1. Talking to someone can relieve stress.
When it comes to bottling up emotions, sometimes you do not even feel like your family nor friends want to hear what you have to say or feel. It's as if you are talking to a wall when you want to try and make yourself feel better with assurance. Sometimes, people who do not know anything about you besides what you tell them are ones who help the most. Therapists do not judge, and they do not see you any different from who you are or what you tell them. Speaking out about something that is bothering you can really help especially when you are not getting negative feedback or hear things you are unsure you should even listen to. They say what they know is best, since they did go to school for it. Their intentions are not to ever hurt you, but to help you discover yourself. They do not judge you on your past or predict how you will act in the future, but help you on accepting the present in order to prevent anxious thoughts from occurring.
2. Anyone can see one, it does not make you crazy.
Some people automatically believe that if someone is seeing a therapist, they have serious mental illness. Anyone can see a therapist, whether it is for test anxiety, family problems, social problems, mental problems, and really... any problems. You do not need a diagnosis of any disorder to determine whether or not this is normal. There is no definition for "normal" that can make you 'wrong' for going, since it is for anyone with any problems no matter how mild or severe.
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3. Sometimes your coping skills do not always work.
Our minds sometimes think they know what is best for you, but they lead you into a trap door that either sticks you there or brings you back to the start. When it comes to coping, we go by our instinctive routines. Our mind believes these skills are normal, even if they do not work or even cause the problem you are facing to keep repeating. Just because you do have a coping mechanism does not mean it is healthy. Therapists are trained to help you develop ones that create positive habits rather than forming/repeating the negative ones.
4. Therapists keep secrets, but friends do not always.
You can always count on your friends to listen to your problems, but do they always listen? Will they tell the rest of your friend group? Therapists cannot tell anyone, legally. Friends will not get into legal trouble if they tell. That's not the only reason they do not tell though... It's their job. They chose to have this expertise and want to help you. They are not just listening to you because they are curious or feel like they have to 'because that's what friends do'. They get deeper into what you have to say, and they try to help you through your problems. They may not be your 'best friend', leader, or guide, but they are there to help you feel positive about what you know and/or went through.
5. Therapists will stay neutral.
Sometimes when you talk about your problems (or really anything) to others, they pick a side to go on whether it is for or against you. Therapists are neutral and do not pick any sides. They look at the best of the situation and try to help you through emotions due to whatever may have caused them. They never tell you what you 'want to hear' or what you 'do not want to hear', as they go for a middle ground to get you through what you are experiencing.
