You might be worried about how people look at you if you are seeing a therapist. Thoughts like"I am a psycho!"..."I am an outcast"..."I am weird"..."I am weak" keep floating around.
What if I tell you that all the thoughts above are just 'what you think' and a tendency of 'jumping into conclusion' from a problematic thought pattern?
Do you have evidence to support the thoughts that you have? Most of the time, we confuse perception and facts, and that would be problematic in the long run.
The very first step is to not overgeneralize and exaggerates your situation.
Here are some Facts:
1. Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected. [1]
2. With all the uncertainties caused by the Corona Virus, mental health issues really impacted denizens around the world, including Malaysia. [2]
3. Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year. [3]
4. A suicide attempt is a clear indication that something is gravely wrong in a person’s life. No matter the race or age of the person; how rich or poor they are, it is true that most people who die by suicide have a mental or emotional disorder. The most common underlying disorder is depression, 30% to 70% of suicide victims suffer from major depression or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. [4]
Can you see how serious it can get if mental health issues are not addressed? It is like a time bomb that will explode anytime in the future. We need to approach this carefully, gently, and cut the right wire to dismantle it.
The good news is, the fact that you are acknowledging this issue is a sign that you will be getting better. There are two extremes when approaching therapy. It is either people who are in deep denial, refusing any sort of treatment and the other side are people who use treatment as a reason as their current condition.
Please take my advice as a grain of salt as every situation is different. Try not to use 'being diagnosed as a certain condition' or using 'therapy' as a reason for not trying and give up living. If you are not seeing a therapist, don't use 'I am depressed' as a reason to stop trying. You will become self-defeated over time, telling yourself the same thing over and over again.
Remember, Thoughts- Behavior - Action. Your thoughts will affect your behaviour, and change your actions.
Don't expect yourself to be okay after a single visit.
This is a long term battle that you have to fight. It will not go away in just a short period as if it got to the point where you need to see a therapist, it means that the pattern or thought behaviour have been built over years and years. If you feel that it does not seems to get better, remember this. You are only working on it for a few months while having trouble for years. In fact, wanting it to be okay right away is not a realistic goal.
Will it come back and haunts you again?
Like all pain, there is no guarantee that after this point in your life you will have nothing to worry about and be happy. There will always be ups and downs in life. We are imperfect souls that are created to solve the problem. Even getting a vaccine it might wear off across the years; doctors cannot guarantee that you will never get the same flu/cold again. Anyways, rest assured that a lot of the thinking pattern, once you have developed the skill to redirect your thought, it is very difficult to unsee it in the future. Be brave, be resilient.
Most of all, be patient.
Everything will be okay in the end. Please find the video below as another additional resource on how you can change your past with your current values.
Refference:
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