“This I Believe” Updated Script

Lonesomeness. Overthinking. Anxiety. Sadness. Things everyone in the world experiences, but that most do not realize they share. Just last week I found myself distraught and overwhelmed, thinking that my mind was much too complex for anyone to understand. With racing thoughts like “I will never be normal,” “Am I crazy?”  “What is wrong with me?” Sometimes even reaching the question of “Am I worth it?” I felt like I was experiencing an overload of my senses, the floor falling out from under me at times, and eventually total physical exhaustion. After I had come down from this whirlwind of self doubt, I realized that I don’t think I am alone in this struggle, I can’t be. But how could that be changed? How can everyone feel less alone? And, in a perfect world, could this be changed worldwide?

Flash forward a few days after my breakdown, I’m out to dinner with my family, shockingly having some deep, thought provoking discussions that don’t usually fit the loud and rowdy dinner scene of a restaurant. At the moment, my younger sister is reflecting on her experience with a therapist at the age of just nine. In fact, she’s not the only sibling of mine to have seen a therapist, my older sister has as well, though at the much older age of eighteen. My sisters had each seen a therapist for a different reason but equally had very good outcomes upon their mental health. As for myself, I often wonder whether that would be a good option for me. Better yet another idea pops into my mind while at dinner: would a therapist be a good option for everyone, regardless of their mental health standing? What I mean is, what if we were given a therapist at birth who grew with us and had the knowledge of our entire history to best diagnose, treat, and provide suggestions for our issues and situations?

Just think, how much good could come from each and every person having this opportunity. Self esteem levels would rise with the wide knowledge and reassurance that you are not alone, and someone saying, “Here is exactly how you can feel better.” On a similar note, personal harm and suicide rates would surely go down, just on the mere fact of knowing you have a support system and knowing that its okay to feel lost or without a purpose at times. Society itself would be a much more supportive and positive environment to grow up in as the stigma surrounding mental health would surely diminish to almost none, especially the negativity and judgement one currently feels when they go to a therapist. Society has made us believe that you should get help, but also that something is wrong with you for having to reach out in the first place. Such a double-standard even just existing is immensely frustrating to me, and plenty of others I am sure. So why not change it? Everyone should be given a therapist at birth, this I believe would help make our minds, society, and the world overall a better place.