Some say life is a "series of traumas". I don't quite agree with that - maybe the word trauma is too harsh for me. I do think that life consistently throws curveballs, bad days, and tragedies at us. You and those you love will always make mistakes. No matter how much you meditate or how perfect your "self-care routine" is, it's impossible to be happy all the time.

Some of us need some extra help handling those curveballs, and that's where therapy comes in. I have a wonderful human support system in my family and friends, but having someone objective listen to my problems and help me sort them out has been beautifully cathartic.

"I try to beat my churning thoughts into submission,

But they grow and darken

Try to close them behind a heavy oak door,

But they find a way to seep through the bottom"

The stanza above is from a poem I wrote back in August. A 250-word poem about the confusion, anxiety, and sadness I had been feeling for over a year. They only seemed to get more pervasive and destructive as time passed.

An excuse I told myself over and over was that I don't have a diagnosed mental illness. I figured my problems weren't "bad enough" to justify taking up 50 minutes of a therapist's time. When my mental health started negatively impacting my relationships, I pushed myself to finally get the help I needed. Now, after about a month of treatment, I've realized it's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

I had to convince myself that I was worth the time, effort, and energy. That 50 minutes a week was worth feeling pure joy and peace again; something I haven't felt in far too long.

I can rave about how great therapy has been for me all day, but it's absolutely not an end all be all. For anyone. Like any treatment, it requires a lot of introspection, emotional work, and physical effort (getting yourself there every week, every other week, etc.). I should also note that talk therapy simply doesn't work for everyone.

I know that compared to others my path to recovery so far has been "easy", that for a lot of people it takes years to find something that works and more money than I can even fathom. However, you're worth seeking treatment whether you have a diagnosed mental illness or not. You're worth the fight of finding something that works for you. You're worth seeing the day when you feel "okay" again. Hang in there.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline: 1-877-726-4727

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255