“And how does that make you feel?”
It’s the classic question that movies and television shows love to use when portraying a session between a therapist and a patient. It’s a stereotypical way to poke fun at the struggle that millions of people face with mental health.
Most of us are familiar with the 2003 version of “Freaky Friday,” a harmless film about the relationship between a mother and daughter.
In that movie, there’s the much-loved scene of the daughter stuck in her mother’s body attempting to do the mother’s job as a therapist for a day. Patient after patient comes in talking about their problems.
They essentially are presented as nutcases. Dramatic and unstable, these characters vent about frivolous dilemmas.
“Ha, ha,” you think. “That dude with the glasses is totally bonkers!” You chuckle to yourself, take another bite of your popcorn and get on with your life without any qualms.
Hilarious, right?
I love a good comfort movie as much as the next gal. Lindsay Lohan gets the guy, the mother and rebellious daughter become friends. Ah, how cathartic!
There are just a few issues with it: Movies aren’t real, therapy is absolutely nothing like that and life can get pretty damn complicated.
Mental illnesses affect real people with real problems. The individuals who devote their careers to helping these real people are also real people with real problems. And you, reading this, are a real person with real problems.
I’ve been to therapy, folks. I can tell you that it didn’t involve me lying down on a couch with my limbs sprawled out while a person with a notepad and glasses asked me how I felt about that.
Therapy isn’t for nutcases. Admitting you’re having an issue doesn’t make you weak, and denying yourself help can only make matters worse.
I think too many people brush off the idea of mental health counseling, and it might have a lot do to with how it’s portrayed in pop culture. Some people even find it embarrassing to admit they see a therapist.
No matter how trivial you think your problems are, it doesn’t mean your struggle is insignificant.
Too many people try to deal with their problems on their own. Many turn to drugs, alcohol or self-destructive practices to cope. Sure, you might have things under control, but I think many people fail to recognize that therapy might be one of the healthiest forms of self-help.
Seeing a psychiatrist doesn’t have to mean your life is out of control. Hitting “rock bottom,” whatever that may be, shouldn’t be a prerequisite for seeking therapy.
If you’re a full-time student at the University, you have free access to the Student Health Center’s mental health services, which is an incredibly valuable resource.
You might walk past the building on a regular basis but never seriously consider going inside. You might be having a really bad day but expect things to be better in the morning. You deny that you’re having a serious issue, so you never seek help because therapy isn’t for people like you — it’s for people like that one guy in “Freaky Friday.”
That’s just not true. Experiencing depression, anxiety or excessive stress doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It just means you’re human.
Seeking therapy also doesn’t have to mean you’re struggling with a lifelong chemical imbalance. Maybe you’re just going through a rough patch — that’s fine. Life happens, and there’s nothing wrong with talking to someone about it.
Life can be stressful, and when too many things build up, it can lead to more serious issues. A bunch of tiny little problems eventually can become something much more problematic.
If something is getting in the way of your success and happiness, it’s not insignificant. You’ll never know if counseling is right for you if you don’t even try.
Shirin Chowdhury is a 20-year-old English junior from Manhattan, Kansas. You can contact her on Twitter @TDR_schowd.