(no subject)
Today is the day my new insurance kicks in! Yaaaay! And I am already on the ball... I have been looking into seeing a therapist. I've wanted to for years, but never followed up on the idea. Between yesterday and today, I've done research on doctors and how my insurance covers things. It'll be pricey at first, but once I hit my deductible (which is actually quite small), it'll be pretty affordable.
I have a doctor picked out--at least, to try first. If we don't click, I'll try someone else, but he looks promising. He specializes in anxiety & depression and utilizes CBT, which I've been curious about (I imagine that's common these days, but still). He's in-network, close to home, and makes a thing of seeing LGBT clients (among others), so I get the impression he's more open/progressive/what-have-you, which may make me feel more comfortable talking to him.
I emailed him laying out the basics of my situation, and he replied that my thoughts about entering therapy are right on target. :) I plan to make an appointment once I verify that my insurance is kosher with it... everything points to yes, but I'm hesitant--I've heard of people getting burned by their insurance where mental health stuff is concerned (I'm mega open to advice on that front, it freaks me out so much).
I'm still on my meds, and my meds are awesome. But I don't want to lean on them 100% to fix me--and I haven't been; I've been trying to make strides on my own with changing the way I think. The meds work wonders to raise my threshold for stress, but I absolutely still feel anxious, and suspect I always will. But life is so much better when my brain waits for bigger problems before I break down.
I'm curious to see how a two-pronged approach of meds + therapy will affect me. Brian is lovely and very skilled at reading me and empathizing with me. But he also agrees that an outside, impartial party, someone without a personal stake in my life, would be really good to talk to.
I plan on being really open about this stuff, like I was when I first went on meds. I know this is stuff that people tend to want to hide, out of feeling broken or crazy or whatever. But so many people have mental health problems, and if me being candid about my struggles helps lend to a world where people aren't shy about getting help, that's fantastic. Plus, oh my GOD is it freeing to get help, to feel improvement... I want to share that joy. :)
I have a doctor picked out--at least, to try first. If we don't click, I'll try someone else, but he looks promising. He specializes in anxiety & depression and utilizes CBT, which I've been curious about (I imagine that's common these days, but still). He's in-network, close to home, and makes a thing of seeing LGBT clients (among others), so I get the impression he's more open/progressive/what-have-you, which may make me feel more comfortable talking to him.
I emailed him laying out the basics of my situation, and he replied that my thoughts about entering therapy are right on target. :) I plan to make an appointment once I verify that my insurance is kosher with it... everything points to yes, but I'm hesitant--I've heard of people getting burned by their insurance where mental health stuff is concerned (I'm mega open to advice on that front, it freaks me out so much).
I'm still on my meds, and my meds are awesome. But I don't want to lean on them 100% to fix me--and I haven't been; I've been trying to make strides on my own with changing the way I think. The meds work wonders to raise my threshold for stress, but I absolutely still feel anxious, and suspect I always will. But life is so much better when my brain waits for bigger problems before I break down.
I'm curious to see how a two-pronged approach of meds + therapy will affect me. Brian is lovely and very skilled at reading me and empathizing with me. But he also agrees that an outside, impartial party, someone without a personal stake in my life, would be really good to talk to.
I plan on being really open about this stuff, like I was when I first went on meds. I know this is stuff that people tend to want to hide, out of feeling broken or crazy or whatever. But so many people have mental health problems, and if me being candid about my struggles helps lend to a world where people aren't shy about getting help, that's fantastic. Plus, oh my GOD is it freeing to get help, to feel improvement... I want to share that joy. :)