On Starting Therapy

"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have."
— Eckhart Tolle

You may not feel ready, but you are.

It's ok to be exhausted. It's ok to feel like your cup is empty. You are still ready.

It's ok to feel like you did this already and you simply do not want to explain your entire history of trauma to yet another therapist who is going to stoically nod their head and ask you "And how does that make you feel?", when what you need to hear is "That is awful. You did not deserve that".

It's ok to worry that your therapist is not going to understand your cultural context, or your gender identity, or your polycule, or your narcissistic parent, or your struggle with a body that feels like it's not even yours anymore.

Its ok to feel like you have nothing left to give to therapy because you are giving it all to your kids, or your spouse, or your aging parents, or your job that endlessly takes from you and seems to never give back.

It's ok if you look in the mirror and realize that you have absolutely no idea who that person is.

You can come as you are.

This is not a test. It's not a homework assignment, and it's not another thing in your life that you have to perform for. You don't need to put on makeup, make sure your shirt is pressed, or straighten your tie.

Show up in pajamas. Show up eating a sandwich. Show up distracted by the one thousand things on your plate today.

Just show up, exactly as you are, with whatever you are holding.

You don't need to be "ready to go to therapy", and you don't need to know what you are going to say when you arrive.

You can come as you are.

You are ready.