I highly recommend having a therapist if you are struggling in any aspect of your life. When I was younger there was often a stigma attached to therapy, especially for men. In the past, I had thought it was for weak people who weren’t strong enough to deal with the problems in their lives. This mindset couldn’t be further from the truth.
By the time I started my therapy, I had learned many tools therapists use for dealing with anxiety. I felt like I was getting better already and I was. However, having someone able to confirm, explain, and analyze what I was doing gave me the confidence to continue without second-guessing myself.
Therapists are also trained in getting to where the emotions are coming from—past trauma, patterns, and habits. My therapist saw I had co-dependency issues and recommended a book for me to read. I had been reading a lot of books on the Audible app. The book she recommended shook me pretty hard because it made me see the state of my emotions and how they affected the very ways in which I thought.
In addition to my therapist, I was also seen jointly with my wife for a final session with a different therapist. We made decisions on how we would move forward and made a respectful plan for separation. We decided to go forward as friends and give each other the space they needed to go their own way.
Despite all the knowledge that I have been acquiring on self-development I continue going to my therapist because I like having a professional evaluate my mind because mental and emotional well-being is so important. If you want results in as short a time as possible in the gym you get an exercise coach or mentor. Someone who has spent a large amount of time figuring out the best ways of building up a person’s body. A therapist is a coach or mentor for the processes of the mind. If you want results then do the work and get the guidance, so you are applying the effort in the right places.
Online video therapy is becoming much bigger these days and I would recommend it for guidance and self-development. If you are having trouble functioning during the day, having serious anxiety, depression, or thoughts of self-harm, then I would seek a more traditional in-person therapy. Also, check the credentials and specialties of your therapist. Many are specialized in certain areas and they may or may not align with your needs.