WHY GO TO A PSYCHOLOGIST? Finally, in our country, the culture of the population has improved, and going to a consultation with a psychologist is no longer considered something indecent. People have become quite aware of how a psychologist can help them. However, one of our cultural features that still “holds its head high” is the fear of public opinion: “How can you be frank with a stranger?”, “What will they say about me?”, “What am I, crazy?” In addition, there is still a very widespread opinion among our inhabitants that only the weak and whiners turn to psychologists. Men especially often say that going to a psychologist is a weakness that is not worthy of them, and that a person should cope with his problems himself. But in reality, the picture looks a little different - to turn to a psychologist, to talk openly about yourself, and even more so to start changing something in yourself and in your life, you need a lot of courage. And, therefore, some of us prefer to talk about our hardships to friends, resorting to “home local psychotherapy” - relieving stress with alcohol. And, ultimately, convincing yourself that everything will somehow pass by itself. Yes, I agree that every person by nature is an intuitive psychologist for himself and can evaluate his own mental states, behavioral characteristics, moods and manifestations of emotions. BUT! An amazing thing: rarely does anyone without special education undertake to repair, for example, household appliances, but they begin to repair their own soul or the soul of a neighbor with ease. I hope you are not one of those people who believe that television is more complex than the human soul. And you also understand that you can buy another TV, but this trick won’t work with your soul. Then it is logical that we trust the most precious thing we have - our soul - to a professional and receive qualified help. But some people are often accustomed to perceive the help of a specialist psychologist as a magic pill, which, if swallowed, “everything will go away right away.” Or that the psychologist will perform some kind of manipulation - meditation-hypnosis, and then the clients will instantly become happy and successful. I will not encourage such people. No professional psychologist will undertake to solve your problems for you. That is, you still have to decide and do everything yourself. The psychologist only opens options in the direction of solving the problems that have arisen. He is not an adviser or a teacher, but rather a guide whom the traveler hires to go through a difficult part of his journey. And that’s all... And then you have to work, work and work on changing yourself. Myself. Sometimes it takes a long time, most often it is difficult, but it is effective, because you do it, and the result remains with you forever. Therefore, do not expect that a psychologist will save you, give you a pill, do things sweetly, smoothly and well for you, and save you from all external and internal problems at once. Then a trip to a psychologist will not turn into disappointment. When the help of a psychologist is needed: • You have tried all possible ways to solve the problem, but the situation is only getting worse, and you have the feeling that you are walking in a vicious circle. • You have experienced extreme stress (death of a loved one, physical or mental abuse, divorce, etc.). You should not rely on the fact that time heals: sometimes it heals for a very long time, and sometimes not very well. • You are almost always haunted by a vague feeling: “something is wrong in life,” “changes are needed,” but you don’t know which direction to move and what to change. • You have been feeling bad for a long time, for no apparent reason: melancholy, sadness, in a word, depression. Why is it pointless to go to a psychologist: • Definitely, for specific advice. • To give him responsibility for your life (“do something with me”). • For the miracle of a lightning-fast recovery at the behest of a magic wand or a magic pill. • To fix your loved ones and the world around you.