The most common cause of disability in the United States for adults up to age 44 is depression, and the most common mental illness for adults is anxiety, impacting around 40 million people. Moreover, the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America) points out that about half of those struggling with depression also experience anxiety. The sheer number of individuals affected by these mental illnesses should indicate the necessity of intervention.
Faced with not only the numbers, but the gravity of the impact of mental illness on each individual, it is no surprise that increased treatment options are becoming available. Online counseling may be a new concept to you, but it’s definitely one worth taking a look into. If you’re interested in trying out online counseling to help combat feelings of depression and/or anxiety, here are a few things to consider.
Growing an understanding of yourself
Therapy in any form can help you to understand and manage your mental health, and teletherapy can offer you this support from the convenience of your own home. Simply, therapy is the process of meeting with a mental health professional to externally process your thoughts, feelings and behaviors with the aim of resolving or lessening the problematic effects these have on your life. Attending therapy with the particular aim of confronting anxiety or depression can only provide a clearer defined starting point.
As you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, you’re likely to discover some key components of mental illness: the root of your anxiety or depression, triggers to distress, symptoms of mental illness, coping mechanisms, self-talk, the impact of anxiety and depression on your daily life, mental health goals, how to tell when you’re making progress and more. This is not a comprehensive list of how therapy can help you to understand anxiety and depression, but a little overview of what you can expect if you stick with online counseling as a verified treatment option.
Learning to manage events in your life
As you work to battle mental illness, there will be events that come into your life which are too hard to process on your own. Therapy isn’t simply talking about the mental illness itself, but the concrete and palpable ways it affects your day-to-day life. Interacting with a mental health professional who understands your anxiety and depression will make it easier to share about your experiences and how mental health influences them.
Finding medication that works for you
Depression and anxiety are real medical conditions that have physical roots and symptoms. Addressing their psychological impact through counseling can have a major impact on learning to cope and live with mental illness. In addition, addressing the physical side of depression and anxiety can help you in ways that counseling cannot. Trying out medications for depression and anxiety is never an experience that you should go through alone. Enlist the help of your online counselor for a better, professional-level understanding of the medications you need. Talk about how your emotional state changes as you change medications, whether the side effects are manageable and if you feel the medication lessens your depression and anxiety.
Getting the answers you’re looking for
Our brains are busy with questions all day long. Consider yourself lucky if you have a mental health professional on your side who can offer educated and evidence-based answers to life’s toughest questions. Capitalizing on your therapist’s wealth of knowledge that is ever-accessible to you in your sessions is one of the best benefits of online counseling. Make a list of questions throughout the week to ask during your online counseling session. Your therapist will be happy to share information and resources with you, and you’re likely to be impressed by the treasury of information they can offer.
Restoring meaning and purpose to your life
Your therapist is not just working to bandage the symptoms of your mental illness. Rather, they will help you to work at the root of your illness and not only survive with your anxiety and depression, but learn to prosper despite it. Teletherapy for anxiety and depression will help you to minimize symptoms and cope with mental health, to the point that you are not only doing better, but doing your best.
If you’re ready to put online counseling to work for improved management of depression and anxiety, Pyramid Online Counseling is ready to help. Call us at (833) 525-3077 today, or pursue the first steps toward improved mental health online, to start actively pursuing the life you know you deserve.
Counseling for anxiety and depression may look different now than it did in the past, but it’s no less effective. Millions of individuals are getting the mental health help they need and are flocking to online counseling in droves. Online counseling can help you to understand your anxiety and depression, provide a safe space to process the crazy world around you, help you to manage life events and medication and open the doors to a full and happy life.