Therapy saved my life — here’s how

Every person you come across is fighting a battle you know absolutely nothing about. No matter how good your life is, everybody goes through some sort of mental health situation at some point. And that’s OKAY. We all have days where we don’t feel ourselves, or where we feel lost and confused. That too is OKAY. Life can be an emotional roller coaster. The stress of trying to figure out your purpose in this world coupled with trying to maintain and balance relationships with others can be overwhelming at times. That too is OKAY. If you can resonate with any of the feelings I just described then that means you have something in common with me. A few years ago, I was broken emotionally to the point of what I thought was no return. I was so lost that I was spilling my problems to any and everybody who would provide a listening ear. I wanted to cry. My heart felt heavy. The words of encouragement my family and friends were providing seemed to fall on deaf ears. I didn’t know who to talk to. I exhausted all my options. Then one day randomly, after long-hard thought, I decided to give therapy a try. I had a brief stint with a therapist when I was in junior high school. I HATED IT! I swore up and down it was a waste of time, but looking back I was too young to grasp the concept of its function. Boy was I wrong! THERAPY SAVED MY LIFE—HERE’S HOW: My therapist provided me the outlet to be my authentic self. For the first time in my life, my deepest secrets, feelings and emotions could finally be expressed without fear of repercussion. I found that feeling to be intoxicating. It’s that same feeling that kept me going back weekly. I was having real breakthroughs and finally confronting my traumas. Even if you’ve never personally been in a traumatic experience, we all know of at least one person who has been. I can’t emphasize how paramount your mental and emotional well-being is. You owe it to yourself to protect it at all costs. So if you’re reading this post and you’re on the fence about talking to a therapist, or you started seeing one but you’re uncertain about whether or not it will work, you are not alone in those feelings. But I want you to think of my story. I’m a living testament that therapy can work. You get out of it what you put into it. IT’S OKAY TO SEE A THERAPIST!