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Therapy has become a go-to in Western culture; in some circles, its attendance is almost taken for granted. “Millennials are the therapy generation,” printed the Wall Street Journal in 2019. People flock to their therapists in the same manner that they do to their barbers and salon attendants. It’s the chic thing to do for anybody who’s even remotely cosmopolitan. As the demand increases, so does the supply. More and more students are pursuing graduate training in social work, mental health counseling, and related fields. The United States Department of Labor projects that employment will grow 12 percent between 2020-2030 for social workers alone. In Millennial circles, where committed relationships wane, all the attention and emotion that would otherwise be given to a significant other is lavished on therapists and pets.

In our previous article, we laid down the groundwork for our underlying question of “Why don’t people become great?” We discussed the importance of developing an empowering identity that clarifies the path towards achieving our unique greatness and inspires us to begin the journey. However, even among those of us who have a clear path and genuinely want to achieve our greatness, many never begin the journey because of three common reasons:

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It’s a cold erev Shabbos, a couple of hours before licht bentching. Food is just about cooked, the cholent is prepared, and the kids have bathed. Your feet and back need a hot shower (or bath, if you can manage it). Yes, finally the normal early Shabbos chaos is nearly over. Your spouse is home, and it’s finally your turn to escape into hot water bliss. That hot water feels amazing. You can almost feel the stress fade away as you get the water running.

A student once asked me what my favorite part of the school day was. With no hesitation, I answered, “Recess, of course!” The boy chuckled. “That’s just because rebbe likes to play soccer, right?” At this point his smile was ear-to-ear and his face was beaming with delight. I didn’t answer him immediately, but rather smiled, as if to say, “I am cherishing this moment of joking around with you.” His face shone brighter as he noticed my smile. I grabbed his little chin and said, “My favorite part of the day is recess because of the spectacular smile on your face right now! Now get out of here and go run around with your friends!” At this point his shining face broke out into full-on laughter of happiness - a laughter that only children seem to possess.

“Shani, come on. I haven’t got time. You’ll be late to the class.”

I grabbed a brand-new notebook and then I ran a brush through my curly hair, but it still stuck out in all directions. I tucked my button-down uniform shirt into my pleated skirt and ran downstairs.

Once called manic depression, bipolar disorder is a serious mental health condition that can severely disrupt a person’s life. Bipolar symptoms include extreme mood swings, emotional dysregulation and drastically shifting energy levels.