I know that I’ve mentioned this topic on the blog before, but today I want to delve a bit deeper into why I adore therapy and think everyone should have a therapist (yes, I said EVERYONE—including you).
Sadly, there’s a really weird stigma around going to therapy (everywhere except in NYC and LA, maybe…). People who go to therapy don’t talk about it, and people who don’t go to therapy think that only people who are really struggling go to therapy—but this is far from the truth. I returned to therapy in January of this year. I hadn’t been regularly since high school, but was at a point where I just needed someone to talk to. I walked in, started sobbing within the first few minutes, poured out everything that I had been holding inside for the past few months (years?), and haven’t looked back since. At first, my weekly visits were necessary because I was struggling emotionally (I had a LOT going on family-wise at the end of last year). Now, my weekly visits are my time for reflection, for mental and emotional maintenance, a very important part of my self-care routine. In fact, every single change that I’ve made in my life since January (including the biggest change of all, giving up my Studio Director role at Tranquil Space) has been made because of my time in therapy. Honestly, just penciling in 55 minutes every week to talk about and think about my state of being has made all the difference. Before, I just kept on charging ahead, doing what I’ve always done, because I didn’t have the time to stop and think about doing anything differently. Once I carved out the time to stop for a second and started doing a little self-study, I realized that I wanted to make changes that I’d been to busy to notice before. It’s been amazing. Some weeks I go to therapy and just discuss normal life situations. Some weeks I go and cry about things that I didn’t even know were bothering me before I sat down. Sometimes I go and feel like I have nothing to talk about because everything is great, but no matter what, I always feel 1000 times lighter when my time is up. I keep kicking myself for not going back many years sooner--what was I thinking? My Dad is a therapist. My late stepmother was a therapist. My mom thinks she’s a therapist because she’s been going to therapy for so long, and I have a handful of friends who are therapists or counselors. I know and love many therapists, and I credit my high school therapist for turning my life around and truly saving me from myself. So why haven’t I been in therapy all along? If you’re not already in therapy, I highly recommend that you seek out a therapist ASAP. Not because you have emotional issues or can’t handle life yourself, but because we could all use at least an hour each week to do some big picture thinking about our lives. Thank you to all of the therapists in my life for all of the time you spend listening to people like me talk about ourselves for at least an hour every week. You have enriched my life in more ways than you’ll ever know, and I think that you’re definitely real Doctors ;)
Marjorie
6/18/2013 04:50:31 am
Ahh, thank you! I love and REALLY appreciate this post! I too am a big proponent of therapy and I am in school to be a school counselor because I saw how my own experience in therapy changed my life in profoundly positive ways. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Do you mind if I share this?
Mary Catherine
6/18/2013 04:55:27 am
Of course not! Share away! Lets spread the word so people understand :) Thanks for doing what you do!!! Love this post! As a mental health counselor, I know the power of therapy. But, unfortunately a stigma remains. I often remind people that going to counseling/therapy does not equal mental illness. So many of my clients come to for problems related to typical life stressors, developmental challenges, or a simple interest in exploring who they are and where they want to go in life. It is great that the minimal act of scheduling the time in your calendar has an effect. Research actually has confirmed this...for many, just making an appointment improves mental "health." I say do it! Therapy for all!
Mary Catherine
6/19/2013 09:08:17 pm
Thanks for your perspective, Sarah! I'm glad to hear that you agree, And yes, definitely, therapy for all! ;)
Stumbled on your blog through a retweet on Twitter. I echo everything said in this post. I'm in the same boat, I started going to therapy about four years ago because I was going through some pretty intense stuff, but once I worked that out, I found that going weekly was still so beneficial to me. There is so much value in talking to a person who is completely unbiased -- doesn't know your friends, family -- and is trained to not judge you.
Mary Catherine
6/19/2013 09:12:02 pm
Thanks for this, Jenny! Glad you found me via Twitter--checked out your blog and love it! Seems like we have lots in common (also from ATL and lived in NYC for a while, haha!). Anyways, I totally agree--therapy is weekly maintenance and should be just as important as anything else we do to stay healthy and take care of ourselves. I've been seeing a therapist for 2+ years now whole-heartedly concur with everything that you've said in this post. It's been immensely helpful to be able to talk to someone with no prejudice or judgement. It's the best investment I've made in myself. Personally I think this world would be a happier place if everyone saw a therapist. Thanks for writing this post! Comments are closed.
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HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
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