Missing From The List

Bye Bye Therapy

Let’s just get right to it. You may have noticed that missing from my list of healthy mental hygiene practices in 2024 was “going to therapy.”

I’ve been going to therapy on and off since I was 20 years old. I’m now a couple of months shy of 43 and you can do the math. That’s a lot of therapy. For significant stretches of time in my life, therapy was an absolute must. I needed the weekly check-in as a place to: actively practice grounding techniques for panic and anxiety; work on shame and fear; just heal…basically.

But over the past year, my visits with my most recent therapist became less frequent and I often felt like I was just catching up with a friend. She had taught me A LOT and for that I am so grateful because I’m able to apply it as needed. So after a few discussions with her and thinking about it independently, I made the decision to stop seeing her and thus take a break from therapy for a while.

That was in October and so far so good…although I am currently (like literally as I write this) listening to The Wicked soundtrack and doing breathing exercises through a “Norovirus fear-mongering and propaganda season” panic attack …

Anyway, I digress. So far, so good. I feel equipped with a lot of excellent tools and knowledge. I also know that therapy works and it is something I can always return to if needed. It’s kind of like going to the gym and working with a personal trainer. Sometimes you need that accountability, guidance, and support. Other times you feel like you are good to go working out on your own in your basement with a few different sets of free weights, a workout bench, a yoga mat, and maybe even a treadmill.

As a sidebar, many of you know that I was a high school English teacher for 13 years before my daughter was born. I do believe that teaching is a core part of who I am. I’d love to share with you some of the helpful things I learned in therapy, similar to how I did in this post here. If you’re interested in seeing more content like that, let me know!

A few other pieces I’m working on are about the following:

1. Taking the concept of a “personality hire” and applying it to other areas of life

2. Revamping older pieces and resharing with a new perspective

3. BOOKS!

Until next time… may your mental hygiene take just as much priority in your life as your physical hygiene… and for crying out loud wash ya damn hands!

xo,

A