Beginning Therapy; Where do I start?

I'm a firm believer in therapy despite having very little personal experience with it. I have yet to meet a person who's gone to therapy say they didn't benefit from the experience. And still, there's such an avoidance to actually seek that help. The stigma people associate with seeing a therapist...is something for which they should seek therapy. Why should we feel shame about improving our mental and emotional health?

We're all broken in some way. That's the nature of the human condition. Meme culture has brought it to the forefront with humor. Jokes about anxiety and depression and everyone types "same" in the comments section. But that's where it stops for most of us. We can make jokes, but when it comes time to actually face what's broken us, we shy away. There's a mix of fear to face painful truths and a feeling that you must be weaker than everyone else if you need professional help.

While I know these things logically, it's still been incredibly difficult to take the leap. In earnest, I have a fear of failing at therapy. In itself that's an issue I should be addressing in therapy, my fear of failure. In any case, I finally feel ready to get help processing my emotions and traumas that have been affecting my daily life. But where do I start?

I think for now, given my anxiety to interact in person, I'll start with a therapy app. Better Help is highly acclaimed by users and has also been thrown at me via Instagram algorithm, which inspired this article. Per usual my phone was in my brain and knew I was ready to begin a therapy journey. The platform doesn't work with insurance companies, so you can stay anonymous if you like and packages range from $40-$70/week. Best part, therapists are available for text sessions in addition to live video session and phone calls. I prefer text, and until we get to the bottom of the reason why, this is my favorite option.

We will see how it goes, but if you needed a sign to finally start therapy, this is it. If you are in therapy now and have any advice or suggestions as I start this process, please share. I'm diving in with an open mind and heart.