Ages back, my best friend disclosed his secret crush on Britney Spears, who was the hottest thing on planet earth, at least as per the press, media, and teenagers. Every person in my class was either singing her songs or raving about her personality and popularity. Hell, they even switched to Pepsi because Britney was the brand ambassador!
Thankfully, I was a hard rock fanatic and was averse to pop musicians and boybands — they weren’t worth my time. But as with all hot personalities of the early 2000s, Britney faded away into darkness. She got into trouble for many reasons I didn’t want to get in. And now, her issues with conservatorship has come up, yet again!
Now, what follows may be considered harsh, insensitive, judgmental, or pure mean, but someone’s got to say this: why didn’t she seek therapy or a celebrity coach (to match her status, if not anything else) to get a grip on her life? She was a teen loaded with more money than a bunch of generations in her family would’ve earned in their lifetimes! And that’s a lot of stress for a teen.
Sure, this can’t be her fault ultimately. What were her parents doing? Besides trying to “control” the situation? Maybe they did hire external help, but it didn’t work out? But could they have given up too early? Or perhaps, something else was going on. I’m not sure about anything, just a lot of questions. Right now, I hear that Britney would like to continue with conservatorship but without her father.
This is all screwed up, to be honest. And no amount of analysis will help either of us get to a resolution. My point is this — no matter what stage you’re in life, you need support by way of a sounding board or a therapist or a coach or a mentor to guide you through the best and worst times of your life. Sure, your parents and loved ones might be around you, but they’re not equipped or as skilled as a helping professional.
We’re living in crazier times than, let’s say, 20 years back, and now more than ever, you need the wit and wisdom of someone whose passion is to help others succeed. They might not have all the answers for you, but they sure can equip you to find your own and set you on the path to be mentally, physically, emotionally, and even financially independent.
If that resonates with you, don’t wait; get help. Life’s too short and messy to go it all alone.
P.S. Much more detailed analysis here by the good folks at The New Yorker.