It is estimated that one in four American adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder in any given year.
In the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses, followed by major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Many people who suffer from mental health issues also have additional co-occurring disorders that can exacerbate the extent of the individual’s suffering.
If you’re thinking about getting mental health counseling, you might be wondering if and how it could benefit you.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways that mental health treatment could help to improve your life, leaving you happier and healthier.
Improved Quality of Life
Deciding to seek mental health treatment can be a difficult decision. However, doing so can help to improve the quality of your life.
To understand this benefit, all you have to do is imagine what it would be like if you are free of the symptoms you currently experience. Without anxiety, stress, depression, or other psychological problems that hold you back, you will be able to live in a way that suits and supports you.
Better Relationships
Having mental health issues can also have a major impact on your relationships. When you go to mental health rehab, it can both help teach you communication skills that are helpful to building strong relationships as well as help relieve your symptoms. When you reach a point where your mental health issues are well-managed, you will likely find that you have a lot more time and space to give to the relationships that matter to you.
Improve Your Relationship With Yourself
Not only will mental health services help you in your relationship with your friends and family, but it can also help you improve your relationship with yourself. It can help you to feel empowered and also help you develop fresh insights about your own health and life. Through mental health counseling, you can get to know yourself better, which means you can heal through past traumas and cultivate compassion towards yourself.
Reduced Risk For Medical Issues
Having an untreated mental health condition can contribute to physical problems like colitis, heart disease, and ulcers. Suffering from mental illness can also weaken your immune system, which makes you more prone to get infections or illnesses.
Better Performance at Work or School
Mental illnesses can seriously negatively impact your performance at work or at school. It’s possible that the symptoms you experience make it very difficult to concentrate, be productive, or even show up in the first place.
You might find that mental health services help to reduce the number of days you miss, improve your concentration, and increase your productivity.
Support and Encouragement
Another huge benefit of seeking mental health treatment is that it can expose you to a source of support and encouragement. It’s easy to feel alone in this world, and having a support network can make a big difference in helping you to follow your treatment and engage in necessary self-care.
Learn How to Make Healthier Choices
While mental health issues can be caused by a combination of complicated factors, making healthy lifestyle changes can often help reduce symptoms. There are certain lifestyle habits that are known to help promote healthy bodies and minds. These include things like:
- Eating a healthy diet
- Engaging in regular exercise
- Avoiding substance abuse
- Becoming mindful
- Having a support system
- Getting good quality sleep
- Consciously managing your relationship with technology and devices
- Picking up healthy practices like meditation or yoga
- Keeping a journal of your thoughts
- Drinking enough water
- Learning stress management techniques
- Spending time in nature
- Adopting good posture
- Having a good work-life balance
When you get help for your mental health issues, you can learn about the many lifestyle habits that could help improve your symptoms. For example, things such as not getting enough sleep, eating an unbalanced diet, or abusing drugs and alcohol can seriously exacerbate existing mental health conditions. Also, practices like getting regular exercise, journaling, and practicing mindfulness can help to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Develop Coping Strategies to Manage Stress and Distress
Everyone feels just sometimes. However, learning how to manage stress is absolutely essential, otherwise it can wreak havoc on your life. If you have emotional stress that hangs around for weeks or months, it can cause a long list of health issues. These include high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, depression, fatigue, heart disease, and anxiety.
When you learn effective stress management techniques, it can help break the hold that stress has on your life. This means that you can regain control of your life rather than always being at the whim of stressors.
When you find a mental health program that works for you, they can help you identify the sources of your stress and teach you management skills so you can reshape your relationship with stress.
Mental health treatment can also help with how you deal with distress. When you have the necessary tools to deal with whatever life throws at you, you are much better equipped to stay stable, healthy, and happy, no matter what happens.
Mental Health Counseling: We’re Here to Help
There are a lot of different reasons that somebody might seek help from a mental health expert. Whether they are suffering from extreme symptoms of a condition, facing a significant crisis, dealing with a substance abuse addiction, or another reason entirely, finding some support through mental heath counseling can help you get back on track with your life.
Are you looking for a mental health rehab to help you get your life back from the grips of mental health issues? If so, contact us today!
