So many people feel a stigma when it comes to therapy, like it is only for people with serious mental illness or have come to the end of a rapidly fraying rope. Many do not understand that therapy is also a place to help make difficult decisions, talk things through, or simply process. While many would benefit from traditional talk therapy, it is important to understand that if you do not feel it is for you, therapy can look like other things as well.
I have this friend who loves music. Really loves music. In fact, her version of therapy is attending at least one concert a month. To say that COVID has done a number on her mental health is an understatement. She was mopey, down and found it difficult to handle things that previously only caused minimal stress. Just the other day she messaged me and showed me that she bought a concert ticket and was so excited--she felt better already!
Therapeutic self care can truly look like anything. For me it is amusement parks. Even if I don't ride a single ride (which is unlikely because I am also a roller coaster junkie), it is simply the energy which heals me. The laughter, the delighted squeals, the candy apples... All of it puts me in a more positive place, allowing me to experience the world through a better, clearer lens.
I have another friend who rides his motorcycle when he gets stressed and overwhelmed. While his wife absolutely hates it, it brings him comfort and unprecedented refocus in his life.
Still another friend bakes, and another one runs marathons, and another one does POUND classes.... What do all of these have in common? Therapy. Certainly not in the traditional sense, but in the sense, that these individuals have taken the time to figure out what allows them to recharge, refocus and process.
I truly worry about those people in the world who don't go to traditional talk therapy and simultaneously have not figured out their own personal therapeutic approach to self-care. I often find myself wondering how these people deal with life and stress. What happens to these individuals in the long run? Do they wind up sick, exhausted, bitter?? I cannot encourage you enough to figure out your own therapy. We all have something, the secret is to find out what therapy looks like to you.
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