My name is Sara Mazaheri Jones. I am a psychiatrist. And I want to tell you why choosing a career in mental health would be a beautiful option.
I have done ballroom dancing for a while. I did Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango. And one thing I have noted in the dance, is: The more the partners are in-tuned, the more beautiful the dance would be. So it really doesn’t matter if they use sophisticated techniques or dance moves. They can do 2,3 very basic dance moves, but if they do those basic moves well, and are coordinated, if they’re in-tuned, their dance would be a beautiful dance.
Human beings are relational beings. And relationships are a dance. This is one thing I have learned in my dancing. Dancing is a metaphor for relationships. When we are in tune with other people, the dance is beautiful. It is smooth. It doesn’t have as much struggles for us. Not only we ourselves enjoy the dance, but also the other people who see it will enjoy it.
Each partner needs to know their own moves. So obviously you cannot dance if you don’t know the basic moves. And It can take a while to learn the basic stuff about the dance. Then you would learn to be in-tuned with your partner. A good teacher will teach you the importance and benefits of being in-tuned, from early stages.
The same is with human beings. Each person needs to work on their own parts in a relationship (and I do not mean just romantic relationships. It can be work, or study), what is hard for them and makes it difficult to dance. They need to learn the basic stuff about how to cope, how to interact with others, how to feel and be. And they also learn how to move in coordination with others.
It is amazing to help the dancers dance. To teach them and be a part of their journey. When you work in mental health as an individual therapist, as a group therapist, or relationship therapist, as a doctor, psychologist, social worker or peer support specialist, you help teach people and help them correct the maladaptive styles they have learned over the years that now can make their life and relationships hard, and re-learn new ways. You teach them about their feelings, thoughts and behaviors, the basic components of any human interaction. You help them learn the basic stuff well and help the to learn how to be in-tuned with other people.
Have you seen a beautiful dance? To know you have been a part of making it happen is priceless.
