enough to talk about” or “not needing therapy right now”. At the end of the day, feeling as though you don’t necessarily need counselling is far better than wishing you received support years ago.
Making therapy a part of your wellness routine may be just the thing that will help you to excel on your goals, aspirations, relationships, career and so much more. Click here to book a free consultation with one of our experienced therapists today.
Written by Tori Mudie BA, MA, RP, CCC