How do I know if I should seek therapy? How do I know if I am actually mentally ill or if my brain is just playing tricks on me? How do I know if I’m only experiencing normal day to day anxiety or if I actually have a disorder? Do I see a therapist or a psychiatrist? Aren’t the two different somehow? How do I know what kind of help to look for? I know how I feel but I do not know how to say it with words. What could a therapist/psychiatrist possibly do for me if I can’t even tell them what I am feeling? I want to try but I am so afraid of failure.

Try to go to a therapist first all psychiatrists will do is more hastily throw a diagnosis and meds at you whereas a therapist will talk to you and do therapy and help you understand yourself and change your habits and if need be refer you to a psychiatrist. If therapy doesn’t work then you go to them as a last resort but otherwise before everything else just exercise or do light cardio and meditation an hour a day for a month or two the effects are miraculous

My advice is to take it one step at a time and don’t expect a straight line in recovery. All we can do is try. I went through several therapists that I just couldn’t connect with and now I have two amazing ones that I look forward to meeting with. I prefer psychologists over phychiatrists but everyone is different. The important thing is to keep trying and you will start to feel better simply by being more proactive about your mental health.

Thanks for the advice. It is more helpful than I thought it would be. I want to try therapy I think, but I need to find the motivation to do so. For me, getting better isn’t enough motivation and that makes me sad.