For the past three weeks, I have explored blogging about my personal life and struggles I face. In that effort, the positivity garnered by such honesty has been overwhelming. I want to say this here first: I am so insanely grateful and lucky to have such supportive friends, family, and readers in my life. Thank you all so much.

Let me begin this week by saying that I have enjoyed sharing my stories with the world. Two years ago, I was a nervous, jittery 15-year-old who cried herself to sleep. Today, however, I have overcome many difficulties life has given me. While this journey has been filled with hardship, it has been worth it. But now you’re probably wondering, how have I done it? How have I reached the place where I am now?

Therapy.

As I type this I cannot believe myself. For a long time, I have been terrified to tell anyone that I get help to cope. I saw it as a weakness, as a result of me not being competent. However, as I have learned, therapy is completely normal and is extremely healthy for growing teenagers. Also, a person in one of my classes recently shared her story and I have been inspired to share a bit of mine.

I began going to therapy in July of 2014. I had just finished my freshman year of high school and I entered that summer in a really bad place. I won’t go into details about why I was in such a bad place because they’re irrelevant, but I was deeply struggling.

My mom had tried to get me to see a therapist for many years, but, plagued by stigma, I vehemently shut her down whenever she brought it up. One day, my friend told me she saw a therapist. In fact, she even saw that I was struggling and asked me to accompany her on a visit. I cannot thank her enough for opening that door for me because I honestly don’t know if I would be alive today without her.

Anyways, I went to my doctor (who is a GREAT resource if anyone reading this is curious about how to contact a therapist) and began therapy. In the beginning, I was shy. I was in denial. A couple of times, I almost quit. It was not going well. However, after about six months, I actually opened up. I committed to therapy. I will never forget the feeling of when I accepted help. Instead of pretending I was happy, I made a conscious decision to seek happiness by admitting my faults.

Throughout the two years I have been seeing my therapist, I have learned many things. I have assessed my core values, I have acknowledged and worked through my perfectionism, I have learned how to cope when I am having an anxiety attack or cannot sleep, and, most importantly, I have actually moved on from my past.

As someone who is blessed and burdened by a great memory, I remember every hurtful word that has been said to me. My mom always says that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that has made me incredibly vulnerable to the high school battleground of teenage angst. As a result, I realized that I was being my biggest enemy.

I struggled with trying new things, coping with changes of plans and being on time, along with other things. The result of all these anxieties, I have come to realize, has been my intense connection to my past and an association with negative memories. Through therapy (in a process I would prefer to keep personal), I was able to work through these issues and more. I am now able to confront new activities without collapsing into a puddle of nerves and tears.

I don’t say this all to get pity or sympathy. The past is the past and yeah, it sucked, but it’s now over. I say this to raise awareness about a process that has an unnecessary stigma.

We live in a world where mental illness is stigmatized to the point where people either (a) don’t get help or (b) let it define them. For me, I went through both of these stages. Yet, I have learned through the past two years that I am more than my anxiety and I am strong enough to get help.

To my peers, if you’re struggling, please get help. Life is hard. Shit happens. My therapist always tells me that anyone with a brain has anxiety. I think she’s right. So please, know that getting help through therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. There’s no struggle too big or too small. If your goal is to be happy and confident in life, I guarantee therapy can help you.

To parents, if you child is struggling, offer support while not being overbearing. While maturity and the future may lead a child to admit, “you were right” after getting therapy, do not push it. I know that for the many years that I refused help, my mom’s heart was constantly breaking. She only wanted me to be happy and knew that therapy would help (and trust me, mom, if I could tell Little Lexi to get help, I would). But remember, therapy is something that is consensual. It took me six months to consent to it. Afterwards, I am glad I did it, but it is extremely personal for the person getting help. I know you want to help your child, but if you force someone into therapy, they will resist and continue living without its benefits.

I think my mom was wonderful about getting me into therapy. She reminded me that it was an option, but let me come to it on my own. That way, I was mentally and emotionally ready to achieve the best possible results.

To therapists everywhere, thank you. You don’t get enough credit for what you do. I cannot imagine sitting in a chair and listening to people’s struggles all day. What you do is a noble profession and words cannot express the gratitude and respect for what you do.

To everyone, please remember that this is an extremely personal story for me. I feel that being vulnerable is the best way to share stories and I am dedicated to this through my blog. I will begin sharing bits and pieces of what the wisdom I have gained from therapy in the coming weeks along with more of my personal story. Stay tuned each week to hear more about my story.

I greatly appreciate you for making it all the way to the end. Therapy is an incredibly intimate and personal experience, but I have reached a point where I am confident in it. I am confident that it has helped and will continue to help me. I am so grateful I got the courage to begin going and if anyone reading this thinks therapy might be an option for them: give it a chance. Try it. I guarantee it will change your life.