Mental Health Wellness

I have been going to therapy for almost a year and a half now and it has been transformative for me. I have always been introspective, blogging and writing my feelings but the past few years have left me with tons of emotions and no way to really release them. I felt so many emotions just waiting to implode, so a friend suggested seeing a therapist and it has been life changing.

Growing up in a South Asian community, therapy is considered weak and unnecessary fluff, which is such a shame, because at times South Asian culture can feel extremely oppressive. As a psych major, I knew of the importance to mental health wellness and the impact therapy could have on a person, but I was too scared to try or go. Therapy was the way the "white man" handled problems, and us "brown folks" suppressed and shut our mouths. As I have heard from a number of people "this is a family matter, no one from the outside should know about our problems." The truth is, sharing our hardships doesn't make us weak. Yes, it does make us less perfect in the eyes of others but let us be completely honest, who the hell is perfect?! What an unrealistic expectation to live up to.

I want to share that therapy is healthy and good and isn't something you necessarily have to do when you are depressed or have "problems". We all face a multitude of problems and at times other people's problems and their projections. Therapy can allow you to reflect and understand what you feel and how other people's emotions, experiences, and feelings can impact you. It is a healthy way of talking through the many issues we normally suppress and try not to deal (and ones that come out when you get too drunk or watch a ridiculously emotional movie). I go to therapy and I am not ashamed of it, I know that some folks may read this and state "oh wow, she does that silly fluff" but mental health wellness is necessary for our physical wellness. The stigma is unfair and is really a projection of people's fear of their own feelings.

At the start of 2018, I hope to be more transparent and honest with my journey and growth - therapy is one mode that allows me to grow as an individual. Mental health wellness is a key to a healthy life, we face many things and me going to therapy does not mean that I am unable to handle the challenges but that I recognize that as I grow as an individual I must make time to self reflect (why not reflect with an unbiased individual to do so?).

I hope that as you read this, you recognize your stigma towards mental health and become more open to it, not because I am recommending it to you but rather that you are more supportive to those who want to seek mental health wellness. Next time you scoff at it or make fun of it, recognize that you perpetuate the stigma and not allow for others to seek the mental health they may need. Therapy is healthy and normal, not something to be ashamed of or sully.