Therapy As An Option For Self-Care

 


Let's talk about therapy. What is it, why is it something to be considered, and why is there such a stigma around it? Therapy is the term for seeing a counselor, therapist, psychiatrist or anyone with similar credentials for the purposes of talking about yourself and your experiences and thought processes to heal from things that have hurt you. That's my definition, and you could probably do a google search for a more concise definition, but really, that's what therapy is. I've found that it is insanely helpful.

When you see a good, caring therapist, they're there to listen to what you say, bring an objective view point to your experiences and show you how harmful past experiences were, and how to cope with certain things, and point out when you're doing well. Sadly, there are plenty who either haven't had great experiences with therapy, or wouldn't consider it because of the stigma attached. This is often a subconscious decision.

Why is there a stigma around therapy? It's tied into the stigma around mental illnesses. There's a quiet judgment around anyone with mental illness, anyone who talks about seeing a therapist. It's seen as something to not be talked about, something's wrong with you if you need a therapist, you're broken, things like that. America as a society is so proud of being self-sufficient, so capable on your own that if you need help, it's somehow wrong and looked down. First of all, No. People are not meant to be on their own 100% of the time. (Just look at any story where someone ends up on an island alone.) 

People need people. It is true that some people are toxic, some are draining to be around, but when you find the right people to spend time with, they ground you and refresh you. You end up coming away feeling better than you did before. So no, people aren't meant to do it all themselves. This way of thinking hasn't always been around. I think part of this current obsession to be self-sufficient stems from the baby boomer era, when you had to be self-sufficient to survive, when you were looked down on for needing help, maybe because you didn't have many to rely on for help. 

Each era has different models of thinking based on the circumstances, based on the things happening in their time. However, things change, new events happen, and we need to be open to changing our mind and continually learning, and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Otherwise nothing will change for the better.

It's also important to note that this kind of thinking is perpetuated in media. We see a lot of villains who are mentally unstable (like the Joker, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Reverse Flash and other villains from The Flash, ) and all this does is keep us thinking that mental illnesses make people dangerous and unstable and scary. Is that the truth? Not really, because media often tends to exaggerate things, make things seems worse than they are. True, some people can be dangerous, but there are plenty of examples of dangerous people who aren't mentally ill. 

Yes, I know that this whole topic is something I could write a whole essay on, but it was important to mention. And there are plenty of examples of media getting it right. There's a whole show about a detective with almost crippling OCD and anxiety who sees a therapist on a regular basis. It's a good show, and the main character shows how this mental illness makes his daily life difficult. (The show in question is Mr. Monk.) More on this another day, but I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful and refreshing weekend!

💜💜💜

Don't forget about our giveaway!! Joanna from Lilla Rose and I are giving away a My Story flexi as part of Mental Health Awareness month, as well as a charm and some Lilla Bucks! Giveaway details are below with all the links you need. Also, when you buy a My Story Flexi of your own, let me know! I'm going to be donating $5 to my favorite charity for each flexi bought, so let me know how much to spend. <3

Giveaway ends May 29th at midnight. Winner will be chosen May 30th, and there are three ways to enter. 
First, you'll get 1 entry if you Like Joanna's Facebook page, and 1 if you like my Facebook page. Also, 1 entry for each Share and Comment on social media posts about the giveaway.
Second, you can get 5 entries if you buy a My Story Flexi from her website.
Third, you can get 10 entries if you donate any dollar amount to one of these charities: Mental Health America (MHA) or National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Do any of these and let us know by commenting either here on this blog or our social media posts. ^_^ (All donations to NAMI will be matched thru May 31st, up to $75k) 


Joanna, Lilla Rose:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/UpInHair

Contact Her Directly: https://shop.ami.co/upinhair/contact?ref=share


Vivienne's Facebook:

Vivienne Aulaire, Writer | Facebook


Charities: 

Mental Health America https://mhanational.org/

National Alliance on Mental Illness https://www.nami.org/home

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