4 Benefits of Online Anxiety Counseling for Seniors
As a senior, many changes in your old age can trigger depression and anxiety. For instance, loss of independence, feeling isolated, or grief related to the loss of a life-long spouse. It’s hard to go through these difficult times alone — and you shouldn’t do it on your own. Online anxiety counseling will help you cope with the life changes and complications you are experiencing in a healthy way. Here’s why you should utilize online anxiety counseling.
1. Convenient Anxiety Counseling Services
Online anxiety counseling is convenient because there is no location limitation. Whether you live at home or are checked into an elder care facility, you can access anxiety counseling from where you are. Given that your mobility may already be limited by health issues like joint problems and low vision, online counseling is a welcome idea. The traditional face to face counseling requires you to visit your therapist’s office or your counselor to come to you. Why all the inconveniences while you can engage with your counselor through instant messaging, live phone, and video calls?
2. Online Anxiety Counseling is More Accessible
Since you’re just a call away from accessing your counselor, you can seek therapy in real-time. For instance, when you have a panic attack, an online counselor will be at your beck and call. If you also live in a rural place with no counseling services nearby, you won’t have to drive for many miles to see a therapist. As a senior, you should take full advantage of online anxiety counseling because it offers you real-time crisis intervention and support. When depression and feelings of anxiety start taking a toll on you, you can easily message, email, or call your online counselor. Experts say that the simple act of writing a message or email to your therapist is therapeutic because it’s a way of expressing your feelings. It gives you the feeling that you’re being heard, even if you don’t get an instant reply. And this goes a long way in managing anxiety and depression in old age.
3. Online Anxiety Counseling Encourages Openness
If you are not comfortable with face to face counseling, or you are naturally a shy individual, online therapy will help you bridge that gap. One of the main triggers of anxiety and depression as we age are the feelings of loneliness and isolation. Constant communication with your counselor will strengthen your relationship, and you will feel more connected.
If face to face meetings intimidate you and hinder effective communication, you will find sanctuary in online anxiety counseling. You can express yourself through writing, which is a creative way of reducing depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that many seniors with depression and anxiety don’t admit the problem. With online counseling, more seniors are more likely to admit to their counselors that they are depressed and actively seek help.
4. Online Anxiety Counseling Service is More Affordable
Consider the time and resources you would use to get to your therapist’s office, and add onto that the fact that you may now have movement limitations and maybe require assistance to get around. These inconveniences may seem trivial, but they certainly add up to huge costs in the long term. On the other hand, you only need to have internet access, and you can consult your online therapist from the comfort of your home.
Additionally, since online counseling gives your therapist more freedom to plan the daily schedule, you will not have to waste time waiting in line. For seniors who are still actively involved in some form of economic activity, saving time is a top priority. Overall, online anxiety counseling will give you more cost advantages than the traditional face to face counseling.
It’s estimated that the world’s senior population aged 60 years and above will almost double from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050. Therefore, more seniors will depend on online anxiety counseling services to manage depression and anxiety that are common old age effects. Online counseling is more convenient and accessible, and it yields better results because it encourages openness.
