A thought occurred to me – if we were in America, having a therapist is relatively usual and it’s talked about fairly openly. However, living in the UK means that all too often, we have a ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach until we reach breaking point.
We all know that the NHS is stretched beyond capacity, and the wait list to be seen for counselling is many, many months, but what stops us even getting to that point, or opting to find a therapist privately sooner?
I believe that when we compare ourselves to others, we can end up feeling that there are others worse off, or more in need. This may be true, but the two things can exist side-by-side – there can be people who urgently need support, but you can also receive support too. One doesn’t cancel out the other, as assessments are made within the NHS, and with private therapists, so that those most in need of urgent care are prioritised.
You are still worthy of having the time and place to feel heard and to put down some of the heaviness you are carrying – when we stop looking so hard at others, and allow some of the focus back onto ourselves, it isn’t selfish – it’s self ish. Self ish means to prioritise yourself when you need to.
By seeking counselling when you start to feel that things are becoming difficult, or juggling the load feels harder, you are actively trying to prevent things from getting worse, and surely that’s better than the alternative.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to wait until something has gone wrong before coming to therapy. In fact, if you have experienced challenges previously, you’ll know how important it is to get support before you reach that point again.
If you’re feeling guilty about seeking therapy, that’s a great thing to explore in sessions – our discomfort with putting ourselves first, or at least higher up the priority list, is well worth looking at as it might tell us more about ourselves than we even realised.
You deserve to have the support that you need, when you need it.