"To my life saving therapist, thank you"

Dealing with PTSD for over 20yrs now and then since covid started in 2019 my OCD, anxiety + depression spiralled out of control.

I was in a very dark place, always worried, crying, panic attacks + feeling  suicidal almost everyday.

Going to therapy I thought was going to be a waste of time, how could talking help me? My therapist was amazing, she was patient, understanding + didn't judge me.

My therapist helped me work through all my worries one at a time, she helped me to understand what + why I was thinking the things I was. I was helped to face my fears (and there was a lot of them), take one day at a time + to do things on my own time. After a few sessions I started feeling more relaxing going to therapy + I opened up more.

I learnt that my thoughts don't rule me, that not every item that I touched was going to endanger my life, not everyone I came in contact with was going to make me sick.

After more sessions my family all noticed how much more relaxed I am + that now I don't let anything stop me from doing the things I love. They can see that I'm more content + confident in myself.

It has been a long and very hard battle I had to fight, the toughest of my life so far. I still have bad days in which  I get nervous, upset, my OCD might flare up a bit but I now have the knowledge to know when I'm having these bad moments + how to deal with them. Some days its easy, others days it takes me a little bit longer to get myself to settle but I now know that I can do it both on my own + with the help of my family.

My advice to anyone starting their journey in any type of therapy is to be open minded, you don't get better after one session so give it time. Be open and honest with your therapist and that way they can help you better. If your having a bad day just be honest and tell them. You have done the hard part already and that was asking for help.

I have come to the end of my therapy now + compared to a 3yrs ago I feel like a new person. Yes, I still have my bad moments and I know I still have a few little demons to beat and I will beat them even if it takes me another few years, nothing is going to stop me from living my life or stop me from being happy ever again.

To my life saving therapist, I cannot + never will be able to thank you enough for giving me my life back, for being by my side each step of the way and for having faith in me that I could be happy to be alive again. Thank you.