Every Tuesday, I kiss my husband and baby goodbye and walk out the door to one of the best parts of my week…Therapy! Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s tough; I go to work on myself and process things that have and are happening in my life. But even on the really hard days, I still walk out of the office feeling like I accomplished something. It amazes me what good can come from an hour of work. I am pushed and encouraged and given practical tools. The great thing is, you don’t even have to be a total mess to go… I am a mess, but you don’t have to be.
After having my daughter and dealing with a lot of postpartum mental health concerns on my own, my husband encouraged me to go see someone who could help me. Though hesitant at first, I eventually conceded. I had gone to therapy at different times in my life, but never to any benefit as far as I could tell.
Maybe the difference between then and now was that I could see how badly I need to be there.
Each week when I go, I am allowed to direct the conversation and talk about whatever is on my mind. Sometimes it’s seemingly small, like a disagreement with my husband or minor inconvenience that I’ve blown WAY out of proportion. Other times I deal with serious trauma. When things get too heavy, I’m able to stop talking about them or redirect. Despite how silly some of my concerns are, I’m never made to feel silly or bad about what I’m saying. I get unbiased, rational feedback that keeps me grounded and helps me keep things in perspective.
On the drive home I’m able to decompress and think about what was talked about. Sometimes I talk to my husband about it, other times I don’t or I’m not quite ready to talk to him, and he is incredibly understanding. After that hour a week my cup is refilled and I’m able to give the best of myself to my family.
My daughter and my husband can only benefit from me working on myself.
What’s even better is that I’m able to take some of the coping skills I learn and teach them my husband and model them for my daughter.
I realize I’m blessed to be able to receive this incredibly vital care. It isn’t a reality for a lot of people because it can be spendy, with or without insurance. But I would encourage absolutely EVERYONE to try and go to therapy. Even if you feel like you’re handling your life well – or like you wouldn’t have anything to talk about – it couldn’t hurt. If it doesn’t seem realistic to go somewhere, there are a lot of excellent teletherapist and app services that offer affordable and easier accessed options!
Tiffany, thanks so much for sharing your experience! How did you decide on a therapist? Is there a difference between a counselor and a therapist?