For this article this week, I thought about talking about something deep and personal, such as therapy. With the current season, winter, positive mental health seems to decrease, and seasonal depression is more prone to coming out. If you ever feel the need to seek an outlet or talk to someone about how you feel, no matter how small or big, therapy is a great outlet in my opinion.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā I think mental health and therapy are becoming more normalized recently, but they can be even more normalized because some people are scared to reach out for help. In my personal experience, I went to therapy for a few months my junior year of high school and it really helped how I see things today. It changed my mind about things completely and I find myself even now pulling out helpful techniques I learned from therapy. I had a lot of important conversations in therapy and it has changed how I view different issues or my relationships with people. Even today, I miss going to therapy because it was so relieving to talk to someone about my thoughts and emotions, it really helped put me on the right path and feel better about how I was feeling. Talking about how you feel with friends or family is always nice as well but a licensed therapist that listens and knows how to guide you in life is also something important.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā I think everyone should go to therapy at least once in their life just to experience what it is like to talk to a professional about feelings, thoughts, trauma, events, relationships, mental health, anything. Therapy can be a safe space for you to release your thoughts or feelings that you keep inside. I think it could be beneficial for everyone to talk about anything there and just have a nice conversation and if you need help with any area of your life, your therapist ca help you with that. Some people donāt feel entirely comfortable opening up to someone like that which I understand, it can be really scary, but most therapists try to make it a safe, relaxing environment with self-help books, fidget toys, humidifiers, and relaxing couches with a comfortable room.
Ā I remember going into a therapy session, waiting in my car crying because of being so overwhelmed with what was going on in my life, walking into my session sitting down and talking about what I was feeling and being able to tell my therapist things I felt I couldnāt tell anyone. I would sit there and be so comforted in that tiny room with a woman that knew a little bit of my past and had only a notebook with her with notes about me, and her willingness to help. Being in that room for fifty minutes never seemed like enough because it was just so healing to have someone listen to you and understand what you are saying with no judgement. I would walk out of my therapy session and actually feel the breeze outside that I ignored on my walk in because I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to notice just how nice the weather had been. I would walk and sit in my car having deep breathes and feeling hopeful that something would change and that my problems were not the end of the world the way I thought they were when I first entered that parking lot. There were so many times I had felt that way and sometimes came out of sessions with helpful books to work on over the week or advice, and new tools to use when I had to confront an issue in my life. If there was such a thing as a before and after picture of me before therapy, I could only describe it as a thunderstorm before and a sunflower after, because yes it did seem like whatever was weighing on my shoulder I could handle after my session. My drive home my playlist would change from sad girl to happy upbeat songs. All because I had the support of someone who cared and listened to me and used to tools that were given to help me in these issues I took so personally.
I had stopped going to therapy because I had felt like I had a good few solid weeks and had my emotions under control, so I stopped going but, in all honesty, I couldāve benefited from continuing to go. There is no specific āreasonā you must go to therapy, you can always just go to see what itās like. It does not work for everyone but if you give it a try it can be life changing. Some days I find myself missing it so badly or wishing I knew where the woman who listened to me all those hours is. I do hope sheās doing well.
If you ever feel like you need to sit down and have someone listen to your mind, your thoughts, or need help with something I do recommend looking into it. Like I said, therapy is more normalized today but there is still a stigma around going and I think once you get passed that and try it out, you never know it could be something youāve been missing. It could be an add on to your life and help you in ways you didnāt think it could.
I can easily say my relationships and connections in my life had changed once I started going to therapy, at first it was extremely rough and then during my relationship with my mom got so much better and the people in my life could tell my attitude and outlook on life had changed. It was definitely a mental and emotional shift for me, and I am so grateful I went because I couldnāt imagine getting through without it. I just wanted to highlight my experience just in case anyone wanted to try it out or had a bad experience and wished they could go again. This is my experience and I hope this can help someone out there.