Have you struggled with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, data shows a large increase in anxiety and mood disorders in Canadians between 2012 and 2022.

 

Dealing with mental health problems can affect almost every area of your life. But going through therapy can help improve your overall well-being. Here are some of the main benefits of therapy for mental health:

 

1.) Improves Mental Health and Well-being

No matter what kind of issues you’re having, therapy can help. During sessions, you’ll get to talk about what you’ve been struggling with — and learn how to handle stress and other challenges better.

 

How well does therapy work? Studies have shown the following:

 

Why does this treatment approach work so well? Learning new skills to manage stress, deal with conflict and cope with difficult emotions helps develop emotional and mental resilience.

 

2.) Develops Greater Self-Awareness and Understanding

You can expect to learn a lot about yourself when meeting with a therapist. They’ll help you become more self-aware.

 Increased self-awareness allows you to be more in tune with yourself. Instead of letting negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviours control you, — you learn to identify and replace them with positive ones.

 

3.) Builds Your Communication Skills

Do you have trouble talking with people due to anxiety? Or do you often have misunderstandings with others? Therapy can help you improve your communication with loved ones, co-workers, acquaintances, and anyone else in your life.

 A therapist can help you learn good communication skills so you communicate more clearly and confidently. You might work on skills like:

  • Active listening
  • Non-verbal communication, such as eye contact and body language
  • Conflict management skills

 

4.) Provides a Safe Place

It’s not always easy to talk about your feelings and thoughts. and Trauma and other difficult life experiences can make this even more challenging. But therapy offers a space that’s both private and safe.

Therapists keep the information you share with them confidential. They also provide an understanding environment that can encourage you to open up about your problems and struggles so you can – with their support – work through them.

 

5.) Teaches Healthy Ways to Handle Conflict

Do you shy away from arguments or disagreements? Or are you quick to lose your temper? The benefits of therapy include showing you better ways to deal with conflict.

Life comes with unavoidable conflict.  Therapy offers healthier ways to respond to situations. You might work on staying calm and developing empathy for the other person’s point of view, for example. Or you might focus on finding ways to compromise.

 

6.) Deepens Your Relationships

Are mental health issues taking a toll on your relationships? You might isolate yourself if you are depressed. Or you might avoid interacting with people due to anxiety. But therapy can help you turn things around.

 

The benefits of therapy can lead to stronger and healthier relationships. You can learn to set boundaries, build empathy, communicate better, and resolve conflicts.

 

7.) Builds Coping Strategies and Skills

Do you have a hard time handling stress? You might fall into certain thinking and behavioural patterns that aren’t helpful. Maybe you tend to blame yourself when things go wrong, or  orturn to unhealthy behaviours to cope with difficult situations.

Therapy helps you develop better ways to manage stress and other challenging experiences. Your therapist can help you find effective ways to cope, such as journaling, practicing positive self-talk, or making self-care a priority.

 

8.) Improves Your Physical Health

Did you know that the benefits of therapy include better physical health? Mental and physical well-being are closely connected. Having depression, for example, can lead to a higher risk of having serious medical conditions, such as:

  • Stroke
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Osteoporosis
  • Chronic pain

 

When you go to therapy, you’re taking steps to improve your emotional wellness and manage mental health issues or disorders. That, in turn, helps boost your physical well-being.

 

Now that you know some of the ways therapy can help, consider finding a therapist. GMS personal health plans include access to mental health and well-being counselling, access to virtual doctors and   online cognitive behavioural therapy are just a few clicks away, thanks to access included in the GMS Care Network.

This kind of care can help improve every area of your life — and help you feel happier and healthier overall!