A therapy session is a safe space where you can say whatever is on your mind. While you’re allowed to say anything you need to say, there are some things you can say that may sabotage your happiness. Of course, if you struggle from mental health issues, your wellbeing is not entirely in your control. However, there are certain bad habits you can eliminate from your therapy routine to help you to feel happier. Here are a few things to avoid doing in your therapy sessions:
1) Choosing the wrong therapist
A therapist should be someone you can open up to. You should be able to tell this person about feelings and experiences that you may not be comfortable telling other people about. The first session is likely to feel a little awkward, but you should get more comfortable with the therapist over time. If this is not happening, then you’ll need to look for a new therapist. If you truly want help, you need to find someone you can be vulnerable around.
2) Assuming your therapist is judging you
A therapy session should be free of judgment. If you are a person who generally worries that people are judging you, then it may take some time for you to feel that you aren’t being judged in therapy. You may even want to tell the therapist how you feel about this. A good therapist will not judge you, but rather analyze the information you are providing to help you work through your issues. If even after talking this over with the therapist and processing it, you still feel largely judged, you’ll need to try a new therapist.
3) Thinking therapy is just a place for negative thoughts and feelings
Life has its good times and its bad times. Often, you might enter a session with a problem that you are battling. Other times, you may be feeling pretty good. If you’re having a good week, there’s no need to search for problems that aren’t there. If you are an overthinker, looking for something negative to talk about just to fill your session time can bring new problems to your mind, and allow them to blow up in your head. Tell your therapist how you’re honestly feeling, even if you’re feeling happy.
4) Carrying the problems brought up in therapy with you outside of therapy
Therapy creates a relationship in which you have the luxury of telling your problems to another person to help you better go on with your life. It can be difficult to completely forget about your problems. In many cases, the second you leave therapy, these problems are staring you in the face. However, try not to linger on what was said in therapy and allow it to consume you. Remember that anything said in the therapy session does not change the world around you for the worse.
5) Hiding important information from your therapist
Typically when you have an issue you’re going through, important pieces of the puzzle are found in your past or in other aspects of your life. You have every right to keep personal information to yourself, and if you really don’t feel comfortable telling a therapist something, you don’t have to do so. However, opening up about your feelings and your past can give the therapist more of the information necessary to help you. If you find yourself having extreme difficulty talking about certain topics with your therapist, you may need to set boundaries. If it seems you’re always having difficulty opening up, this may be a case for getting a new therapist.
6) Expecting your therapist to fix your problems
A therapist’s job is not to fix your problems. The only person who can do that is you. A good therapist will never tell you what to do. What a therapist can and should do is provide you with analysis that will help you sort out your problems. With a therapist’s help, you should be able to look at your problems with a clear head and solve them in a more rational way.
Therapy can be extremely helpful and enlightening. Your unhappiness will not disappear overnight, but you will be able to see where it comes from and find possible solutions to stop it. The way to get the best out of therapy is to choose a therapist you can be completely open with so that the two of you can work together.