I Need Help: The Benefits of Speaking to a Psychologist

Those days when you feel nothing but sadness or when dark thoughts start creeping into your mind is a moment, for me personally, when I feel I need to get help or speak to someone. When you're feeling at your worst with your mental health, it takes serious guts to admit to yourself that you need to speak to someone as professional like a psychologist, counsellor or therapist.

Speaking from personal experience, there was a feeling of failure and even embarrassment when I realised that I couldn't work my way through my personal issues myself. Everything felt overwhelmingly scary and I just couldn't cope. I kept saying to myself - "How can I possibly speak to a total stranger about my problems when I can't even admit them to myself or help myself overcome them?!" It does sound bad, I know.



However, please believe me, the benefits of going to see a professional outweigh the non-benefits (I can't think of a word for the opposite of benefits).



Going to speak to someone who is unbiased can be much better than speaking to a family member or close friend, you'll feel you can open up much more speaking to someone who is non-judgemental and unbiased. A loved one can sometimes only tell you what they think you want to hear. It's not overly helpful to yourself and your mental health, it's just like papering over the cracks.

Talking to a professional means you can completely get out there whatever is on your mind. The feeling afterwards is just unreal.



From giving you some self help guidance and mindfulness exercises to do at home, you can gain so much for your mental health by speaking to a professional. They're a great way to help you get back to your best self.



You'll be surprised how effectively you can work out your issues yourself, you think that its the counsellor that's doing it for you, but the only person who can help you is YOU.



After your first session of speaking to someone, you feel (excuse the cliché) a great weight has been lifted off your shoulders. A sense of relief takes over you and you no longer feel the world is against you. That fighting strength suddenly makes a reappearance and you feel like you can conquer the world once again.

Another thing to mention as well is that you don't have to have a deeply personal problem to speak to a counsellor or therapist, it could be that you just want to talk, it's surprising how liberating and freeing it feels when you get stuff off your chest. At the end of the day, they're there to listen.



I hope this will help someone who is feeling scared, alone and anxious about making that first step to go and speak to someone in a psychologist's capacity.



I am very fortunate that at my clinic down the hospital, there is a CF psychologist at the end of the phone if I need to speak to her or make an appointment. It's so relieving to know that she is at there when I need her. I won't lie, I've seen her a few times in the last few years, I'm not saying I'm going or are mental, but sometimes my life just overwhelms me and I need help to get out of the black hole I sometimes find myself in.

If you feel you need to speak to someone, go to the NHS website through this link -
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/free-therapy-or-counselling/
There you can find your local psychological therapy services in your area. You don't necessarily need a referral from your GP - you can refer yourself. But if you would prefer to speak to your GP, then go and speak to them so they can refer you. The above link will explain how to refer yourself to your local therapy session and what type of psychological therapies are on offer. I make it sound like something you can get at your local Tesco.



If you are struggling to find anything in your surrounding area, these charities are absolutely incredible in helping -

Mind - https://www.mind.org.uk/ (for mental health)

Cruse - https://www.cruse.org.uk/ (for bereavement care)

Relate - https://www.relate.org.uk/ (for relationship counselling)

Samaritans - 116 123 (free phone number)

Anxiety UK - www.anxietyuk.org.uk - 03444 775 774 (helping those with anxiety)

CALM - 0800585858 (for men aged between 15-35)

YoungMinds - 08088025544 (for child and adolescent mental health)



Lucy