Dealing with feelings is very inefficient

One of the most frequently asked questions for people who enter therapy is “How long will this take?”  AllPsyc.com tries to answer this by writing

“The length of therapy really depends mainly on the issues being addressed and the desire of the individual to feel better. Other factors play a role, such as support from friends and family, stressors, intelligence, and amount of insight. Typically, however, some disorders require only short-term treatment such as simple phobias, impotence, and other very specific issues. Some disorders can take years to get to a resolution such as with victims of severe sexual or physical abuse, bipolar disorder, or some personality disorders. During this time, however, treatment can wax and wane, so to speak, with periods of really good days, weeks, and months, and periods of not so good days. Treatment can also progress more stepwise, with small gains being made at a steady pace.”

But what does this mean?  It means that the road to mental health is individual to you, and it takes time to get there.  You can’t simply take medication, can’t just change your diet, or can’t exercise more, you HAVE to process your feelings… and that takes time. 

If you decide to keep your feelings to yourself, tough it out, or simply just burying them, it will come back to haunt you.  Troublesome dreams, depression, anxiety, or physical issues have been reported as symptoms to unresolved emotions.

Just like you put aside time to grocery shop, work out, and clean the house, take time to process your feelings.  It will be an investment in yourself that will pay off in unlimited amount of ways. 

Enjoy the Journey