Every Second Counts: How Therapy Can Optimize Your Valuable Time
Is There Room in Your Schedule for Therapy?
We can’t wait to get through the work day, get to Friday to use our free time. People typically don’t seek out healthcare services unless we absolutely need it. It makes sense. “Let me talk about all the things that I don’t like about my life, want to change, etc.”, is usually not at the top of the “what do you want to do after work” list.
In our fast-paced world of 2023, where every second seems to count, finding time for therapy may seem like an impossible task. With work, family, social commitments, and personal goals vying for our attention, it's natural to wonder if therapy is worth the investment of your valuable time. In this blog post, we'll delve into the significance of making time for therapy, how it can actually save you time and enrich your life, and why prioritizing your mental well-being is essential.
The Race Against the Clock?
"In the journey of life, time is our most precious currency. Investing in therapy isn't a subtraction from your time; it's an addition to your life's potential." Oprah Winfrey
Imagine your life—a whirlwind of meetings, deadlines, errands, and obligations. Weekdays are a blur of responsibilities, and weekends are often spent playing catch-up or engaging in social activities and hobbies. In such a hectic schedule, dedicating time to discuss life's challenges or desired changes might not be high on your list of priorities.
The Challenge of Time Management
In today's fast-paced world, mastering time management is essential. Balancing work, school, chores, and personal goals requires constant juggling. Even when you do have free time, you might feel pressured to make it productive, learn something new, or work towards your ambitions.
Life if short. Even if you are living your best life, we all wish we had more time. We can say we have all the time we need. “You got this. Push through. Go get em’ tiger.”
The funny part is that you probably can and do push through. You do have it. People are amazing. They are resilient, powerful, determined. But we are all human and our nervous systems; our brains and bodies can be pushed to a limit.
We see it a lot lately in professional sports or figures in the media. We see it in ourselves as we look forward to our breaks, our free time. We know when we NEED a break. Time to breathe. A nice weekend versus thank goodness it is the weekend. Or thank goodness the weekend is over, I am exhausted. “If I can make it to ____, I can get through it.”
The Illusion of Self-Improvement
A break is not a vacation.
Weekends, vacations, and holidays are moments we look forward to for relaxation. However, sometimes these breaks don't provide the rest we crave. The anticipation of a break can often be more enjoyable than the break itself. This self-imposed pressure to use free time wisely can prevent us from truly unwinding. This cycle can lead to burnout, stress, and an inability to enjoy free time when it arrives.
Breaking the Cycle with Self-Care
It's crucial to distinguish between taking a break and going on a genuine vacation. Recognizing the need for a real break, one that allows you to rest and rejuvenate, is your body's way of signaling change. These feelings of overwhelm can be a sign that it's time to pause, reflect, and make adjustments. Lots of people take time off because they have reached a limit in what they can handle in their life. Taking mental health days is now a social norm. Or you may take a sick day when you are not quite “sick”. This is separate from evenings, weekends and any paid vacation you have each year.
Feeling like you need a real break in order to manage, to be able to face the day, is your body giving you information.
Our brain and bodies are connected. We are also connected to and impacted by the world around us. Real rest, respite, time out, time to think, feels different. Everyone defines this differently, as it best resonates with who they are and what they think they need to move into their future. It is a time to reflect and reboot. It may be a chance to disconnect from the daily grind, explore your sources of joy, and create space for creativity and self-care.For many people a break is a time to reorganize and completely restructure their lives and how they perceive the direction they are heading.
Balancing time efficiently while making room for creativity and self-care can be challenging. Many strategies promise to optimize every minute, but how do you find meaning in life and enjoy unstructured time
Make Time for Therapy: A Proactive Approach
I have been a clinician for a long time. Most people react when they have a big problem. When they are burnt out, ready for change, hating their life, panicking about their child, just getting through, constantly judging or worrying when they actually “rest”, can’t enjoy a break. In many cases, there are worse scenarios. Bottom line, there is a problem to fix. “I need help. I should go to therapy because of this issue.” It is stigmatized as “brave” to seek therapy when we all have brains with thoughts and feelings that impact our behavior. We all are managing our mental health at all points throughout our lives. Not just when things are problematic or we are having big feelings.
Stereotypes are changing, finally. Therapy may finally be used the way in which it is researched; as a routine service. Not a crisis service.
Therapy gets ahead of sudden need. It builds self-awareness and tools to get ahead of life’s tough phases but to feel in control of our lives in any phase. To approach life with better perspective; an informed perspective. To understand what our body needs now, not just brains. Not just endure, push through, reach that next step or get through the day, week, month, year…whatever the phase you are in and for how long.
The best time to learn a tool is when you don’t need it.
The Power of Early Intervention
Therapy enables you to approach each day with purpose and meaning by understanding yourself deeply and managing life's challenges wisely. Change in life is constant, within us and all around us. Mental health problems are common and often misunderstood and mislabeled. Life is tough and taking time to understand how to manage the tough to change your attitude and perspective leads to a happier, healthier you.
There is a misnomer that therapy is this lifelong process that someone needs in order to function. Sometimes it is. BUT sometimes it is brief and solution focused. It may be weekly, once a month, twice a year. Two sessions and that is it. It ebbs and flows as you do. Therapy is a unique and beautiful thing that many people don’t understand. Therapy can help make someone’s whole life worth living, today and every day. With all the time you have.
