Disclosure: I share snippets of my stories to help anyone who can relate or knows someone who would benefit from reading them. These are stories that have molded me into who I am today and ask for respectful comments and positive vibes only. Thank you

One of the most popular questions I get from people who want to start therapy but don’t know how is, “What do I even talk about?”. This is also the same question I asked myself many times before I got comfortable with therapy being part of my regular practice. Although I had gone through therapy  as a child and then in my teenage years, it felt very different choosing therapy as an adult and being well aware of some of my traumas that were creeping up. In a way it felt new, a bit scary and even uncomfortable at first. 

When I had my first session as an adult, I wasn’t even sure what to say or how to  approach it. I remember asking my therapist, “how is this supposed to work?”, “what can I/cannot say?” and something along the lines of “would it be ok for me to just vent to you?”. After a few sessions it became a bit more normal and I actually look forward to having that dedicated space to talk about anything I want.  

Therapy is definitely something that needs to be molded to your individual & personal needs. There is no specific way you are required to approach it nor are there specific topics you need to discuss but I’d like to share a few that have helped me in the last few years. Hopefully these can spark some inspo if you need that little boost to get started or if you are already on therapy, maybe these can help your current sessions:

5 Things to talk about in Therapy

1. A specific trauma in your life
   1. Car accident 
   2. Toxic relationship 
   3. Financial instability 
2. Current stressors at work 
   1. Lack of work life balance 
   2. Toxic manager 
   3. Unstable environment
3. Current stressors in your life
   1. Your emotions 
   2. Family pressures 
   3. Relationship struggles 
4. How to manage anxiety
   1. Coping mechanisms 
   2. Why are you being triggered
   3. What does anxiety mean for you
5. ANYTHING 
   1. Your dreams
   2. Something you are proud of
   3. Your thoughts 

Closing Notes

These ideas I’m sharing are simply suggestions to help make therapy a bit easier to approach. We live in a world where mental health has become a huge topic but we have barely scraped the tip of the iceberg when it comes to having easy access to the support we need for our mental well being let alone the comfort of knowing how to use this resource when it is accessible. I know that with time and enough amplification, it’s only a matter of time before we can begin treating our mental health needs just like our “regular health”. I hope this blog post contributes to demystifying one small part of therapy even if it’s simply by providing some visibility into the topics I’ve personally used it for. 

Xoxo,

Becky

BE Healthy , BE Open , BE Curious , BE Willing 

Mental health is incredibly near and dear to my heart. I’ve openly shared about my near death experience from overdosing and my depression diagnosis when I was just a teenager. It still hits me hard when I look back at that version of myself but I choose to be vulnerable and share these experiences with others in order to shed the light we all need during the dark moments. There were so many people who supported me and uplifted me during such a dark time so it comes from such a genuine place when I choose to pay it forward. Healing requires doing the internal hard work that scares you before you begin to scare it away. This work starts with the desire to open up instead of bottling it up inside. It means choosing to cry when that’s what you need. It means investing in therapy or therapeutic outlets that will allow you to heal while having the right support system to reroute you if you go off track. Mental health is a topic I will keep talking about until it’s taken as seriously as our physical health. We have a long way to go but the more of us who choose to pave the way, the faster we will create the impact we need in this world.