Holly’s Story

When Holly noticed that her anxiety was starting to affect her relationships, she reached out to Insight Counseling Centers to find peace.Through the care of her therapist, she found tools to give herself compassion and feel less overwhelmed.

Holly’s Story Transcript

I didn’t realize until I was in my early 20s the dysfunction of my family and what effect it had on me growing up. Anxiety started to really build, and I began to understand what it was as it was creeping in. It started to affect my relationships with family and friends, as well as my more intimate relationships. My name is Holly, and this is my story. I knew that I needed to find some sort of tool to help me find peace, and I found Insight, which led me to Barbara. That’s how it all started. 

When I first started coming to counseling, I didn’t quite know what to do, which is why I looked for counseling. But now, I can be less drastic and hard on myself. I tend to be the type of person who would go down rabbit holes or shame myself constantly, which is not helpful at all. I can now rise above that, take the tools that I’ve learned along the way, and apply them. 

I think that anytime someone realizes they have to dig a little deeper, it can be a little threatening and scary. Like, “Okay, I’m entering this whole new scene.” Along with those feelings, you should feel encouraged, knowing you’re going in the right direction and starting something that’s healthy. Everything happens for a reason, leading me exactly where I need to be and who I needed to be with to help me through some things. 

Initially, meeting with Barbara, I was comfortable right off the bat. It wasn’t this whole business thing; it was very comfortable and laid back, and I instantly felt like, “Okay, this is somebody to help me.” I just knew that and felt that. I’ve been seeing her for several years now, and we’ve had quite a journey together. We’ve had many sad times and happy times, and all of that. Just that genuine caring that she always exuded, and still does, of course, and the wisdom that helped me learn how to navigate through life and its difficulties in a more healthy way. 

As soon as I left that first meeting, we didn’t go right into all the hard stuff, kind of eased into it. You know, and it didn’t have to be so overwhelming. Over time, that relationship was built, and it just becomes more and more easy to communicate and work together as you figure things out. 

Faith has always been a big part of my life. I grew up in a very religious household, so that did instill important values in me. Even though maybe I view things a little differently now, it is important. Just having someone that’s communicating with me and helping me navigate through life that has a faith-based system, I just think that I know that there’s something bigger out there in all of us. So, sometimes when you’re feeling overwhelmed, it helps remind you that you actually don’t have to try to control everything. Barbara’s been very helpful in the faith arena, not forceful with it, but it’s just present and easy. 

When I first started coming to counseling, I didn’t have medical coverage at the time. But when you need help, it’s like, “I’ve got to figure something out.” The sliding scale factor actually is something that helped me, being single, living in my own place, having to pay my own bills. It can be a little stressful. I remember our first session, Barbara talked with me about that, and we came to a place where she made sure that I was comfortable and it was affordable and wasn’t going to add stress. That was very helpful, and I’m still extremely appreciative. I did appreciate the sliding scale. I don’t feel so overwhelmed. I feel like, “Yeah, okay, I can get through this. I just have to remember what she said or pick up this book and find my way through it.” So, I’m just very grateful.