Very often, if we are struggling in our personal lives or with our mental health- it’s easy to convince ourselves that someone has it worse than us. That someone has “real problems” while ours are minor in comparison. This might cause us to avoid talking to a therapist because we downplay our feelings. I’m here to share a long list of things you can go to therapy for: 

• If you are sad.

• If you are mad. 

• If you are anxious. 

• If you are depressed.

• If you are constantly worried.

• If you feel like you no longer care about things. 

• If you feel like you care about things too much.

• If you feel like a bad mom.

• If you feel like your kids aren’t getting what they need from you emotionally. 

• If you don’t know how to give your kids what they need emotionally.

• If you are a new mom and don’t feel quite right. 

• If you have been a mom for a while and things don’t feel quite right. 

• If you aren’t a mom, and things don’t feel quite right. 

• If you are obsessive over small details.

• If you are obsessive over big details.

• If you are grieving.

• If you are grieving, even though you haven’t lost someone or something.

• If you are having a hard time communicating with your partner.

• If your partner is having a hard time communicating with you. 

• If you feel unhappy in your marriage/relationship.

• If you feel untrusting in your marriage/relationship.

• If you feel unsafe. (Mentally or physically)

• If you have a past trauma.

• If you have no past traumas.

• If you have a toxic person in your life and you need help.

• If you feel you are a toxic person in other’s lives. 

• If you are obsessing about something and can’t seem to let it go.

• If you can’t sleep. 

• If you can’t stop sleeping. 

• If you feel alone.

• If you don’t like yourself. 

• If you think dark thoughts that you feel aren’t normal. 

• If you feel you are a harm to yourself.

• If you feel you are a harm to others. 

• And so many more.

Maybe I should have saved us both some time and just made this list.

Reasons to not go to a therapist: 

• None

No matter how much you might want to dismiss your feelings, they are valid. YOU are valid for feeling them. Therapy can help you, even if it’s just to validate your feelings. 

When I experienced my first miscarriage, I told myself “there’s people who have gone through this five times or lost babies who were already born”. I tried to invalidate my own grief because I felt like I hadn’t suffered enough to go to a therapist. How f*cked is that logic? 

The second time I had a miscarriage, I finally decided it was time to go to a therapist. I STILL said to myself, “people have it so much worse than you. She’s going to think you’re wasting her time.” 

Sometimes the most impactful sessions with her were when she looked at me after I described a particularly painful memory and how I was feeling, and she looked at me and said, “that is devastating”. It was exactly what I needed: someone to tell me that this irrepressible sadness I was feeling made sense. That I was valid for feeling the way I was. 

Therapy looks different for everyone, but sometimes just knowing you aren’t going through something alone can be a huge relief. 

Your feelings matter. 🤍