My Therapy

I don't have anything against therapy, therapists, shrinks, counselors, support groups, or any other such group or person that people tend to go to when they need emotional or mental "help."  It's just not for me.  I'm my own therapist.  Over the past years, I've developed a finely honed routine for "dealing" with what's going on in my life and have also been blessed with a finely honed, well-trained group of friends who now know how to listed to me put myself through often unnecessary mind-fuckings that throw my whole world into a loop for absolutely no reason.  In this group of friends, I have many who are even willing to participate in my therapy sessions.

The three most-often approached methods of therapy are as follows:

1. Writing Therapy
2. Retail Therapy
3. Body Modification Therapy

None of these is anything incredibly special and first two are fairly common as far as I know.  However, in the past month or so, I have realized how much I have really relied on all three of these therapies to get me through the shit-filled weeks of mind-fucking and ballisticness.

Let me explain:

Writing Therapy

Obviously, I spend some time writing.  This is written.  This past week, I have spent quite a time sitting with a computer in my lap typing and writing and therapizing myself.  I wrote a 19 page personal, braided essay.  It didn't take an incredible amount of time, but long enough that I got some good thinking in and made some personal self-realizations that I really didn't want to make, but needed to make.  Writing is also probably my healthiest form of Therapy as I get the thoughts out and will eventually have someone read it.  It also doesn't do anything permanent to my wallet or my body.  It's also the most effective as I am hoping to one day be published - and obviously need all the practice I can get. 

Retail Therapy

I have a bad habit of shopping when my mood gets crappy.  Get in a fight with my parents, go spend some money.  Have a bad day, go spend some money.  I am not a complete jackass, though, so I do my best to buy things that I need or have wanted for a while.  So, it's not irresponsible.  Because I did learn once that Reverse Retail Therapy - the returning of the crap you bought during your retail therapy session - is not so therapeutic.

Body Modification Therapy

Body Modification Therapy (never to be confused with BM Therapy)  can be the most expensive of my three therapies.  However, Body Modification Therapy comes in three major forms.  For me, it comes in three forms:

1. Tattoos
2. Piercings
3. Hair Dyeing (sometimes cutting)

For the most part, the Body Modification Therapy Categories are valued in that order (most expensive being first).  I've discovered that I tend to get pierced or tattooed when stuff is pretty bad.  If I'm just not doing great, but not doing too badly either, I'll probably stick to dyeing my hair.  But the Therapy of dyeing my hair can last weeks, months, sometimes even years.  

I want to touch on this Therapy the most.  The reason for that is I had a huge  realization while dyeing my hair last night:  I dyed my hair all through high school and college - I was either single or in a bad relationship that whole time.  During the single times, I was also "interested" in guys that I knew wouldn't work out or even didn't work out.  After college, I slowed down with the dye some - but not much.  I didn't have my natural color, but I had colors that looked natural.  Then I started dating again, and for about six months, I didn't change the color at all and my hair style was short enough that I actually got to my normal color about a month before I got dumped.  A week after getting dumped, I had dyed my hair four times - not once did it look natural.  I dyed it again last night.  It's more natural-looking but clearly dyed.

Disclaimer

I think I should make a disclaimer here and clarify that I do deal with my issues through these three forms of Therapy.  However, I also do have a group of people I know I can go to for any reason.  I often do.  I'm blessed with several people I can tell anything to and not get judged, they'll just listen, and will only give advice when they know I want it.  If they aren't sure I want it, they'll ask.