I had my first therapy session last week and it was incredibly validating. I’m not going through any sort of crisis, I just got to thinking that I have really been through a lot over the last few years and maybe I should talk to someone about it.
She let me talk for a good 45 minutes pausing here and there to ask clarifying questions. Then, she leaned back in her chair with her eyebrows raised and said,
“Meggan, you have been through a lot.”
I nodded my head along and internally thought, well yeah, that’s why we’re here. She looked at me and said,
“No, Meggan. You have been through a LOT. What you’ve gone through isn’t just run of the mill every day stuff. It’s very clear to me that you lean on Jesus for your strength because other people finding themselves in your shoes would not be as okay as you are.”
I’ll admit, I got a little choked up. It was so incredibly validating to be told that the things that had happened to me over the last decade were not normal. Honestly, the reason I hadn’t ever thought to go to therapy was because I was doing “ok”. Aren’t you supposed to be having some kind of breakdown in order to do that?
Well, it turns out that no, you don’t have to be on the verge of psychosis to get some help. I think if we spent more time normalizing these things that it would give others permission to get the help they need as well.
When I realized that other people I knew and respected went to therapy, it made me realize that I had been expecting to be this superwoman in all areas of my life and assumed that the people I looked up to just did it all on their own. Why had I never considered that maybe they didn’t always have it all together? Maybe they needed some help at different points. And maybe, just maybe, that was totally okay.
So this is me, normalizing therapy for anyone who might be hesitant. Sometimes all we need is an outside perspective to show us that we are fierce, courageous, and bold…and that we deserve better.
