I was walking, Tuesday evening, and I bumped into a friend I met over the summer. We shared small talk, and then he asked where I was heading to, and I hesitated. I said an ‘appointment’ a few blocks down, then he asked about the nature of the appointment. I quickly checked and reassured myself, took a deep breath, and answered, “It’s therapy.”
Tuesdays are my long days, actually. After work, in the morning, I go straight to school and have three classes, back to back. Then, I get a bite to eat at Dunkin and walk over to Jackson and Halsted to the YWCA RISE Center.
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I started taking therapy, back in August, after being sexually assaulted. Before that, however, I had been thinking about maybe checking therapy out, because of some depressive feelings I would get. Although the sessions started due to my experience, my therapist has opened the doors to talk about anything that truly troubles me, which I appreciate so much.
In recent times, mental health is being better understood and appreciated, unfortunately, it’s still a process. For example, therapy still has this terrible connotation. Many people assume that talking to a ‘shrink’ means you’re crazy. Others seek therapy as a way to ‘fix’ them, which is also not the case.
Therapy serves as a way to take care of yourself, especially during times of trauma and/or confusion – it’s not bullshit, it’s legit. Therapists are active listeners, giving you advice, trying to seek the deeper root, in order to OVERCOME any negative issues. Honestly, the feeling is just so fucking great.
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If you are in therapy, don’t feel like some freak or less than for it- it’s normal, it’s life. If you’re like how I was and have been thinking about maybe seeing what therapy is about- go for it! I cannot begin to explain how much of a breath of fresh air and how much you’ll gain from it and just love it. I remember one day, I was feeling like shit, in every way- emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, ALL OF IT- and all I wanted was just to talk it out with my therapist. I was like Tuesday, hurry up!
Say it loud and proud: I go to therapy, and I’m brave as fuck for it!
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