How Online Therapy Helped Me Regain Control: A Personal Mental Health Journey

Today, I have a post from Awais Ahmed, who speaks about their experience with online therapy

Have you ever gotten “stuck” on your personal journey through life? Maybe you were cruising along, enjoying your job and relationships, and feeling like you had it all. Then, out of the blue, your world came crashing in. Perhaps the implosion of your world happened right after a breakup. Or maybe you lost your job and suddenly felt like a weaker, more fearful version of your former self.   

I’ve been through something similar. I was perfectly happy and everything was going great until life threw a curveball at me. I was suddenly thrown into a highly stressful situation for a few months that sent me spiralling into a chasm of anxiety and depression. My declining mental health started triggering physical symptoms like weight gain, frequent illnesses, and systemic inflammation. Here’s how online therapy helped me regain control and pull me back from the brink.

How Online Therapy Helped Me Regain Control

I used to think therapy was only for people who were severely depressed or faced other insurmountable mental health illnesses. I always saw it as a service that was great for other people, but not necessary for me. I never imagined I would one day find myself searching for a therapist who could help me learn how to love myself and my life.

Between my busy schedule, nervousness, and personal insecurities, I knew in-person therapy wasn’t an option. I was also concerned about how much weekly therapy sessions might cost. Fortunately, I was able to find discreet, affordable therapy online that I could attend from the privacy of my own home. With all of my excuses taken away, therapy became not just a way to cope with my struggles, but a path to healing and self-love. Here’s how my therapy sessions helped me regain control of my mental health and my life.

Fostered Self-Awareness

Self-awareness was one of the first things my therapist taught me. She taught me how to practice mindfulness as a foundational technique for observing my own feelings and thoughts without judgment. I was surprised to discover I was uncomfortable acknowledging my emotions at first. I’d spent so much time trying to stuff my emotions down and distract myself from them that it became hard for me to recognise them.

My online therapist taught me how to process my emotions in a healthy way through mindfulness and journaling. She also used cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help me reframe my negative thought patterns. Through these processes, I learned to develop self-compassion and awareness. This, in turn, helped me navigate the challenges of my life with greater control and emotional resilience instead of beating myself up at every turn.

Uncovered and Healed Past Traumas

Trauma can have a huge impact on how you interact with others and how you see yourself. It can exhibit control over how your brain works and cause you to adopt self-destructive behaviours. Trauma can even lead to physical symptoms when it’s not dealt with in a healthy manner. As a person with unconfronted trauma, I didn’t realise my pain was continuing to shape who I was becoming.

My therapist helped me work through difficult memories in a safe, healing space. She utilised a combination of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) and cognitive behavioural therapy to help me feel empowered over my past experiences. I learned how to regain my sense of self as I learned how to regulate my emotions and show greater kindness to my inner child. I also had an easier time sticking to healthy physical habits such as eating well and exercising regularly. Before meeting with a therapist, I rarely had the energy or motivation for such things.

Offered Coping Strategies

Back when I was overwhelmed by the stressors of life, I didn’t realise I had already reached the point of burnout. The simplest tasks seemed insurmountable to me, and I would break down into tears if someone even looked at me “wrong.” My therapist helped me realise that my internal thermometer was stuck at a chronically high level. Therefore, it didn’t take much to push me to my boiling point.

My therapist used methods like psychoeducation, skills training, and cognitive restructuring to help me regain greater control over my life and emotions. She also taught me to self-reflect on my emotional needs so I could identify when I needed to use the coping strategies she taught me. These methods helped me deal with everyday challenges in a healthier, less self-destructive way.

Helped Me Understand and Love Myself

My online therapy journey revealed strong negative self-perceptions I harboured in my heart and mind. I allowed my heavily skewed perception of myself to control almost every aspect of my personal and professional life. By helping me identify and heal from childhood wounds and learn how to understand myself, my therapist helped me overcome my self-hatred.

This process was slow but powerful. I first learned to treat myself fairly and with compassion. Then, I slowly grew to love myself and embrace my authentic personality. As I grew more mindful and learned how to put my needs first, I regained control over the trajectory of my life.  

Regaining Control

If you feel like you’re controlled by your emotions and traumas, it’s time to put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your life. Online therapy can be a powerful tool for confronting past wrongs and emerging as a healthier, happier version of yourself. Give it a try today and see how your overall well-being improves.

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