There Is No Shame in Therapy

In this country, the only therapy we seem to approve of is hot tea, prayer, and unsolicited advice from an aunt who never minds her business.

You break down, and the first suggestion is always: “Just pray.”

Yes, prayer works. But so does therapy. The two are not in competition. You can cry to God and your therapist in the same week. Trust me, no one is going to cancel your salvation card.

We have built a culture where counseling is seen as something for “broken” people, as if being human does not come with a few cracks.

Asking for help is treated like an admission of failure, yet it is one of the bravest things many will ever do.

We forget that people at all stages of life are dealing with something and sometimes, what they are dealing with cannot be solved by motivational memes or being told to “be strong.”

Life starts with drama. As a baby, your biggest issue is not being carried fast enough. You cry, and someone rushes to pick you up. You cry again, and you get bounced around like a watermelon at a village market.

Some of us were probably bounced too hard, and it is starting to show in adulthood.

Then comes the teenage phase. Your body starts changing like it signed a contract you did not approve.

You grow in places you did not expect, your voice decides to remix itself mid sentence, and acne shows up like relatives during the holidays, uninvited and hard to get rid of.

You are not quite a child, but also not an adult. Just a walking confusion with Wi Fi. And guess what? No one thought that maybe just maybe a little therapy could help.

Adulthood sometimes comes with bashes and graceful toasts to age. But it also shows up quietly, dragging rent, job pressure, broken relationships, and emotional fatigue behind it.

You try to post like your life is together, but behind that filtered selfie is someone dodging landlord calls and questioning every decision that brought them here.

Some of us are out here giving “main character energy” with a side of “I am barely holding it together.” But therapy? No. That is “too much.”

Now pile on the societal pressure. If you are a man, you are expected to “man up.” But what does that even mean? Cry into your bank application? If you dare express emotion, someone throws you a spanner and tells you to “fix it.”

Meanwhile, if you are a woman, you must be strong but soft, ambitious but humble, independent but submissive, and somehow moisturized through it all. Good luck managing that.

Then there is the chorus of society’s greatest hits: “You are not married yet?” “When is the baby coming?” “You have added weight.” “You are too quiet. Are you okay?” “You are too loud. Calm down.” It is exhausting.

No wonder we are all walking around like beautiful disasters in designer shoes.

And let us not forget social media, where everyone else’s life looks like a well edited documentary while yours feels like a blooper reel.

It tricks you into thinking you are the only one struggling, when in reality, everyone is just trying to stay afloat with filters.

The truth is, we all need someone to remind us we are not alone. We all need space to vent, cry, process, and just breathe. Therapy is not a weakness. It is hygiene for the soul.

To you reading this, yes, you, if you are barely holding on, I applaud you. You have kept going. But maybe it is time to stop surviving and start healing.

Do not wait until life breaks you down into unrecognizable pieces. Go talk to someone. Offload. Sort through the mess.

And as we laugh through the madness, let us also make wise choices. If you can avoid problems, please do.

If having one loyal spouse can save you from marital chaos, by all means, choose peace.

If reading for your exam can save you from the trauma of retakes and the side eyes from your village, open the book.

If eating vegetables today means dodging hospital bills tomorrow, chew that cabbage with pride.

Therapy is not the enemy. Ignorance is. Take the easier, cleaner, and sometimes cheaper path.

Because adulting is already a full time job, no need to complicate the human resources file of life any further.