How Therapy Changed My Life! Celebrities Share Their Experiences…

Mental Health Matters

A lot of people still find it extremely difficult to ask for help but especially when it concerns their mental health because they fear the negative stereotyping that accompanies it.

Recently, there has been more media coverage about mental health and a shift away from it being something to be ashamed of, or guilty about, to a feeling that stigmas should be broken, and that getting help is essential.

Experts believe that the more celebrities endorse the power of mental health support and help break down the stigma barriers, the more the average Joe Bloggs, like you and me, will seek help too.

Like Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the USA, states, ‘We need to teach our kids that mental illnesses are just like physical illnesses and deserve the same kind of care and compassion.’

Therapy Can Help

Other celebrities and famous people are beginning to speak out and actress, ‘Mary Poppins’ star, Julie Andrews even stated that going to therapy helped save her life – therapy was her ‘spoonful of sugar’!

Julie Andrews, who at 84, is from a generation who usually views mental health as a taboo subject, claimed that after she’d left her husband, she sought help because her head ‘was so full of clutter and garbage.’

She believes that sharing her own experiences with seeking therapy during a low point in her life, enables others to follow suit.

Julie Andrews isn’t the only famous person to have these views.

Prince Harry told the Press that he ‘shut down all emotions’ after the death of his mother, Princess Diana and that at 28, he came close to an almost complete breakdown.

Harry believes that it was having therapy that put him into ‘a good place.’

He and Kate Middleton set up the successful ‘Heads Together’ campaign to end the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues.

Likewise, Dwayne Johnson, aka ‘The Rock,’ who is one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, suffered from depression and, after going public, was overwhelmed by the positive response he received from his thousands of fans.

He believes that ‘One of the most important things that I know helped me with the multiple times that I had gone through my own episodes of depression, was making sure that I was talking to people.’

The Rock believes that men are the worst at getting help and that they have a tendency to hold things in, which isn’t healthy but as ‘Depression doesn’t discriminate so if my past can help then I’m happy to share.’

J.K. Rowling and Katy Perry are also well-known celebrities who have suffered from mental health issues but sought help and overcame them.

Both women are open books when it comes to discussing their issues and how they sought help to get them through the rough times…

Katy Perry has even live-streamed one of her therapy sessions for her fans to see how the process works. In contrast, J.K. Rowling is happy to share her experiences of depression in interviews to encourage others to do the same.

The overall point all these celebrities share is that if you are feeling anxious or depressed, it’s okay…

So, talk to a therapist, particularly an online therapist so it suits your lifestyle commitments, and is flexible and extremely confidential, so you too can receive the help you deserve and get on with the rest of your life.