You Need Therapy

If you think the title of this article isn’t talking about you, you’re mistaken. I am a firm believer that literally everyone can benefit from therapy in one way or another. This is not to say that it’s a “one size fits all” technique. Sometimes you have to go through trial and error of finding what therapist you like, how often is the most beneficial for you to go, what you feel comfortable sharing and what you don’t and more. And it can be an uncomfortable experience at first. But one bad experience does not mean you should throw in the towel all together. 

It would be hypocritical of me to tell you to go to therapy without first sharing about how I’ve come to love it and be its biggest advocate. I started having feelings of anxiety the summer going into high school. Watching “Inside Out 2” felt like a perfect encapsulation of what happened in my brain when I hit puberty. Suddenly every thought was being taken over by this new feeling, and I had panic attacks for the first time. As I went through high school, I learned to manage this feeling, but anxiety isn’t something that just goes away. It’s always lingering in the back of the brain, waiting for its opportunity to reveal itself. And one of those opportunities where my anxiety flourished was my first semester of college. 

As I navigated through my first semester of college, I found myself in a situation where my anxiety took over. So, one day in November 2021 I did something that I had never done before; I put in a request for a counseling appointment. I was nervous and intimidated, but I knew that it was worth a shot. I knew that therapy had already helped to save my sister’s life following her suicide attempt in 2018, so why not try to help myself?  

I only met with my freshman year therapist two or three times before the fall semester ended. And I truly believe that those two or three times changed my life. She gave me advice that I have carried with me since and shared with almost everyone I know (don’t grip the sand, if you know you know). When I returned for the spring semester, I found out that the therapist I was seeing had personal matters going on that caused her to retire. I didn’t feel comfortable continuing with anybody else, and because my first few sessions were so successful, I considered myself “healed.” So, I decided not to go back for the rest of freshman year (what I would give to tell freshman year me to continue going).   

Flash forward to the fall of sophomore year. Some events that transpired inspired me to go back to therapy again, this time to work through some unresolved feelings I had about my sister’s suicide attempt. I saw a new therapist at school, and she was…fine. That’s how I felt about the whole experience pretty much. It didn’t make me feel much better, but I didn’t mind going and yapping for an hour. I went through the end of the semester, and did not return in the spring.  

Now we’re at the good part. Fall of junior year, I was going through a situation that left me an anxiety ridden mess. Many of my friends that I had all through college saw me cry for the first time, and no one really knew what to do, least of all me. This started from the first week back at school, and as the weeks progressed it was not improving. Yet I was so hesitant to bite the bullet and schedule a counseling appointment. I felt like my situation was “stupid” to go to therapy over. I was so determined to prove to myself that I could get through it on my own. Spoiler alert: there’s no f*cking trophy for not asking for help. And sure enough, October 23, 2023, I was talking to my best friend Cassy in the library and got myself so worked up that I logged right onto the patient portal and scheduled myself that appointment. Third times the charm, right?  

Luckily, the third time really was the charm. After one appointment, I immediately felt like a fool for not having scheduled the second I got back to school. As I continued through therapy towards the end of the semester, my therapist and I remarked on my progress. When she asked me if I wanted to continue in the spring, I said that in the past the spring semester has gone better for me, and I didn’t feel like I needed to continue. My therapist then pointed out to me that I don’t need to come to therapy only when I reach my breaking point. I don’t need to get to a good point, stop, and start again only when it gets bad. Therapy is there to celebrate the good and the bad and everything in-between, and by continuing to go when things are good, we can prevent the bad from building up and causing me to break down. While I felt extremely called out, I realized she was absolutely right. And I’ve continued with therapy ever since.  

As I come up on my one-year anniversary of finding the right balance of therapy in my life, I’m not going to say it’s made my life sunshine and rainbows. But it has made my coping mechanisms stronger. It has made me prevent things from building up and consuming me. When I have a bad week, knowing that I have an hour where I can talk about it to an unbiased and non-judgmental source keeps my head on right and helps to limit panic (Thursday the 17, at 3 p.m. cannot come soon enough for me right now).  

This article is for those of you that feel overwhelmed and are trying to manage it by yourself. For those of you that feel ashamed to schedule that appointment. Maybe you support therapy but think it’s just “not for you.” Therapy is for everyone. Do yourself a favor and stop trying to do everything yourself. You are allowed to talk to someone and ask for help. There is no trophy for getting through things without therapy. You will never regret trying to help yourself. You need to get yourself the help that you deserve. You need therapy.  

• counseling
• mentalhealth
• therapy