I’ve
been realizing over the past few months in particular that the concept of “help”
is different for everyone. At some point in everyone’s lives, we are all going
to need help. The thing is, not everyone will actually get the help they need;
some people will not have the capacity to look inside themselves and say “I am
not okay.” I get it – inner reflection is terrifying. You could find out some
pretty scary things about yourself, but when you reach for the outermost
corners of your being, you could also find tools you never knew you had. In
short, it takes a lot of strength and bravery to look inside yourself. It takes
even more to realize when you are not okay and get help. At three crucial
points in my life, I got help in the form of counselling.
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When
I was in elementary school, I was bullied by exclusion. I remember the last
time I was ever invited to hang out with someone was at the beginning of grade
6, and it was because the girl was new and didn’t know that I was not someone
to be friend with. It was lonely, and I was miserable. I would come home and
cry every day. I wanted to kill myself. My mom got me connected with a local
family counselling place that became a vital tool in my recovery. I learned how
to talk things out and be assertive at school. It helped me cope with that
difficult period.
In
high school, I returned to the same counselling place but for a different
reason. In grade 11, a teacher came up to me and said “You got a B on this last
test. That’s fine, but you’re an A student. Is something wrong?” I disregarded
it. As the year continued, I find myself growing irritable and disconnected
with my friends and taking that out on my family. The same teacher approached
me with the same issue. It was then that I realized I had lost my energy and
drive and decided to go back to counselling. This time around, I learned how to
take a step back from issues and deal with my emotions in a constructive way
rather than letting them eat me up from the inside out.
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The
third time I was in counselling was last school year. An issue with a family
member prompted me to think about who I was living my life for. I don’t want to
get into this issue specifically, but the original issue was diffused. I
learned how to take a step back and collect myself before exploding. After I
reached that point, I continued with counselling because talking everyone out
was giving me a fresh view on my life. I stayed in counselling for six months,
and I got so much out of the final sessions. I learned about who I am as a
person, just how valuable I am as a person, and what I deserve as a person.
As
you can see, counselling has been a big part of my life in all stages. It has
been so beneficial to me that I suggest to anyone going through a difficult
time. Overall, getting the help I needed led to becoming the person I am today.
Over various points in my lifetime, counselling has given me clarity,
direction, and purpose. I would say that inner reflection that has been
constant in my life has allowed me to become a well-rounded person. This is my
struggle with mental health. This is how I overcame the small problems and the
big ones. This is what I tell people when they come to me for me. This is part
of who I am. This is my story.
-Daniella
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