Christine Gutierrez

10.07.13 Wellness Break the Silence: Why Therapy is Cool BY Christine Gutierrez Picture this scene: You just found out that your husband is cheating and you have to break up a 7-year marriage. You are left alone with a 1 year-old girl, and you are freaking out. Your days become filled with guilt and sadness. You stay in bed until you literally can’t anymore.

I spent years of my life battling the insecurities and fears that plagued my mind and heart. I grew up with both love and abuse, an interesting mixture and a perfect way to be filled with constant anxiety and poor self-esteem. I never knew what the day would bring me. Some days, I was told good job, and some days, I was suffocated for just not getting up early enough in the morning. There was never any stability.

I remember noticing that something wasn’t right with my uncle. I was seven years old. His outward cheerful attitude didn’t silence my intuition. I knew something was wrong. I remember seeing him in his room more often than not. He barely dated, if ever, had few friends, and I remember hearing in whispers that he drank. The issue became a silent issue, like many issues often do, especially in Latino households.