Many people have to juggle a heavy workload along with family responsibilities, relationships, and squeezing in healthy lifestyle choices and hobbies. It’s not surprising that this can cause a great amount of stress, which damages a person’s productivity and increases the risk of health problems. There are some steps one can take to try to mitigate this stress, but no one should ever feel ashamed to look for help when necessary.
Counseling can be a great choice when dealing with a difficult work-life balance or any other work-related issues. In fact, therapy can not only help you with the current stressors in your life, but it could also help you achieve future career goals. The following are just some of the potential benefits of seeing NYC therapists.
Get a new perspective
One of the greatest benefits of therapy is that you’ll be speaking with a professional who is familiar with your situation, and they’ll be able to offer advice that will work for you. It may not go perfectly on the first attempt, but you should be able to learn something new about yourself and your situation.
For example, let’s say you feel so overwhelmed with work that you don’t think you can keep it up. The stressors of not only the job, but also dealing with additional aggravations from bosses and coworkers, can have you ready to quit.
A therapist can help you identify patterns in your situation and prepare for the next steps. If you describe a high amount of conflict at work, and it turns out that the common denominator is you, then the conflict could be related to issues that you would take to your next workplace. Together, you’ll be able to work on ways to improve these issues. If it seems the conflict is truly particular to your current job, a therapist can help you move on in a constructive way. Either way, the outside perspective will give you a better understanding of what you need to do.
Overcome negative thoughts
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are extremely common and debilitating to anyone, at work or otherwise. These are the instant negative thoughts that say things like “I’m not good enough” or the ones that make you read too much into the smallest interaction and conclude with “they don’t like me.” These kinds of thoughts are harmful for your mental health and will negatively impact your performance at work.
A therapist can help you recognize negative thoughts and challenge them with more rational ones. Over time, they can even help you replace them with more automatic positive thoughts. You will be significantly more productive, and likely interact more appropriately with others, once you get control over ANTs.
Set healthy career goals
It’s natural to want to advance in your position, but there are a number of things that could get in the way. Some people aren’t comfortable asking for raises or open positions, some set goals that aren’t realistic for their current circumstances, and others may be in the wrong field without realizing it. Therapy can help you set the right goals for your situation and work toward them constructively.
A good start is to determine where you want to be and the ideal behaviors that will help you get there. Compare this to where you are now, and see if you current behaviors match your ideal ones. This will give you an idea of things you’ll need to work toward changing. It’s also worth remembering that your goals may change over time, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll learn new things as you progress, and the world around you will change, so you may have to adapt to new situations and information.
Getting started
No matter what kind of issues you are dealing with at work or in your personal life, you can think of therapy as a sort of preventative care. Just as you would have regular checkups at the doctor and dentist to care for and prevent future health problems, therapy can be a great way to improve mentally and prevent distress in your future. With the right guidance, you’ll be able to advance your career and deal with pressure constructively.
