Everyone needs help every now and then

This last year was stressful for a lot of people, myself included, and I feel that a good part of the population probably does not know the best ways to deal with that stress. I always thought that I knew how to handle the stress in my life, but this last year has shown me that I had no idea what I was doing when it came to stress.

For those of you who do not know, I have been dealing with a lot of loss in my family over the past year, most recently my grandfather who I had grown close to over the past couple of years passed away. A little over a year ago my wife left me, leaving me with a truck load of emotions and depression that I have never had to deal with before, at least not on this level. It has been a struggle. I am very blessed however to have an amazing support system around me with family and close friends who have been able to help me through a good part of it, but it still wasn’t enough.

Then my supervisor told me that my job has a deal with our local mental health clinic for the employees. I have to imagine that my first thought probably lines up with a lot of other people's thoughts when someone mentions therapy, ‘How much is talking to a therapist really going to help me?’ After only three sessions with my therapist I can easily answer that question, It helps a lot. I’ll be the first to admit that I never really considered myself to be in the position to talk to a therapist, that only people with severe issues or diagnosed mental health problems needed to speak with a therapist. I will also admit now that that was very close minded of me to believe that.

All my life I have been the kind of person to bottle up my feelings to the point where I get overwhelmed and when I have finally had enough, I blow up on whoever is there to take the wrath. In the last year, dealing with my failing marriage, I have blown up a lot. It was this and the depression that I assumed would be the only things the therapist would work on with me, but after only three sessions with her, we not only have plans to work on my anger, but also how to better manage my anxiety and my feeling of self worth. She isn’t just trying to patch me up to help me get through my divorce, she is also helping me by providing me with the tools and knowledge to better manage what I believed could not be changed.

Obviously I still have quite a ways to go before I am done, but for the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I'm going in the right direction. If there is ever a time in your life where you feel depressed, or anxious, misunderstood, lonely, if your heart is broken and you just need someone to talk to or if you even feel as if you are not being heard, I urge you to seek out the help of a therapist. Ignore the negative stigma that says therapy is only for crazy people or for only those suffering major tragedy. The help is there for you too. That is something I wish that I would have known before.

I believe taking care of one's mental health is overlooked in society because it is not as widely talked about as physical health is. How many diet plans and exercise routines do you see ads for on a daily basis? Quite a few. Now how many mental health awareness ads do you see? Not nearly enough. How easy is it to talk to your family and friends about the struggles with your new diet? A lot easier most times than going to a friend or family member and admitting to them that you need someone to listen to your mental struggles. It’s easy for people to look at people with troubles and just write it off as she’s just looking for attention or he’s just lazy and wont do anything. If we promoted mental health as much as we do physical health, then maybe more people would feel less afraid to seek out help.

Also, a little off topic, if you are an introvert like me, I would like to suggest a book called The Powerful Purpose Of Introverts by Holley Gerth. I’ve always thought that my introverted ways were a hindrance to my life but this book has shown me that what I believe to be weaknesses are actually strengths once you understand them. It has really changed the way I view myself on a couple different levels.

In closing, I would like to urge that if you or someone you know is struggling and in need of help, find that help or be that listening ear, don’t feel defeated that you need help. No matter what the problem, big or small, you can never go wrong seeking out help. We can’t know why God made us this way, only he knows, but we can focus on turning our weaknesses into strengths and move on to striving instead of just merely surviving.

As always, feel free to leave a comment and don't be afraid to share this with someone who may need to hear my two cents.