When is a problem bad enough to need therapy?

We all have issues, things about us that we might want to change, things that we feel out of control of, behaviours we don’t like. However, this is normal and maybe it doesn’t need therapy – only you can decide. To me the tipping point is where the problem starts to affect your quality of life – when you start avoiding doing something or stop doing something because of fear.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

A phobia is not where you don’t like spiders, a phobia is where you won’t go into the garden in case you see one. If it’s an inconvenience, then you might not bother with therapy. If it changes your life or the way you live your life then get it sorted.

Everybody deserves to really live their life – not just survive day to day. Nobody is happy all the time, but we should be happy some of the time, or at least once a day!

So:

  • Do you think about your problem a lot of the time?
  • Do you feel out of control of your problem?
  • Do you or anyone else in your life think your problem is getting worse?
  • Is your problem affecting your quality of life?
  • Are you bothered enough about your problem to really work at getting rid of it?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then don’t wait – get help and start living.

See our article on getting help for teens with anxiety>>