5 Reasons January is the BEST Time to Start Therapy
So you've thought a lot about going to therapy.
Your friends rave about it, you follow all the therapy accounts on Instagram, and you know your mental health is an important thing to take care of.
But you just can't seem to make that call.
Maybe you're not used to asking for help. You might be the person who always appears to "have it all together," or the friend that's always helping everyone but herself.
I get it. It's uncomfortable and scary to admit you could use some help.
It might never seem like the "right" time to go to therapy.
By the end of this article, you might just be convinced that now is the time to be brave and schedule that first appointment.
1. Set meaningful goals for 2023 with the support you need to actually achieve them.
How many times have you started the year with determination, thinking: This year will be different! New year, new me...only to find yourself in February feeling the same stress, burnout, self-criticism, and anxiety you felt the year before.
It happens to the best of us. But here's the hard truth -- nothing changes if you change nothing. Getting the support and help of a qualified therapist could be the change that makes the difference. In therapy, you collaborate with your therapist to create meaningful goals that can fundamentally change the way you live your life and the way you feel every day. Your therapist will walk beside you, hold you accountable, challenge you, and support you when it gets tough.
If you've struggled to reach goals in the past, this doesn't mean you're a failure. It just means you need to try something new and find the RIGHT support.
2. You don’t need to wait until you’re “bad enough” for therapy.
This is a major factor that stops people from getting help when they need it. There is no such thing as “not being bad enough” or “sick enough” for therapy. If you’re struggling in any way, you deserve therapy. If you need a place to talk freely without judgment, you deserve therapy. If you are content with your life but think support would be helpful in some areas, you deserve therapy. Whether you’re in a debilitating anxiety spiral or struggling with a break-up, you can benefit from therapy.
So many of my clients have said they waited to reach out because they felt “guilty” that they’d be taking a spot away from “someone who really needs it.” My response is always this – if you think therapy could help you then that tells me YOU really need it too. There are thousands and thousands of mental health professionals, and keeping yourself out of therapy is so unnecessary when help is readily available.
More to the point – you deserve support no matter what your problem looks like. And if you found my page, you might be someone who can pretend really well that everything is okay when it’s not. That does not mean you don’t need help.
If you’re waiting until you’re “bad enough” for therapy, you might be doing your future self a huge disservice! It’s much more manageable to make change when a problem is just beginning than when it becomes overwhelming. Do Future You a favor, and start therapy this year.
3. Going to therapy is like investing – the earlier you start, the higher the returns!
Therapy might seem like a major commitment. And you’re not wrong about that! Deciding to work on your mental health requires both an investment of time and money. So you want to be sure you’re ready and you’ve found the right therapist before making that kind of commitment. Right?
Most of my clients would call themselves “planners.” They’re cautious, consider things carefully, and make informed decisions. They budget, use Google calendar, have a five-year (maybe 10 year) plan…Something that gives clients pause is taking the risk to invest in therapy when they aren’t sure what the outcome will be. Sound like you?
Being January, and the beginning of Q1, I like to use the analogy that going to therapy is a lot like investing! It might seem like a risk to start, but with consistent contribution over a period of time you can be pretty sure you will see a return on investment. For example, my Roth IRA that matures in 2065 has fluctuated throughout the year by a small margin – but I can be sure that in the year 2065 it will have a significantly larger amount in it if I’m contributing consistently in the present!
Therapy’s like that too. It feels risky to reach out. But you get out of it what you put into it! The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see change. Therapy works, and not just for the amount of time you’re in weekly sessions – even after you stop meeting with a therapist, the change, healing, and growth you find in therapy has lifelong impacts.
4. Many therapists have open slots for new clients in January!
Finding the right therapist is just as important as the decision to go to therapy. Research suggests that much of a client’s progress in therapy is directly related to the quality of the client-therapist relationship. That’s major!
When you’re looking for a therapist, be sure to read through several websites, listings, and social media pages. Look for someone who specializes in your specific struggles. Look for someone you think would be easy to talk to! Look for someone that shows they understand what you’re going through.
Therapists with specific specialties tend to fill their client roster pretty quickly and it can sometimes be hard to snag a slot with the therapist you’re most drawn to. However, January is probably the BEST time to get in with a specialist. Many therapists have openings in their schedules after the holidays, which tends to be “slow season” for therapy – myself included!
If you’re looking for a therapist in California who specializes in perfectionism, disordered eating, and anxiety – now is the perfect time to reach out and book a consultation with me! I have immediate openings for telehealth clients and could be working with you as soon as next week!
5. The holidays can bring past trauma to the surface – therapy can help.
The holidays can be fun, cozy, and merry — or they can be stressful, retraumatizing, and depressing. Things that you thought you were over can come back to haunt you when you spend that much time with family, or you return home for the first time in a while. Reminders of past trauma seem to crop up everywhere during the holiday season.
Some feel grief resurface this time of year, missing people they’re lost and memories of times when they were happier. For others, break-ups can feel extra intense when romance and mistletoe is being shoved down your throat. You might be experiencing overwhelming emotions related to childhood experiences when you’re back to sleeping in your childhood room for a week.
When all of these feelings are fresh, therapy is probably the best thing you can do to heal. Sitting with a therapist can help unpack and process through family drama, heartbreak, burnout, trauma triggers, and grief. You don’t have to do this alone; a qualified therapist can help you pick up the pieces and start 2023 with support.
So…what are you waiting for?
Honesty time – the best time to start therapy is usually just NOW. If you’re anything like me, you might be making excuses why it’s not important to take care of yourself. You might be minimizing your struggles, putting time and energy into helping other people with their problems instead. I get it. Asking for help isn’t easy when you feel pressure to “have your shit together.”
Bottom line – you deserve it. Call today.
And if you’re looking for a therapist who understands, give me a call!
