How Therapy Has Made Me a Better Mom

Let's face it...life can be difficult! When challenges arise, I find it helpful to stay positive and keep moving ahead. But I often find myself in the same kind of predicament over and over again. I find myself wondering, "Why do I keep getting myself in the same situation?" This is when I have found therapy extremely helpful.

While its good to 'be in the moment', it's also necessary to look back at your past and take care of unresolved business. It is helpful to hink about why you started making the bahavior patterns that have formed in your life.

There is such a negative stigma attached to therapy. For some reason, people see it as "living in the past" or dwelling on things that have already happened." I have found the opposite to be true. I often find myself dwelling on frustrations that are out of my control. Therapy allows me a safe and comfortable place to let out these frustrations and see them in a new light. I always leave the office with a fresh outlook and a new perspective.

These sessions can be very refreshing, however, sometimes I have had to take a hard look at my past (including my childhood). I found it very hard to look at some of these issues from my past, but it's definetly allowed me to grow and be a better person as a result. Because of these "breakthroughs" in therapy, I have had some difficult conversations with people close to me expressing my feelings about the past. It was very difficult to have these conversations but it has allowed me to let go of some of these feelings that I didn't even realize I was holding onto. I have now formed stronoger relationships with these people. I have put a lot of sweat and tears into these sessions but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

So, how has it made me a better mom? Well, I vent most of my frustrations out in a safe place each week which allows me to let go and be more fun and more present for my daughter and husband. Also, I have learned to set healthy boundaries in therapy which results in a happy, more productive environment for my daughter.

To me, therapy is something that I will need occassionally throughout my life when life presents it's challenges. I will probably spend just as much time and money on therapy as I do at the doctor's office because I want to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit. For me, if I don't utilize the tools I need to handle life's challenges, then I am not living life to the fullest!