This past week, I've done something a bit of a first for me: I saw a therapist.

You might be thinking, "Wow, Pat, starting off the new year and decade seeing a therapist? You don't need that, you just worry too much! Are you OK?"

To answer the question, "Am I OK," my response is that I don't know.

But the thing to understand is that it's OK not to know, or just OK with admitting that you're not OK."

The reality is that I haven't been nice to myself. I've put myself in almost a Type-A personality type where I've become a workaholic, to the point where it became almost debilitating to my mental health. I've internalized a perfectionist mindset, became ashamed of not doing my best or if I don't appease a certain group of people.

And if I did, I'd trigger a negative loop in my mind that consistently telling myself that I was worthless, both as a human being and of my academic achievements. But the thing was that I knew that this was irrational thinking. Dealing with mental health issues is something that you voluntarily do yourself.

It's the result of trauma, societal expectations and a myriad of other unique factors that condition your brain in sabotaging your lifestyle. And like any other addiction, unhealthy mental practices are extremely hard to quit and require patience and determination.

My main point here is that there is nothing wrong with seeing a therapist, or any kind of help for that matter. This especially goes to my fellow men. Don't let society's expectations of us forbid us from seeking help. There's nothing "feminine" about not being a leader every now and then. If we don't seek help, we are misguiding ourselves, and ultimately we are setting ourselves up for self-sabotage.

Am I cured after my first therapy session? Absolutely not. Healing and self-care aren't linear. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will your path toward healing.

Mental health is something that affects me, my family, and my friends. We all owe it to ourselves to give ourselves a break and allow ourselves to do things that bring us clarity of mind, whatever it may be.