Therapy.......Mental Health Care..........

Hi Gang!

We're on the downward spiral to the end of February 

and oh what a weather month we've had!

 From several inches of snow

to flooding.......

One extreme or the other!

Today's thought path takes us down the road of mental health therapy.

In years past (and sometimes still today) many people poo pooed the idea of therapy.  They thought that if someone needed therapy they must be 'crazy'.  It was always considered a stigma and people simply just didn't talk about it.

I, for one, ALWAYS wanted to go to therapy ever since I was a child.  Why?  Because I always wanted to learn how to deal with things in life, to get that outside perspective from someone who didn't know me or my family so there'd be no bias.  

When I went through my divorce, I was tormented by so many emotions and I knew I needed to talk to someone to help me learn how to deal with it all.

A few weeks after I filed I sought to find a Christian counselor.  That was my personal choice because I wanted someone who knows God and would come from a Godly perspective and not a worldly one.  When it comes to your mental health, you must be guarded.  You don't want to subject yourself to information that could be damaging.

I did find a Christian counselor.  She was amazing.  She helped me see things from a whole new perspective and gave me tools to use when I was at home to help me cope.  She also prayed with me at the end of every session and would share biblical scriptures with me.  

I went for about a year and also encouraged my kids to go as well.  We were ALL in need of mental therapy and I wouldn't change it for anything!

A few weeks into therapy I was diagnosed with a mild form of PTSD and anxiety.  She suggested medication and I flat out refused.  I didn't want to become someone I wasn't.  She told me that it bring me back to the happy person I used to be.

That went on for a while, me crying each time during therapy and beating myself up and feeling super depressed while she encouraged me to try some medication.  

I FINALLY gave in and decided to try something.  I saw the nurse at the therapist's office and she prescribed me a low dose of the generic form of Lexapro.  

I began taking it and within a couple weeks I was actually wanting to get out of bed and wanting to put my makeup on and function.  Prior to the medication I didn't want to do anything.  I was simply going through the motions and trying to make it through each day in a depressed and anxiety filled fog.

After taking it for about a year and a half I thought that I really didn't need it anymore and weaned myself off, basically cold turkey and not in a slow process.  As a result I went through withdrawals that made me want to physically tear the skin off my face.  

(This is fact and no exaggeration.  I was in a bad place.)

After being off of it for a bit I realized that I was slipping back into old patterns and knew I needed to go back to the doctor and see if I could get my prescription renewed.  Thankfully I was able to and I'm still taking it today.

Don't get me wrong.  Not everyone needs medication, but if you do there's absolutely no shame in getting on something to help you.  It not only helps you, but also affects your loved ones as well.  When you're better, they're better too.  

I know I've talked on the subject before, but I felt it was worth re-visiting for anyone who hadn't read it in a previous blog of mine, especially in the times we're living in today with all the school shootings and other killings.

People need HELP and the ones who are in dire need are slipping through the cracks.  One man, who murdered 3 people not far from here, slipped through the cracks unnecessarily.  His parents tried to get him help, but because he hadn't been diagnosed, he was considered sane.  Because he himself said he was fine, no one tried to treat him and they couldn't get him admitted to a facility.  His prior behavior should have been screaming red flags that this individual needed HELP, but instead, he was turned away and 3 innocent people lost their lives as a result.  

Everyone gets therapy for so many things, walking after hip or knee surgery, shoulder after rotator cuff surgery, speech after head or face trauma, so why is mental health therapy looked down upon?  It's so important to take care of your mental health.

I pray that you're healthy, happy, safe and I pray that you have P.E.A.C.E. in your life.

Until we meet again my friends, have a fantastic rest of your week and weekend and if you need help, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Love,

Public Humiliation...........

Hi Gang!

Batten down the hatches!  We're in for a snow storm tonight!!

Make sure you have food in the fridge, a snuggly blanket and a good show to watch or a good book to read and let it fall!

Anyhoo.....................

Today's thought path is about being humiliated publicly.  This has happened to me a couple of times (well, more than a couple, but I'll just give a couple vague examples here)......

One time, on FaceBook, I was criticized for a post I made.  The person chastising me was someone I thought was a friend.  While she thought she was correcting me about something that I didn't even say, she humiliated me about it on FB.  My phone started  ringing off the hook with other friends wondering what was going on.  As a result, I deleted the post and unfriended her.  I still speak to her, but I chose to use a healthy boundary and not allow her access to my FB page.

A previous blog of mine, "When To Mind Your Own Business", would have been a good read at that time.  

> Is this information for their physical protection?  No. I was in no danger

>  What are your motives for telling the person?  Attention

> Will this information cause unnecessary stress?  Yes it did

> Does the situation directly affect you?  No it didn't affect her at all

If she had a problem with my post, a personal phone call or text message to me would have been the more appropriate thing to do.  She could have addressed me and at the same time kept it personal.  

Another time was during a meeting.  I had said something that was totally innocent, but someone felt the need to ridicule me in front of our peers pointing out an error of something I said.  Mind you, as I've always told my children, it's not what you say, but how you say it.  This was a situation where you needed to be in my shoes at the time to realize the feeling.

You can say to someone 'Please pass the potatoes' in a calm and genuine voice.  It's well received and the person you're asking will be more than happy to pass them to you.  You can also say 'PASS THE POTATOES!'.  I cringe just reading that, so I apologize if that triggers anyone.  I know that sometimes it doesn't take much for me.  When asked in that manner, the person you're saying it to may either tell you off, not pass the potatoes or shrivel up into an emotional shell for protection.

Now, with all this being said, I know that we live in a culture of easily offended people.  Was I easily offended?  Probably.  

But there is a right way and a wrong way to handle each and every situation.

I feel that its just a matter of treating others with respect.  

If you've ever had a similar experience, you'll be able to relate.

Just remember to put yourself in the other person's shoes.  It will help guide you in how you treat others.

The Golden Rule:

"Do unto others as you'd have done unto you."

I pray that you're healthy, happy, safe and I pray that you have P.E.A.C.E. in your life.

Until we meet again my friends, stay warm & safe!

Love,