There are many things, positive and negative, to come out of this experience. But the by far best thing is finding how impactful doing the work through therapy can be.
Pre-surgery I would have considered myself anti-therapy. While I never thought of needing therapy as a sign of weakness, I did think a certain type of person would go to therapy and I wasn’t that type of person. I was of the mindset that problems could and should be handled yourself (wrong), either internalizing everything or seeking advice from my friends and family.
I started seeing a therapist shortly after my surgery, Spring 2019 with my surgery end of October 2018. Unfortunately, I had an acceptable to others reason to see a therapist. There’s such a stigma with mental health and unless you have a reason society deems acceptable, seeing a therapist is akin to being weak. But I cannot stress the importance and payoff of hours where you’re assessing yourself. To be forced basically to self-reflect is extremely beneficial. My almost three years of therapy has:
Taught me how to look at a situation from someone else’s point of view.
Be more in tune with what effects my mood, positive or negative, what triggers me and how better to practice self-care.
How to fight in a polite and constructive way.
I usually have a session with my therapist every few weeks. Sessions are an hour, but sometimes I end early as I don’t have enough to discuss to fill a whole hour. I’ve also cancelled a session because I feel things are going good. My therapist offers advice and asks good questions to further the topic, but she mostly just listens and is a compassionate ear.
Most days I’m in a pretty good mood, but some I get down and in a funk. When that happens I’m especially thankful I have someone in my corner as a resource.
