Have you ever thought about reaching out to a psychologist in Sarasota? Yeah, that’s because you want the best version of yourself.
Everyone experiences challenges in life. Whether it’s something big like losing your job, moving away from your family or something smaller like losing your keys.
Stress can quickly become overwhelming for some people, resulting in anxiety, career stress, and other mental health issues.
Even though these events are expected and seem to happen to most people, they can still be challenging to handle. Yeah, especially if you don’t know how to deal with them effectively.
Thankfully, this post will shed light on how a psychologist can build a stronger you and become more resilient.
As a bonus, Dr. Charles, a licensed psychologist in Sarasota, Venice, will also share some tips on how you can become more resilient.
Table of Contents
How Does Resilience Affect Your Mental Health?
The best way to understand resilience is to look at its opposite. That’s vulnerability. If someone has a low level of resilience, they are likely to struggle if something goes wrong.
They will be ‘vulnerable’ and much more likely to experience not only destructive mental health issues but also physical health problems.
On the other hand, a person with high levels of resilience will be less physically and mentally likely to suffer from hardships.
Although that does not mean they won’t feel pain and distress, it means they have effective coping strategies. For example, they don’t contemplate negative events for too long and do not allow themselves to be overcome by negativity too often.
Why Do We Struggle to Cope?
When you’re going through a tough time, it’s easy to feel as though there’s no way forward, that all your options are equally bad, and there’s nothing left but misery and self-pity.
In many cases, though, difficult times pass relatively quickly—but we stay stuck thinking about them for much longer. There are two reasons why we struggle to get back on track after a challenging experience:
- Dwelling on negative thoughts creates a downward spiral.
- Our beliefs about setbacks create an unhelpful self-fulfilling prophecy that makes us vulnerable to even bigger struggles when times get tough again.
- Our expectations of what we’re capable of limit us.
How Talk Therapy from a Psychologist can Help
Therapy is one of many treatments available for various mental health issues and psychological concerns, such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The benefits of therapy are numerous; just some include boosting self-esteem, reducing stress, and increasing overall well-being. However, it’s important to remember that therapy doesn’t cure patients of their problems.
Instead, it teaches them new coping mechanisms and workarounds for things that may be interfering with their lives or happiness. Yes, it doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s not a magic cure, but that doesn’t mean you won’t start seeing improvements immediately.
Your first session or two are likely to be assessment appointments; there, your therapist will ask some questions about what brings you into therapy, why your current methods aren’t working, and other details so they can get a good sense of where to begin.
They may even recommend specific courses of action for further self-help, such as joining a support group or using another approach, which is why you must be honest and open about your struggles.
Here are some tips from Dr. Charles Davenport, a licensed psychologist in Sarasota to make yourself more resilient
Admit When You’re Struggling
Being honest about your feelings is an essential first step toward getting back on track. The sooner you acknowledge that things aren’t going well and that you are feeling overwhelmed, sad or anxious, the sooner you can start working towards a solution.
Don’t Beat Yourself up
It’s easy to feel like we should be able to handle everything that comes our way without breaking a sweat, but no one is invincible. So if you find yourself beating yourself up because of something that has happened, try writing down all your negative thoughts so they don’t continue repeatedly playing in your head.
Then take some time to challenge each thought by asking questions such as, is it true? What evidence do I have for believing it? Is there another way of looking at things? Must I feel bad about this all the time? Asking yourself questions like this can help build some positivity.
Take Some Time to Relax
The biggest mistake we make when stressed is trying to deal with all of our problems head-on and by doing everything ourselves. Remember that one person cannot take on every difficulty they encounter, and trying will only make things worse.
Instead, try spending some time relaxing or engaging in a hobby such as cooking or taking a walk outside; studies have shown that these activities can reduce stress levels and build confidence.
Seek Help from a Local Psychologist
Psychologists are trained to help people deal with their problems and have access to numerous tools that can aid your recovery, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).
CBT is one of many talking therapies that treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
It may feel weird to talk to a friend or family member about your struggle, but talking to a psychologist is a more viable option because they don’t just listen to those problems but come up with approaches to help solve them.
“A lot of the individuals who had a few sessions with us here at Davenport psychology shared lovely testimonies on how they were able to get their life back on track with our support” That can also be you with the right help.
Conclusion
Understanding what resilience is and developing it isn’t easy, but overcoming life’s big and small difficulties is vital.
By harnessing resilience, you stand a better chance of achieving your goals and becoming happier, healthier, and all-around better at dealing with whatever comes your way.
So, if you live in Sarasota or Venice and you’re struggling with your relationship, you should get in touch with a Sarasota marriage counselor. That’s because a local expert will be of more help.
Lastly, anxiety should not be ignored for too long. Try to reach out to a anxiety therapist in Sarasota or a clinical psychologist in Sarasota if you have a serious mental health problem.
