Life is busy, right? We all know this. We all have tons of commitments to uphold and even more things to do before we put our heads to our pillows at night--if we even get to.
Despite busy schedules, it is paramount that you -- and this includes me -- do not put off or reschedule therapy or mental health appointments to make room for more stuff. You will crash and burn.
I'm the biggest culprit of this that there is. Between my internship, my school work, and various other organizations that I work for, I don't have a lot of time. My time during the week is dedicated to deadline-sensitive things. If I need to do an interview, I will move clouds if it means getting it done on time. I've rescheduled, even canceled, endless therapy appointments to meet with people for an hour to get a good quote. I've had to reschedule to make a meeting with other editors or a teacher. I've even had to reschedule to go to family obligations.
The problem with rescheduling is it stunts your progress. While nobody asks me to reschedule, I feel obligated. As the reschedules pile up, I sometimes go more than a semester without seeing my therapist. Is that healthy? No. Guess who becomes my therapist? My family and friends. Are they qualified to deal with me? No. Do they deserve to deal with my sometimes uncontrollable anxiety and constant helicopter involvement in every aspect of my life? Even more no. Unequivocally no. They don't.
Therapy is essential to those who are in it. When you walk a fine line between feeling okay and feeling off the rails again, therapy keeps you further from that line. That objective viewpoint and the coping skills that are acquired during therapy visits are what make therapists unique; that's why you pay them. Your friends and family might be able to help you, but they are not equipped to help you in the way a therapist is.
You need to make time for therapy.
Stop taking on so much, you might have to say no or put something else off, but go to therapy. It's one hour of your day and it really makes all the difference. Without it, you'll find you're not quite able to handle things the way you usually can. It's such a small thing but it's critical to the stabilization or your mental health.
