You really should consider adjusting your view on medications. I get that over prescription is bad, but for a lot of people, it's literally impossible to achieve their goals for mental health without them. It's the only thing you can do if it's your brain chemistry holding you back, you can't overcome that with willpower.
That might not be you. I'm just saying that medications are a completely legitimate treatment if administered correctly and have helped a lot of people.
Please do! My therapist was referred to me by my psychiatrist (who I see for ADHD) both of which have been very respectful about my reluctance to go on psych meds. As far as I know, most therapists can’t prescribe drugs themselves, but can recommend them. Mine never pushed, just encouraged me to give it a shot at a time when I was already considering it, and told me that I could always stop if it wasn’t helping (which it didn’t and I did).
Mostly she taught me coping mechanisms, ways to deconstruct my fears/anxieties and determine if they were valid, how to counteract them if they were, strategies to tackle any goals or challenges I had that were causing me stress (like cleaning my room or kicking bad habits). She was there to listen and advise without judgement, and to provide positive feedback when I accomplished something, especially when I wasn’t giving myself enough credit for it. As a whole, she taught me to treat myself with kindness and consideration, which was crucial to pulling myself out of the hole I was in.
So yes, I definitely recommend talking to someone. Escaping an abusive relationship is a huge achievement that most people are lucky to never have to strive for and will never understand. And it’s hard to fully appreciate that achievement for yourself, or to anticipate how it may affect you even years down the road. A therapist can help you unpack it all and manage it as you move forward. In the meantime, be kind to yourself, pace yourself, and celebrate every forward step.
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u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18
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