I started therapy at 19-years-old and I have learned many things about myself and the world around me throughout my time in therapy. The counselor I have is great, we talk a lot about my anxiety and depression and about how I can learn to cope with it. She taught me about meditation and grounding skills, but the biggest thing she taught me that I wasn't alone and that I was going to be okay. I never thought that taking an hour out of one day, once a month to talk to a counselor, would make such an impact on my life.
I never thought I would be a person that goes the therapy regularly. I remember picking up the phone and making my first appointment, I was terrified, but I knew it was what had to be down. There was always a reason why I didn't seek help. Someone else was worse off than me, or I didn't really need it. It was too expensive, too much effort. The hardest thing for me to say was I need help.
Our relationship is a difficult one, it's sort of a forbidden "you're the only person I talk to once a month, so you're kind of like my best friend" type of thing. Even though I can't really text you when I find a funny meme, or the second one of my articles get over a certain amount of views, but I'll always save it for our session.
Admitting you are getting help, it's not something that people should be ashamed about.It's totally normal to want to talk to someone, to want therapy, or to want an even more serious form of help. If society got rid of this conception that people who need help are weak, a lot more lives could be saved. A lot of broken people could be fixed. If you think you need therapy and you're ready to go, then go. Don't rush yourself. Remember that you're not alone.
When someone has to go to the doctors because they’re physically ill nobody bats an eye, because we know they can’t control their sickness. They didn’t ask to be sick, it just happened. So why is it that when somebody goes to a doctor because they’re mentally ill, or even just in need of someone to talk to, we feel the need to look at them like they are different. They didn’t ask to be sick, it just happened.
