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I Know I Need Therapy… But I Just Can’t Deal With It Right Now

So many of us know we need therapy but feel too overwhelmed, too busy, or too stuck to make it happen. In this article, Zee Clarke shares practical ways to care for your mental health—whether that’s grounding your body, finding safe people to talk to, or making small shifts that bring relief.
Zee Clarke

Zee Clarke

5 Min Read

A woman with braids holds her phone while rubbing her forehead in frustration, standing in a modern kitchen

If you’ve ever thought, “I know I need therapy… but I just can’t deal with it right now,” you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve tried to find a therapist but couldn’t get on someone’s calendar for months.
Maybe your insurance is a nightmare.
Maybe you’re so exhausted from keeping everything together that the idea of asking for help feels like one more thing on your to-do list.

This is where so many people are—not okay, but also not sure where to turn. And during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, it’s time we talked about the messy middle. The space between knowing you need support and actually getting it.

Let’s start there.

🔍 What Do You Really Need Support With Right Now

It’s easy to say “I need therapy”—but what does your nervous system, your heart, or your life actually need most right now?

Try asking yourself:

  • What feels the heaviest lately?
  • Is it emotional (grief, anxiety, numbness)?
  • Is it situational (burnout, work stress, caregiving pressure)?
  • Is it physical (tension, exhaustion, poor sleep)?
  • Is it spiritual (feeling lost, disconnected, empty)?

You don’t need a diagnosis to start healing. You just need a little clarity about what’s weighing on you most.

🧘🏾‍♀️ Get Back in Your Body

When life feels overwhelming, we often disconnect from the body. But coming back into the body is one of the fastest ways to feel grounded and safe again.

Here are a few practices to try:

  • Box Breathing (4-4-4-4): Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat for a few minutes. It’s a nervous system reset in real time.
  • Shaking Meditation: Gently shake out each part of your body, starting from the feet up. This helps release pent-up tension and stored stress.
  • Shoulder Rolls + Deep Sigh: Roll your shoulders back 5x, then forward 5x, then take a long sigh. Sounds simple, but it signals your body it’s safe to soften.
  • Grounding Through Nature: Place your bare feet on the earth. Even a few minutes can regulate your stress response.

🗣️ Let It Out

You don’t need a formal therapy session to express what’s inside. Try these ways to release what’s been building up:

  • Voice Memo to Yourself: Talk it out—like you would to a best friend. Name what you’re feeling, without needing to fix it.
  • “Everything I’m Holding” List: Grab a notebook and write down everything that’s on your mental plate. Don’t edit. Just release.
  • Draw Your Emotions: Even if you’re not artistic, giving your emotions color and shape on paper can be surprisingly freeing.

🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏽 Find Your Safe Person (or People)

Even if you’re not in therapy, you don’t have to carry everything alone.

Ask yourself:

  • Who in my life makes me feel safe being real?
  • Who listens without jumping in to fix?
  • Who leaves me feeling a little lighter after we talk?

It could be a close friend, a sibling, a coworker, or someone in a community group. You don’t need to share everything—but opening up just a little can help release the emotional pressure that’s been building.

Pro tip: Tell them what you need before you talk.
Try: “I’m not looking for advice—I just need someone to hear me today.”

And if no one comes to mind, it might be time to gently widen your circle. Community care is part of self-care, too.

🎧 Tune Into Something That Heals You

Sometimes we don’t have words—but sound can still shift us. Try:

Sound bypasses the thinking brain. It helps you feel instead of overthinking your way out of pain.

💡 Change Your Space, Change Your State

Small shifts in your environment can help you feel just a little more held.

  • Declutter one corner of your space—physical clearing can ease mental overwhelm
  • Create a calm corner with soft lighting, cozy textures, and something living (like a plant)
  • Say no to one thing this week that drains you. Reclaiming your energy is a form of healing

🧭 Build Your Support Stack

Think of this as your mini healing team—made up of the small tools, rituals, and habits that help you feel a little more like yourself. You don’t need a full plan. Just pick 2–3 that feel doable and return to them regularly.

Start where you are. Add what feels good. Let it evolve.

💬 Final Words

If you’re in a place where therapy feels out of reach, it doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck.
You’re allowed to care for yourself in small, imperfect ways.
You’re allowed to not be okay and still take one step toward healing.You don’t need a diagnosis. You don’t need permission.
You just need to start—one breath, one practice, one moment at a time.

Zee Clarke holding her book "Black People Breathe" while smiling and sitting on the beach

Zee Clarke is the author of the book, Black People Breathe (Penguin Random House). She has been featured in many leading publications including ABC, Fortune, Forbes, CNBC, Ebony, Essence, and Fast Company.

She is a Harvard Business School graduate who applies holistic healing practices to corporate environments. Zee leads transformative workshops on mindfulness, breathwork and stress management tools at organizations such as Google, Visa, AMC Networks and more.

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