I'm thankful for growth and maturity. 

Let's just start there.

“I shouldn’t be into him, but I totally am. Shouldn’t I be looking for someone who makes more money?”

“That corner office.  I want it. I feel bad for letting my ambition consume me, but I want my name on that door more than I want anything else.”

“Everyone I know is settling down.  I guess I should start looking for someone stable to build a life with but I’m enjoying just dating and pursuing my career.”

“My gut instinct is telling me I can work less at my day job + transition to my passion project. But my family keeps telling me not to quit yet.”

Greetings, Pinkies! In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week and today -- National Depression Screening Awareness Day -- we want to share some insight, bust some myths, and get real about how depression affects us and our loved ones. Jennifer's story about finding the right therapist will no doubt resonate with many of us who have searched, or thought about searching, for that special someone -- ok, the other special someone: the therapist with whom you feel most comfortable and heard. Enjoy -- and many thanks to Jennifer for digging deep and sharing your journey!

When I was in high school, I wanted to see a therapist; I was experiencing massive anxiety about school and relationships and it was affecting my sleep and my eating habits. There were periods when my hands would shake so much it was hard to hold a pencil or fork. But, I knew it was useless to ask my parents about it. They made their thoughts on therapy very clear. The idea of telling a stranger all your secrets went against everything they believed in. According to them, if people know things about you, no matter how mundane, they’ll use this knowledge against you. They’ll judge you. They’ll tell everyone else, and your life will be ruined. You’ll never get into college or get a job or a loan for a car. And, if other people were to know you were going to a therapist, they’d assume the worst, and there would be even more people ruining your life.