I started therapy when I was 18 because I was suffering from really bad anxiety.

Tell us about your mental health journey

I started therapy when I was 18 because I was suffering from really bad anxiety. I also just got out of a really unhealthy relationship that left me feeling insecure, unworthy, and unlovable. I was struggling with my mental health in a way that I felt I wasn't able to cope with anymore, and was hoping that therapy would be able to help me. My first therapy session was a little awkward and scary, but as I started going more, I began to realize how helpful of a tool it was in managing my mental health. Fast forward to almost 7 years later, and I still go to therapy bi-weekly.

What did you learn in therapy and how did it help you?

I think one of the most incredible breakthrough moments in therapy was when I learned about the concept of the "inner-child", and how mine was wounded and in need of healing. I had faced childhood trauma that I wasn't even aware of. I didn't recognize how certain moments in my childhood still impacted me in adulthood. My therapist at the time went through an activity with me where I had to imagine my younger self walking into the room and sitting across from me. She asked me what i would say to that child, and how I would react if that child told me how she was feeling. It really hit me in that moment that I was holding a lot of unresolved feelings about my childhood. It was definitely an "ah ha" moment.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about therapy?

That it's not just for when you're really struggling. Anyone could go to therapy. And if you can afford it, you should go. There's nothing to be ashamed of.