During some down time at my office, I decided to pick up my phone and scroll through a few of my social media apps. As I scrolled through my apps, I started to notice an ever increasing trend of people posting selfies of themselves at the gym. Viewing picture after picture, I start to think of how the world not only embraced these “selfies,” but also encouraged the continual importance of the body over the mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think a person’s physical health is very important, especially in regards to how it relates to mental health. But these pictures caused me to start to think… why are there no selfies of people at their therapist’s office? Why are we not celebrating the work that is being done on our brains, the thing that controls the body?
The truth is that there is still a huge stigma related to mental health and seeking help. It has improved over the past decade, but there is still a lot of progress to be made. I encourage people to start to change this stigma and the way society views mental health through their actions. We should be as proud of our of ability to take care of our mental health as we are of our six packs.
Therapy is not just for the “sick.” Therapy is a tool that can be used by all people to help improve their mental health, their lives, their relationships, etc. I hope this entry starts a conversation that leads to more acceptance and and understanding. Speak up, spread the word. “I go to therapy!” Let us show our families, our children, our friends and our co-workers that we value our insides as much as our outsides. I truly believe that this work will lead to a happier society that can benefit us all. #mentalhealth is the future.

Daniel Rubin, M.S. LPC, LMHC