Why is it so secretive? I have no problem telling people I am seeing a therapist. It's the 21st century. I'm surprised it's not a booming business!! My head gets so much clearer after I leave my therapist's office. I get reminded to stop, think, then do the right thing. Words to live by.
I think a lot of it is the belief that there is something wrong with you if you need to talk to someone. Or that you should just fix your problems instead of talking about them with a stranger. I am surprised that the stigma hasn't lessened over time.
ReplyDeleteI agree, mental health problems in general are surrounded by so many pre-conceived notions. You are going to counseling so you must be crazy, unstable or weak. The fact is psychology in general is not really embraced by our culture yet, but it cetainly should be!
ReplyDeleteI have never bottled up my feelings. I've always felt that there was a place to express them. Boxing helps to get out the tension, talking to a good friend for hours works too, and occasionally if you want to splurge, a professional. The only thing that I've ever seen therapist do, with all of the people that have them, is schedule more appointments and give more pills... But that's my observation over the years, and maybe people stop going.
ReplyDeleteI was told that I should seek professional help once, but my therapy is life. I have a well-adjusted relationship, I'm happy with my work, and I'm a top performing student; but my schedule was shit. Instead of 5 years in therapy, I took 5 days to modify my work schedule, and everything's great. :-D
I've always been of the belief that there are times to talk about problems, and there are times to act on solutions. That being said, one of the biggest steps is identifying the problems, and I'm happy that you're actively doing that. One of the hardest things a person will ever get over, is themselves, and their inert sense of self preservation.