So, I finally decided to give that whole “talk therapy” thing a real shot. Let me walk you through how it actually went down.
The Why Part
Life felt like wading through knee-deep mud, you know? Work stress piled onto family stuff mixed with some heavy junk from the past. Felt like my brain radio was stuck on static station 24/7.
Picking a Place
Googled around like crazy – don’t remember exactly how I landed on Central Iowa Psychological Services but their name kept popping up. Called them first thing Tuesday morning.
- The Phone Call: This super calm lady answered, didn’t rush me at all.
- Scheduling: I just blurted out “I need to talk to someone soon” – she squeezed me in Thursday.
- Paperwork Ugh: Had to show up early to fill out like a million forms. Address, insurance, those “how often do you cry” checkboxes.
First Time Walking In
Office smelled like old books and lemons. Comfy chairs, no scary white coats. Therapist was younger than I pictured – guy named Matt wearing jeans.
Started sweating bullets when he asked “So what brings you here today?” Felt like a deer in headlights for like 3 minutes straight. Then word-vomited about work drama for half an hour.
The Real Stuff
Matt didn’t do that annoying nodding thing like in movies. Asked stuff like:
- “Where do you feel that anger in your body?”
- “What happens right before the panic starts?”
- Kept steering me away from rambling and into my actual feelings.
What Changed After
- Started noticing physical signs before meltdowns – tense shoulders means slow down
- Work rage doesn’t spill into family time anymore
- Therapist gave me homework: Journal one “crap moment” each day
Biggest win? That heavy cement feeling in my chest? Mostly gone after 8 sessions. Still go monthly just to keep my brain from backtracking. Wish I hadn’t waited till my 40s to try this.