The other day I was sitting in the salon chair recapping some current events from my world with my friend and hair stylist when I realized that I had just referenced my therapist and my psychiatrist within a few short breaths of each other. When realizing that, I stopped and jokingly said “Damn, don’t I sound like a mess? It takes a team to keep my head right!” To which she replied “Nope! Sounds smart to me. It’s your job to keep a whole list full of people’s heads and business’s right, only makes sense that you have your own team for yours.”
That comment has been ringing in my head ever since. First off, she was right. And she knows me pretty damn well. We’ve been friends since high school but over the past 4 years she’s been the brains behind this mermaid hair which means she gets the joy of spending 4+ hours with me every few months to install a new set of extensions… so it’s safe to say, she knows all of the things. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone more understanding or less judgmental in my life and I’m super grateful for that relationship.
Back to my point, I have assembled quite the team of professionals to keep me sane and functioning at a high capacity. Sure, I’m the one spending the money, dedicating the time, and doing the work, but they are there to help me navigate everything in the healthiest way possible.
To be clear, I have a Psychiatrist I see a few times a month, a therapist I meet with weekly, an Intuitive Coach I see monthly, a massage therapist that is also an energy healer I see weekly, a business mentor on call, a long time biz bff that I speak to weekly, and a Mom who is the realist MVP in all the world for being my forever friend to talk through all of the things, always, anytime, anywhere. There are a handful of other amazing specialists that I keep on speed dial for my health, wellness, and overall stress management as well.
I bet you’re wondering why I’m telling you this? Or maybe you think I’m crazy 🤷♀️😂 I’m good with it either way but keep reading…
There should be zero shame in it. There should be zero shame in having a team of people to help you manage things, personal things. Most of the people on that list help more with my mental health than anything else. Emotions, stress, anxiety, depression, physical pains are all things that I seek my support system to help me with and I am not ashamed to admit that.
Although, there was a time that I was. There was a time that I didn’t feel my feelings. There was a time I’d never ask for help. And there was a time when I didn’t really understand the way I was feeling or operating and I can 100% say that allowing other people in to help me go deeper than I could get to on my own was a major key to all of that. I had gotten myself through a ton of shit, healed a lot of deep triggers and traumas before I ever went to a professional for help. I can’t say that I would do it any differently if I could go back, but I will say that asking for help is more courageous than I ever realized.
And that’s just the surface of it. Once you ask for help you have to keep choosing every day to show up, to look your patterns, feelings, choices, thoughts, reflections, actions, etc in the face takes even more courage than most people ever realize they have. It’s easier to hide. It’s easier to sit in a chair at the doctors office and stay closed up and act like you’re fine. To repeat patterns, hide your head in project after project, and try to ignore it all but the price that comes along with that is something none of us should be willing to pay. I know it’s not a way I choose to live.
I told myself a long time ago that I would choose freedom above all else. The funny thing is, I didn’t realize at that time that true freedom comes from making the internal work a number one priority.
Plus, I have dedicated my life to helping people uncover and deal with their own shit. It’s only right that I continue that journey for myself too. As long as I keep growing and expanding, I can keep helping my clients more and more. I truly believe that’s a reason so many of my clients stay with me for years and years. Because I never stop growing. So as they are growing, so am I which allows me to keep being in a position to help them continue to expand as well. It’s a beautiful exchange.
Okay, so the main point of this was to shine a big fat light on the fact that there is no shame in asking for help. It’s actually the smartest thing you can do.