Mental health is a topic that has gained increasing attention in recent years. The positive impact of therapy on our well-being is significant, while its absence can severely affect our lives.
Unfortunately, many people in our region still view mental health as a taboo subject and feel ashamed to seek help. I hope that by sharing my experience, I can encourage you to consider therapy or at least understand that seeking help is not something to be ashamed of.
For years, I wanted to see a psychotherapist. Since the age of five, I had carried the trauma of being labeled a refugee, faced poverty, and endured bullying and belittlement. I tried to help myself by reading psychology books and learning what I could. However, the trigger that finally led me to therapy was the most devastating event imaginable: the death of my beloved brother.
One Monday at 4 a.m., my life turned into a nightmare when I received the news of his unexpected passing. My world fell apart. I had to be the one to tell my parents, which was heart-wrenching. The grief brought on terrible panic attacks and anxiety. I felt lost and withdrew from my life, not knowing who I was anymore. I watched the videos he had sent me repeatedly, just to hear his voice. For six months, I woke up at 4 a.m. in fear, and every time the phone rang, I feared more bad news.
The fear, panic, and grief were overwhelming. To cope, I started writing this blog to process my emotions. But soon I realized that venting alone wasn’t enough—I needed professional help. I was nervous about starting therapy, worried about being judged or seen as weak. However, the therapist I chose was incredibly supportive. They explained that my feelings were normal signs of grief and encouraged me to be kinder to myself.
I cried through the first session, and it wasn’t the last time. I continued therapy for about seven or eight months, and to this day, I still seek help whenever I face difficult emotional challenges. Over time, I built a new, stronger, braver, and more open-minded version of myself. Although I thought it was impossible, I became even more empathetic.
Therapy taught me to practice the techniques I learned, read extensively, and allow my wounds to turn into scars. Despite the lingering void, it serves as a reminder of how much I am loved and how strong I am. My experiences have motivated me to move forward rather than spiral downward. How everything that happened to you should be a motivation to move forward instead of an excuse to spiral downward. For that very reason, if you don’t know how to help yourself, as I didn’t, seek help…and at that moment, you will do yourself the greatest favor. The favor of life.
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Terapija i mentalno zdravlje
Tema mentalnog zdravlja je nesto sto se u danasnje vreme konstanto spominje.
Uticaj terapije na nase zdravlje i obrnuto, odustvo iste izuzetno moze da pogorsa nas zivot.
Smatram da nazalost, dosta ljudi na nasim prostorima i dalje smatraju to tabu temom i sramote se da kazu da im je potrebna pomoc. Odlucila sam da podelim sa vama moje iskustvo u nadi da ce vas podstaci da krenete i vi ili bar shvatite kako to nije bauk.
Zapravo sam ja godinama htela da odem kod psihoterapeuta, jer pored toga sto imam tu traumu da nosim “nalepnicu” izbeglice od 5.godine zivota, nemastine i maltretiranja i omalozavanja..uvek sam se trudila da sama sebi pomognem, citam puno knjige iz psihologije i zaista sam mnogo toga naucila i shvatila sama. Medjutim, moj okidac za odlazak kod terapeuta je bilo ono najgore. Smrt clana porodice. Mog voljenog brata.
Desilo se apsolutno iznenada, jednog ponedeljka u 4h ujutru kada krece pakao mog zivota. Ceo svet mi se rusi. A ja sam ta koja je morala reci svojim roditeljima najtuzniju vest na svetu. Koja ne znam kako je ostala na nogama od tuge. Koja je dobila uzasne napade panike i anksioznosti posle toga. Morala sam da se povucem iz svog zivota jer sam bila izgubljena. Nisam znala ko sam vise. Nisam vise bila hrabra. Stalno sam gledala njegove videe sto mi je slao da mu ne zaboravim glas, budila se tacno u 4h ujutru pola godine u strahu i svaki put kada telefon pozvoni mislila najgore se opet desilo.
Taj strah, panika i tuga je nesto sto vam oduzima dah. Sece vas na paramparcad. Tada sam krenula da pisem sama za sebe ovaj blog da bih prezivela svoje emocije.
Nakon takvog “praznjenja” shvatila sam da to nije dovoljno i da mi treba pomoc strucnog lica. Htela sam pomoc. I verujte mi imala sam uzaasnu tremu. Da li ce ta osoba misliti ko zna sta o meni, da sam slaba jer dolazim zbog ovoga, osuditi me i sve neke silne predrasude koje svi imamo.
A osoba koju sam izabrala da mi bude terapeut je tako bila lagana, objasnila mi je toliko toga, zasto se osecam bas tako , da su sve to normalni znaci tuge, da se ne krivim i da se potrudim da budem blaza prema sebi i da mi ide odlicno. Naravno da sam prvu seansu preplakala. I nije bilo poslednji put svakako.
Mislim da sam sigurno isla 7,8 meseci i dan danas odem i popricam kada god se nalazim u nekom emotivnom rascepu. Ali sam shvatila da sam izgradila novu sebe, snazniju, sigurno hrabriju, otvorenijeg uma i iako sam mislila da je nemoguce-jos empaticniju. Jer morate shvatiti da vi sami morate da radite sve tehnike koje su vam date, dosta da citate i pomognete nekim ranama da postanu oziljak i da zaista ta praznina ostane praznina jer bas tako treba da bude. Tu je da vas podseti koliko ste voljeni i koliko ste jaki. Koliko sve sto vam se desilo treba da vam bude motivacija za napredak umesto izgovor da idete u sunovrat. I bas iz tog razloga, ako ne znate kako sebi da pomognete, kao sto ja nisam znala, potrazite pomoc. I bas tada cete uciniti sebi najvecu uslugu. Uslugu zivota.
Tanja's diary 🧚🏻‍♂️ 