World Mental Health Day was last Friday, so I wanted to do my part, once again, to end the stigma associated with pursuing mental health support from a trained professional. Please remember that there doesn’t need to be a mental health diagnosis to seek mental health support. Also, you don’t need to be in the middle of a mental health crisis to seek mental health support. In fact, mental health support from a trained professional can be even more transformative when it is used proactively as has been done at various times throughout my adult life.
I recently watched a podcast episode with Marc Brackett as the guest. Marc is the Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a professor at the Child Study Center. It was a great interview about the importance of emotional intelligence and choosing care before crisis. Here is what he posted on Instagram last Friday for World Mental Health Day:
A few weeks ago, I told our amazing therapist, who specializes in chronic illness and trauma, that it feels like many people in our country are displaying a more superficial side of themselves these days. It feels like everyone is wearing a figurative mask at all times. My health situation already has me feeling like I am at a very different place in my life than almost everyone else around me, but the current state of the world seems to be changing the dynamic even more. It is becoming increasingly difficult to deeply connect with others regardless of my effort.
(credit: @the.holistic.psychologist on IG)
Our therapist told us that there are some reasons for this. She said that humans are not equipped to be witnessing this much trauma on a daily basis. With cell phones providing instant access to varying degrees of trauma, more and more people are experiencing secondary trauma. She said that mental health support for trauma is quickly becoming an emerging field in the mental health space, and mental health practitioners are seeking more training in the area of trauma for this very reason. She said that many people don’t realize how much secondary trauma is affecting them and preventing them from showing up in the world in an authentic way. As the world gets darker and scarier, people are wearing figurative masks to protect themselves from the enormous amounts of pain and suffering that are all around them. And, many don’t even realize that this is what they are doing as one of their protective measures.
Given this information, it seems like more and more people could benefit from mental health support from a trained professional, but I know that there is still a stigma involved. Many people still label people as “crazy” or believe them to be mentally unstable, and this stigma is unfortunate. In my experience, it is quite the opposite. The people in my life who have been to therapy and/or are currently seeking therapy are some of the healthiest people I know from an emotional health perspective. I don’t have a mental health diagnosis, and I have benefitted tremendously from therapy in my adult life. Mental health support in this country is a privilege, and I wish everyone had access to it. I believe that our country would be in a much better place if this were the case.
I have sought out mental health support from a couple of different therapists at various points throughout my adult life, and the specific therapist matters. There are terrible therapists out there, and I have never been afraid to make a change if their training and/or skill set doesn’t match my needs. I am fortunate that our current therapist is the best of the best. She knows her shit, cares deeply, and is able to hold space for any and all feelings. Since we have a healthy (and fun) therapeutic relationship, I saw this image a few weeks ago and sent it to her in case she needed a good laugh:
Having a therapist with whom I can laugh is simply the best. There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for her.
If you are someone who is thinking about seeking mental health support from a trained professional, my recommendation would be to take the leap. Even if your mental health is in a good place like mine, it never hurts to build skills and/or increase the number of tools in your toolbox.
Brutal. The stigma associated with pursuing mental health support from a trained professional. Being a person looking for depth in a shallow culture. Secondary trauma.
Beautiful. Doing my part to end the stigma associated with pursuing mental health support from a trained professional. Taking a proactive approach to mental health. Having a healthy (and fun) therapeutic relationship with our amazing therapist. Therapy humor.
Just another day of . . . This Brutiful Life: The Brutal & Beautiful Moments of My Life.
This Brutiful Life 