Therapy vs Temporary Escapes

Choosing long term well-being.

Life moves fast. Sometimes we look for quick fixes to match the speed. It's not uncommon for us to seek temporary escapes from our emotional burdens. However, relying on short-term distractions rather than seeking long-lasting therapy, can undermine personal growth and prolong emotional unease.

A few reasons why seeking a temporary escape is usually a fruitless pursuit, and why therapy is a more effective solution for addressing emotional well-being:

1. The Illusion of Avoidance: engaging in temporary escapes, such as binge-watching TV shows, playing video games for hours, or endlessly scrolling through social media, can provide a sense of momentary relief. These distractions offer temporarily avoidance of one’s emotions. This avoidance helps perpetuate the underlying issues, hindering personal growth and preventing true healing.

2. Escaping vs. Confronting: temporary escapes provide a means to evade the uncomfortable emotions that therapy aims to address. While distractions may temporarily distract from pain and stress, they do not provide a constructive outlet for processing and resolving underlying issues. Therapy, on the other hand, offers a safe space guided by professional expertise, where we can confront and explore our emotions, leading to inner growth and life expansion.

3. The Cycle of Dependence: One of the drawbacks of seeking temporary escapes is the potential for developing a cycle of dependence. Continually relying on distractions can create an unhealthy reliance on external stimuli to regulate emotions. As a result, we may start struggling to cope with difficult emotions without resorting to these temporary fixes. Therapy, on the other hand, focuses on empowering us to develop healthy coping mechanisms, integrating experience, and fostering long-term emotional resilience.

4. Unaddressed Emotional Baggage: Temporary escapes may manage to temporarily suppress emotional distress, but they fail to address the root causes behind these emotions. By avoiding therapy, we miss out on the opportunity to delve deep into our emotional baggage, gain insights into the underlying issues, and develop effective strategies for lasting change.

While temporary escapes may offer temporary relief, they lack the transformative power of therapy. True healing and personal growth come from confronting and processing emotions rather than avoiding them. Therapy provides a supportive and professional environment, enabling us to explore our emotions, gain valuable self-awareness, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. By choosing therapy over temporary escapes, we can embark on a journey of genuine healing and ultimately lead fuller, more fulfilling lives.

If you want to give therapy a chance, check out my sessions. Let’s chat and see if we’re a good match!