About Mental Health & Wholeness
[Originally published 1/11/2021 @ www.teachingtheladytobe.com.]
One person I am grateful to know in 2021 is my mental health therapist.
I recently read an article during which the author mentions her therapist and follows that up with "Yes, I see a therapist, and you should, too!" I laughed and thought, "You go, girl!"
While I understand that seeing a therapist is not for everyone, I do believe it is worth every person at least considering.
Could you benefit from seeing a therapist? If you answer yes to any number of these questions, perhaps it is worth considering in 2021:
Are you a human being?
Do you have family members who are human beings?
Do you interact with human beings on a regular basis?
Are you raising tiny human beings?
Have you been living through 2020 and now the first 10 days of 2021?
Do you push emotions down deep into your toes?
Do you have a history of trauma or abuse?
Have you ever lost someone you loved?
Do you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list at home or at work?
Do you have problems with boundaries?
Are you not sure that you know what boundaries are?
Would you like help in learning to live the whole breadth of emotions and life?
One of the main things (of thousands, of course!) that first drew me to my sweet husband was his emotional intelligence. Seriously. If you know my goofy and light-hearted Kurt, you may laugh at this. But truly! He is (mostly!) a wise man. I credit some of this to his decision, in his late twenties, to seek out a therapist for himself. He didn't totally connect to his first or even second therapist, but he kept persevering and did find a great match. I am so proud of young Kurt for doing this. Good job, Past Kurt!
[If you're still reading this and are looking for a funny story about a therapist: The first time Kurt went out to dinner with me and my parents, he secretly pointed to a table next to us and whispered to me: "This is a little awkward, but that's the lady I used to see." I looked over and saw a woman, probably in her mid-sizties, who was beautiful and graceful. I was pretty confused throughout our meal, as I admittedly didn't know everything about Kurt at this point but was surprised he hadn't told me about a much older girlfriend. It turns out 'the lady he used to see' was his therapist. We have come to affectionally call her 'the cougar.']
It doesn't have to be about mental illness, friends. It very well could simply be about mental health and wholeness.
Not an ad for therapists, just a PSA from your self-care-loving friend!
