Do you feel a knot in your stomach that won’t go away? Are you sick more often than usual? Do you have ulcers, or a recent rise in your blood pressure? Headaches for days? Has someone asked you if you’re okay? And if they did, would you be truthful if you answered “yes,” or would you feel like some part of your daily
life is being impaired by the situation that you’re in?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, you are not alone.
If you have answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, it may be time to talk to a counselor, therapist, or doctor.
Talking to a health professional is not a practice reserved for the mentally ill, or for those who don’t have enough friends and family to listen to their struggles. The stress of a difficult transition (employment or otherwise) can cause physical and mental distress that will only go away if you talk about it with someone who can help you to come up with a plan that will meet your needs—needs that yoga, a balanced diet, running, and trying to sleep aren’t healing.
Despite the punchlines you’ve seen in sitcoms, therapy and counseling don’t go on forever. Some clients are able to find the strategies that they need after two or three sessions, while others take a few more. Attending a session with a licensed therapist or counselor isn’t the beginning of the end. It’s the beginning of finding the strategies you need so that you can sleep, talk to your friends and family, and live the kind of life that brings you joy (as well as a job).
I know how difficult it is to make that call, to even think about finding a therapist in the first place (as though you didn’t already have enough to do). But this is one of those calls that will end up helping you to get through the other items on your to-do list without feeling like you’re slogging through mud.
If you have a general practitioner, you can start there—ask for a recommendation or a referral. If you’d rather find a therapist, counselor, or mental health professional on your own, try the Psychology Today website;