How to Know If It’s Time to Start Therapy

For a lot of people, there isn’t a ‘perfect moment’ to start therapy.  Most people don’t wake up one day and think, “today feels like a good day to meet a stranger that looks nice that I found online and unpack my life”... 

For many of us therapists at Social Shift, we are used to hearing the same things from the people who walk through our doors. Most people have thought about starting therapy for a long time before booking that first appointment. 

So, if you are reading this, and you’re just starting to think about therapy, maybe building that bit of courage to get started - we will be ready when you are. Take your time, we aren’t going anywhere. 

Aside from big life ‘shocks’, knowing when it is time to start therapy is often a quieter experience than you might think. 

For you, it might look like:

• Feeling more overwhelmed than usual

• maybe you were ‘pushing through’ it before, but now, it doesn’t feel as ‘flow-y’ as before (are we making up words now?)

• Getting through your days, but feeling “off”

• You’re going through the motions, Ferris Beulher style, everything feels the same, but you’re starting to feel like you need a change

• Thinking “I should be able to handle this”

• This is where a lot of it starts, there are those sneaky thoughts that start to get louder that something doesn’t feel like you are used to - or how you would like to feel

• or wondering if things could feel… “better” 

• Maybe you want to feel lighter, more value aligned, organized, softer, that life is ‘easier’... 

You might think all of these things … more than once … and then push them aside, because you scrolled past a thoughtfully designed and intentional Social Shift instagram post, someone walked into the room while you were browsing therapist’s and distracted you,  maybe your friend who you texted about their new therapy journey didn’t respond yet, or you got nervous about actually finding the right therapist (this will be another post … we promise). 

And you do this again and again. We get it. 

Most of the therapists we talk to have also walked this path themselves. Reaching out is hard. 

So, how do you know if it’s time?

Here are a few signs we see all the time:

1. You feel stuck in the same patterns
You’ve thought about it, talked about it, maybe even tried to change it
but you keep ending up in the same place. The cold plunges, fitness classes, and self-help book were great, but aren’t quite getting to the actual source of the discomfort. 

2. You’re overwhelmed, even if life looks “fine”
Nothing is drastically wrong, but everything feels like a lot. This might be showing up in your energy levels throughout the day, your relationships, and your work. 

3. You’re carrying a lot on your own
You’re the one people rely on, but you don’t really have a space to be supported. You’re the one carrying the mental load of the household, giving your time to everyone else that needs to be taken care of, and the ‘self-care’ talk is starting to feel annoying because there is not enough time to take care of yourself after everyone else. 

4. You’ve thought about therapy more than once
If this thought keeps coming back into your mind, there’s usually a reason. 

5. You want things to feel different
You’re not looking to create the perfect life, but you are hoping to make things slightly more manageable, more steady, more like yourself, more value aligned, more peaceful

Let’s de-stigmatize something quickly

You don’t need to be in crisis to go to therapy. 

You don’t need a ‘diagnosis’ to start - starting therapy doesn’t mean you’re going to get one … (we do have qualified professionals who can do this though!)
You don’t need the “right words” - our therapists are great as asking the right questions to get you started (it’s kind of our job … )
You don’t even need to know what you want to talk about - again, our therapists are really good at what they do. It’s why they work at the Social Shift collective. We have been very intentional about the high levels of excellence and know that each therapist will guide the conversation and meet you exactly where you are at. 

You just need a starting point. 

(Maybe write a few things down in your notes app … so that if your brain goes blank when you sit on one of our couches … you have back up)

What therapy can actually look like

It’s not lying on a couch while someone silently analyzes you, and it is definitely not like what you see on TV. 

It’s more like:

• having a real conversation

• making sense of what’s been sitting heavy

• Having someone normalize and validate that what you’re experiencing is common

• learning tools that actually fit your life

• and feeling like you don’t have to do it alone anymore

If this is you…

[Insert link]You don’t have to wait until things get worse.

A lot of our clients start therapy at this point, right here in the “something feels off, but I don’t know why” stage or, “i’ve tried a few things, but it doesn’t feel any better”

This is a good place to start. 

If you’ve been thinking about therapy, even a little, that’s enough.

We’ll even make it easier and help you find a therapist who feels like a good fit.

👉 Book here or reach out and we’ll guide you through it