Not Blissful But Very Hopeful

Ignorance is bliss, the writing on a shirt declared. I was shopping at a store and indeed, my fellow shopper wearing the shirt looked happy and blissful. Her arm was hooked through her partner’s as he pushed the cart along, stopping to chat and perhaps consult as they put items in their cart.

I wish ignorance could be bliss for me. I wish I could ignore how I had been feeling for weeks now. I had dragged myself out of the house today after being cooped up for days. My apartment was a total mess and I needed to clear and clean it up. When I was my usual self, my space was pristine but when the blues hit, all I wanted to do was curl up in my bed with curtains drawn. I had been doing that for days and now every part of the apartment needed to be cleaned so I had gathered the energy for a trip to the store for cleaning supplies.

I had thought about seeing a therapist but the cost was beyond my reach. Would there be a point in going for a couple of sessions and then stopping because I could no longer afford it? I didn’t think so. My 10 days off work were coming to an end soon and I would just have to get it together. I planned to start by getting my space in order.

I was getting my haul of cleaning supplies in my car when a young lady walked up to me. She was holding out a pamphlet and ordinarily, I would have taken it to be polite and then tossed it. Something she said caught my attention though: she had said that ignorance is not bliss at Bliss. I wanted to know what that meant.

She explained that it meant that at an online therapy company called Bliss, the emphasis was on talking things out and not ignoring painful or stressful situations. I learnt that Bliss was an online therapy website and it was completely free. It was like an angel had just appeared with an answer to my prayer. I took it, thanked her and headed home. The first thing I did was look up the website and indeed, they offered free therapy services. Therapy was done by certified psychotherapists. They provided cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) that had been proven to work for depression. I would get eight sessions. Just scheduling my first session made me feel so hopeful.

Over the following weeks, I got the therapy I so needed. I was given new perspectives I had never considered and taught skills and techniques to understand my triggers and how to avoid them or cope with them. By the time the sessions were over, I was stronger, happier and infinitely hopeful. I recommend Bliss for anyone who needs therapy for times and events that feel soul-crushing. A whole new you will come out in the end.