Vent out before stressing out...

Lately, I've been very stressed. I have a lot of things to do and, the more things I complete the more things pile up. It's weird how life works like that sometimes. I feel like I'm on a treadmill on a bus that's speeding towards a cliff. I have so much to do before I leave but I never see any progress and time is quickly quickly quickly running out... January 8, 2010. My life will change that day and I need to wrap this current life up before then... ack! On top of this, I have been saying my goodbyes to friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances and, perhaps most difficult, girlfriend. It's become quite a burden and I was feeling, for the last 3 weeks, like I was in a daze with everything. I haven't eaten, slept or been taking care of myself. I needed to talk to someone about it.

So, I decided to vent out. Not online, not to a friend, but to a professional. I needed someone to talk to and I needed it to be someone that was neutral. Someone that doesn't know me and wouldn't offer advice other than just listening. Holy crap did it help. I've never spoken to a professional about these types of things before, but I wish I had. It helped so much to just let it out and, before I knew it, I realized that I had used an entire hour of their time. I had spoken in a stream; the words just poured out of me and, with every new problem I explained to him, I felt weights being lifted off my shoulders. It's so tough to go through so much stress and hardship without letting it out and I could feel it building inside me. Just that one hour of therapy has let me step back, think about what I need to get done and make a plan for it. It was invaluable.

So, what's the lesson? Don't be ashamed of your problems, burdens or stresses. Everyone goes through this, but not everyone needs to do it alone. Pride is not a good enough reason to sacrifice your mental well-being or academic/work performance. Perhaps more importantly, these services are available to anyone. All it requires is a simple visit to your health clinic and talking to the nurse. He/she will direct you where you need to go. I'm glad I've learned this before medicine starts, it makes life that much easier.