Advertisement feature in association with BetterHelp – the online therapy specialists
Are you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the global pandemic? We’re all struggling for sure. These last few months in particular I’ve noticed more and more friends sharing feelings of anxiety and isolation, worrying about getting through the day, the week, the month, the goodness knows how long. There have been times too when I’ve thought about online therapy, when I’ve felt the virus playing havoc with my midlife unravelling and like I’ve needed somewhere to turn.
The trouble is that in terms of our mental health, Covid-19 is a bit of a vicious circle. We’re finding ourselves isolated, bored, lacking in purpose or direction. We’re lonely, stuck at home away from our usual social circles, and it makes us depressed and anxious.
What would you normally do in this situation? What would be your go-to mood booster when you are feeling down? Quite probably it would be to meet up with friends, to socialise. If you felt like a week or two had gone by and you were feeling overwhelmed, you might call up a friend and take them out for dinner.
But we can’t do that.
And so the spiral begins.
One way to tackle it is to think about some online therapy. 20 years ago there may have been a stigma attached to therapy, but nowadays it feels like almost the opposite is true – are you even practising any level of self-care if you’re not checking in with your therapist once a week?
The truth is that talking to a therapist can be hugely beneficial in all sorts of circumstances, not least a global catastrophe like coronavirus. Talking to a therapist allows you to talk through your problems or worries in a completely non-judgemental environment. You can trust your therapist – you know they aren’t going to be thinking any less of you or gossiping about you to friends, it’s a totally safe environment. What’s great too about talking to a therapist rather than a friend is that they will actually challenge you. Whereas a friend may just sympathise, a therapist can go deeper, questioning you about your beliefs and your motivations, making you face difficult subjects that a friend might avoid.
Some people may be concerned about meeting up with a therapist at the moment, and you’d be right to be cautious about meeting someone in person. Fortunately most therapists have been able to easily take their sessions online, and while at first it might feel a little less intimate, sharing your personal stories via Zoom or Skype, online therapy does have plenty of benefits too, not least the fact that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. In many ways this can actually help with your therapy, as you’re already in an environment that feels safe and familiar.
If you’re in any doubt at all that online therapy can be just as effective, take BetterHelp as an example. BetterHelp is a specialist online therapy service founded in 2013. They focus exclusively on online therapy, offered through a team of licensed therapists, and have delivered over 40 million hours of therapy so far! Clearly they are doing something right.
Whether or not you decide that you need some therapy during lockdown, one thing is for sure, and that’s that self-care has never been more important. We have a huge amount of pressure on ourselves, especially if we are in the unfortunate position of having to homeschool and simultaneously hold down a full time job!
We are living through unprecedented times and we need to be kind to others and, most importantly, ourselves, whatever form that may take.