Therapy Builds Self-Awareness and Relationships

When I was diagnosed with my mental health condition over 11 years ago I did not understand what to expect.  It is better to maintain healthy relationships, in order, to maneuver life's difficult courses to reach one's destination, potential, and dreams.

Strengthening relationships is important. Therefore, maintaining communication and needs in the relationship with your partner is vital. However, an individual must understand, and know themselves first. Peers should identify triggers, coping skills, and needs, in order, to keep well-balanced relationships. A trigger is an event that creates negative attitude, actions, and consequences. Coping skills are activities, which helps individuals manage symptoms, and situations, such coping skills include: exercising, creative expressions through journal, drawing, painting, music, etc. Over time in recovery, I realized how awareness of my condition helps me maintain a healthier relationship with my partner.

As a partner, advocate, and spiritual person, I realize knowing oneself is important in all aspects of life, especially to maintain a healthier relationship with my partner. In short, experience teaches me how lack of familiarity with the signs, symptoms, and coping skills within myself may lead to unnecessary concerns within the relationships I value the most. If I am not familiar with my diagnosis, and its concerns I may unknowingly present as irritable, moody, and difficult when triggered by stressful situations. One-on-one therapy helps me become more aware of my condition, needs, and demands, in order, to gain experience managing personal relationships, and life.

Participating in therapy teaches strategies to learn, cope with triggers, and to manage my relationship with self and partner better. I'll share three tips to utilize, in order, to get the most from therapy sessions, which may help peers and others prosper in self-awareness, and relationships.

First, my therapist elaborated on information, which I did not understand after speaking with my doctor. In the past I hesitated, and struggled to accept new medication out of fear of the effect it would have on me. I appreciate my therapist who helped me anticipate potential side effects related to my new anti-depressants. I wanted wellness, and was willing to accept traditional treatment or medication, but not the unknown. In order words, I delayed treatment, because I did not know what side effects to expect from my new medication. I shared fears of new treatment with my therapist who calmed me by sharing awareness on common side effects of anti-depressants. Afterwards, I accepted my new medication.

Second, keeping a journal can help peers, like me, and the therapist identify patterns. Writing is a significant coping skill for me. Writing helps me articulate ideas, record events, and offers self-awareness. Once, a therapist suggested I share my journal entries in our session for more insight. This was a great strategy, because it further helped me express myself as I freely do in my journal. Moreover, writing clears my mind. In fact, I have many journals, such as a journal for reading books, daily agendas, and self-reflections; thus, my therapist recommended I start another journal for my therapy, a “mood journal.”

Third, my therapist helped me develop ways to manage my diagnosis, and relationships by reflecting on patterns. After discussing mood swings, and its impact on past intimate relationships my therapist recommended I maintain a mood journal. The mood journal helps us learn more about my triggers and its impact on my mood. As in the doctor's office physicians may ask one's level of pain based on a scale of 1 to 10. Number one generally means no pain, and number 10 means an individual feels a lot of pain. Instead of using a numbered scale, I chose a color coded scale based on my child's color coded behavior system in elementary school. 

Accordingly, “pink” signifies an excellent day, “purple” a great day, “blue” a good day, and “green” is ready to learn. The colors; yellow, orange, and red illustrate escalating poor behavior. Likewise, I started my mood journal and share it with my therapist. My mood journal is a great method into identifying patterns, triggers, and thus, self-awareness. My mood journal is a means to further develop self-awareness and to enhance relationships by being mindful of myself and my needs.

Finally, my experience in therapy helps me develop self-awareness, and relationships with others. Whenever I work on myself in therapy I generally see positive results in my satisfaction with relationships, especially with my partner. Therefore, I encourage peers to engage in therapy for wellness, relationship with partner, and with self.