So, I have about 8 blog entries started right now and not one finished. I realized today that they were all related to one single thing: what I was put on this Earth to accomplish. NOW you’ll know what I’ve been up to… in the normal Meg long story kind of way. It’s the only way I know how. 🙂
I’ve always had a strong interest in the concepts behind psychological health. Mostly, I just think that human behavior is fascinating. Yes, it can be ugly, but it is fascinating none-the-less. I’m one of those creepy stalker people-watchers that sits in front of a big window at a coffee shop and watches people be the strange and amazing people that they are. The more ridiculous the person, the more I want to know about them. How’d they get that way? What life choices did they make and why? I am always asking these questions… sometimes I’m bold enough to even go up and ask. I’m NEVER disappointed.
There seems to be, from my general observations of people, two broad categories people can fall into psychologically: the over-analyzer and the under-analyzer.
On one side of the coin there is the person who can get trapped in their head, over-analyzing and reading into everything. Often, people with anxiety or depression suffer from this issue. Sometimes it’s just bad thought patterns and sometimes its brain malfunction. Personally, I tend to fall into this category more often than the other. Getting trapped in your head can be a scary thing! It’s great when you have someone who can help you get out of it.
On the other side there is the under-alayzer. Introspection does not come easy to many people… I was lucky to be raised in an environment where I was encouraged to identify bad attitudes and behaviors and seek to change them. Some people believe it’s a waste of time “look inside” or “dwell on things in the past”. Often, people don’t even know the questions to ask themselves to get deeper into why they do the things they do. However, the truth is, every single human being is shaped by people, events, and places they’ve been in their past and their reaction or perception of those things. Often it’s a small thing that happens that can become a mindset and a pattern of behavior that becomes difficult to be free from.
In fact, I’ve begrudgingly decided to share one of those events that had me stuck for a long time. It was a memory that I had forgotten until it came up during a time with a counselor.
Do you remember the first time you had your heart broken? That is something that unites us all. We’ve all had it!
It was summer time in my neighborhood on Hartman street. Summertime meant long bike rides, endless swimming, and some Mortal Combat days when the rain came. My skin was brown and my hair bleach blonde from the sun. Chlorine was my perfume. My best friend was Travis and we were inseparable. If I wasn’t at his house, he was at mine. The neighborhood kids would occasionally pick on us and sing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song but they couldn’t humiliate me. I didn’t care. I didn’t care because it was true and I wasn’t ashamed. All was right in the world.
That was, until Morgan moved onto our block.
At first I thought she was cool. Tall, pale, dark hair and dark eyes. Pretty much my exact opposite. There weren’t any other girls my age on the block so I was excited to have a girl to hang out with. Soon, she was part of the neighborhood crew and then one day, it all that excitement evaporated in an instant. I went to Travis’s house and walked up onto his porch right as I watched Travis give Morgan a big white flower. Shocked, I said, “Well, I want one.” And he replied that he only had that one. And there it was, my first heartbreak. Why didn’t I get a flower? Why am I not good enough?
Heartbreak at its core is disappointment. It makes us question ourselves and it comes in many forms. I can be an unfair situation, getting passed over for desired role or position, unrequited love, something not ending up how we’d planned, any of a number of things can can cause to ask that question: Why wasn’t I enough?
Those kind of things that happen to you as a kid really effect you. For me, this event shaped the way I felt that men saw me. I could write a whole blog on that but I’m not going to do that, haha.
Sometimes you need someone to get you out of your head. Sometimes you need someone to ask you the right questions to help you realize things about yourself. Sometimes you need someone from outside of your world to help give you a new perspective.
That’s why we have counselors/psychologist/psychiatrists. Everyone’s needs are different but everyone deserves to have access to the help they need when they need it. I truly believe that every single person needs to talk to someone from time to time and it’s sad to me that people don’t seek that out. However, I know that there are a myriad of reasons why they don’t.
We all know that the mental heath world is failing us. Between the fear of stigmas, over-pill-pushing psychiatrists, and the crazy high costs, it’s difficult to find the right person to help when we’re in need. It seems like there is SO much work involved in finding the right person that many people never get around to getting the help they need so they keep living a life that is less than what they deserve. They don’t know where to go and they are afraid of the cost, both financially and socially.
However, there are people out there doing some amazing work. I know some of them. They’re creating holistic programs that go beyond the traditional one-on-one method that is unaffordable and too scary for some. They are doing group programs, meditation, spiritual yoga, and so much more, often for free or for a very low price. They are giving medication in conjunction with great the amazing different therapies that are out there. There are counselors out there that do their work on a sliding scale so that people can afford them. These people know that having a healthy mind is so incredibly important to your quality of life. It is their mission to help.
I want you to be able to find these people. Because, they’re there and you just can’t find them easily sometimes. You can’t find them because your insurance company doesn’t have them listed even though they are probably less than your co-pay for the ones that are in your network. You can’t find them because they are too busy helping people and doing it on a low budget so that you can afford them.
And THIS is where I get to come in! I’ve creating a marketing agency that works with these people to get their message out there so that you can find them! These people are amazing writers but don’t know how to blog. They write books but don’t know how to sell them. They have great events and workshops but don’t know or have the tools they need to get people to find them. Well, guess what. I know how to do that! I’m helping these people build a brand out for what they are doing so that they can connect to the audience they want to help most. I get to make is easier for people to find the help they need and help counselors actualize their personal mission. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Websites, social media strategy, blogs, business cards, logos, etc.
I’m currently working with some local psychologists/counselors/etc and counseling centers… and I am growing WAY too quickly. I am overwhelmed and some days I feel like my brain is going to explode. I’m excited to say that I’m conducting interviews for my first available position! I’m so glad I took that recent trip… it helped me realize so much and the first thing I did when I got back was post an ad for a position…
However, I’ve been so busy building there people’s businesses that I haven’t had any time for my own! This is a bit of an issue to say the least… I still haven’t finalized a name for my company. Maybe I need to find a counselor to deal with some commitment issues…. 😉
Sometime this week or next, I’m going to be doing a poll for my business name which I have struggled with deciding on. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!! I will seriously give someone a prize if they come up with the name for my business. Hmmm… let me think on what that looks like.
My ultimate goal is still to finish school and open up a therapeutic Bed & Breakfast one day. I’m just laying the foundation for me to do that! I’ve got a plan and I’m making it happen.
I will leave you with this fine graphic I saw the other day. I’m so happy that I finally found a way to work with my favorite kind of people for a purpose I believe in. It makes this constant overwhelming feeling worth it and it makes is so much easier to wake up and start my day with a tired smile.
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