Receiving a mental health diagnosis can be an overwhelming experience and challenging to cope with. One of the most challenging components can include recognizing and accepting professional help. Accepting a mental illness diagnosis or accepting that an individual requires therapy places the person in a vulnerable spot, as they now rely on the help of another to assist them in shifting their future outcome. However, the act of saying “I need help” is not an easy task and often requires courage. Along with courage, this process requires the wisdom to engage in self-reflection and come to the realization that the individual cannot get better on their own.
One major reason that seeking therapy requires courage includes the requirement that the person must trust in others when they are at their most vulnerable points, including making confessions one would never dream of disclosing to others under normal or average circumstances. This process involves a significant level of trust in the mental health professional, who is previously unknown to the individual. Instilling trust, therefore, also requires courage.
Making confessions about one’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors is often accompanied by various stigmas and feelings of shame, which must be overcome when seeking treatment. People will often mask their vulnerabilities to give others the perception they are functioning well, which often prevents them from facing the reality. However, facing the reality takes real courage. Sharing a person’s innermost thoughts and feelings can be terrifying as there is often a subconscious expectation that they will be judged. However, the benefit of the therapeutic setting is the practitioner is there to provide a non-judgmental ear and to assist you in reducing the burdens and barriers present that prevent the individual from engaging in important self-care practices.
Moreover, when one confesses their mental health challenges, they are often challenged with the task of self-reflection. This process also takes significant amounts of courage, as it requires the individual to face their problems and accept the need to effectively address them. Additionally, during the therapeutic process, the person may be faced with challenges that require them to engage in uncomfortable situations, such as attending social events that would typically make them anxious. This takes a tremendous amount of courage as the individual is progressively facing their fears and doing so under the observation of others. Though starting therapy requires courage, that courage will serve as a critical tool during the therapeutic process as well as many other areas of life.
