It’s natural as a human being to want to be able to have tangible or physical results from something you put time and money into. But, therapy is a bit different than investing in something like a business or a personal trainer. It is something that produces results in much different ways, over longer periods of time. There are no guaranteed results, and there are no guarantees of how you will feel when you end your time in therapy (if you ever choose to end your time). 

Going to therapy also requires effort from you to commit to change and to commit to openness and honesty with yourself and your therapist. It requires more than just monetary payment. It requires payment of your time, effort, full focus, and dedication to the process. 

A huge benefit of talk therapy is that its effects are long-lasting. This is because you’re constantly developing tools that will help you deal with situations in the future. 

Does this make therapy a waste of time or money? Absolutely not. But it does require a shift of perspective and expectations. So what can you really expect from consistent time and energy invested into therapy? 

You’ll learn more about yourself: therapy can teach you much more about yourself. You will get a better picture of your values, improve your sense of self and your self-awareness, and be able to clarify your goals. 

Manage your burnout: If you are feeling stressed or burnt out, therapy can offer you priceless tools to help you navigate and manage these feelings. What does that do for you in your everyday life? Gives you more time to feel joy and peace. 

Have a safe space to learn about your past and present issues: Deep dives into past traumas and current heartaches can feel scary, but doing so with a therapist at your side is much safer and a healthy way to learn how to heal and grow from these things. 

Learn to be kind to yourself: You only get one body and one mind, don’t you want it to be a nice place to be? Learning self-compassion and self-confidence is a huge benefit of therapy. Loving yourself will propel you forward and open new doors you never thought possible in life. 

Learn how to have healthy relationships: Your most important relationships in life will benefit greatly from boundaries, healthy communication skills, and having self-respect and compassion. Therapy can teach all these skills and help you best manage your relationships. It can help you better understand and have more compassion for others as well. 

At the end of the day, the results of therapy may not be able to be directly quantified, but they are priceless when it comes to your mental health and being able to find joy and peace in life.