I grew up in a family that never stigmatized others for seeking mental health care, but saw it as something reserved for people that had a truly traumatic life or who were born with a severe neurochemical imbalance (something we had compassion for but didn’t experience ourselves). Despite supporting others in their pursuit of mental health care, I never considered that it could be something that I did for myself. Then, about a year ago, one of my closest Indian friends, who is a mental health professional, recommended I see a therapist and found me a South Asian one. My therapist intuitively understood how deeply intertwined duty and love are, and provided a space in which I could eventually articulate the meaning and role of boundaries in my life for the first time - without feeling totally individualistic and selfish... A space where I could explain the pressure of double standards I face, both between and within the cultures I straddle, without being perceived as ungrateful. I found myself making decisions for myself with less guilt, and saying no to others without feeling like a bad person. It’s been freeing in a way that I couldn’t have imagined.  Without the keen observations and the  trusted suggestion of a close South Asian friend in the field, or the implicit understanding provided by my South Asian therapist, I don’t know if I would be here. But I’m so grateful that I am.