"I didn't think I was 'sick enough' to see someone"

I’d been anxious for as long as I could remember — the kind where your chest gets tight before social events and you replay conversations for hours afterwards. But I always told myself it wasn’t “bad enough” to see someone. Other people had real problems.

It was my friend who finally said, “You know you can just go to the GP about this, right?”

Getting started

I booked a long appointment with my GP and said I wanted to talk about anxiety. She was really understanding — she asked me some questions, had me fill out a short questionnaire, and then said, “Let’s get you a Mental Health Care Plan.”

I didn’t know what that was, but she explained it meant I could see a psychologist and get Medicare rebates. She wrote the plan right there and gave me a referral.

Finding a psychologist

The hardest part was the wait. The first two psychologists I called were booked out for months. I ended up finding one through Psychology Today who had a cancellation opening in three weeks. She charged $220 per session, and my Medicare rebate was about $93, so I paid about $127 out of pocket each time.

What I learned

Therapy wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t lying on a couch talking about my childhood. My psychologist used CBT — we worked on practical strategies for managing anxious thoughts. After six sessions, I went back to my GP for the review, and she approved four more.

If I could tell past-me one thing: You don’t need to be in crisis to deserve help. The system is there for people like us too.