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Tough Times

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • Apr 18
  • 4 min read

 

On his 2021 album The Come Up, lyricist K-Prez collaborated with underground hip hop production team Snowgoons and featured a track entitled “Tough Times” which was produced by Marco Polo. The chorus states:

 

Rollin’ though the city, need a better view

The pain that’s in your heart, gon’ make a better you

No lookin’ back, just focused on what’s ahead of you

‘Cause tough times never last, tough people do

 

When hearing the empowering words of K-Prez, I think of my approach to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and how Stoic philosophy which is incorporated into this psychotherapeutic modality is aimed to help people get better and not merely to feel better.

 

Perhaps it’s natural to assume “the pain that’s in your heart” requires validation from a psychotherapist, life coach, or other mental, emotional, and behavioral health care provider that assists individuals with the cathartic experience of feeling better. I can understand this allure.

 

Yet, what occurs when continually seeking the services of these people as a means of releasing strong, pent-up emotions (catharsis)? You may find that rather than achieving emotional release on your own, you’ll increasingly require these professionals in order to feel better.

 

You need the professional so that you may feel better, and the professional requires the provision of services in order to remain employed. Thus, codependency is established as a perverse incentive for continuing the therapeutic alliance (i.e., the functioning mental health relationship).

 

This is where REBT remains in stark contrast to many other modalities. Regarding this matter, I stated in a blogpost entitled Feeling Better vs. Getting Better:

 

While I’m aware that there are conflicting reports in regard to mental health care and overall wellness, I submit that merely feeling better isn’t as conducive to a well-lived life as the challenging process of getting better. Notice my mention of inherent challenge. Getting better isn’t easy; it takes work.

 

Regarding this approach to rational living, I concur with K-Prez who states that “tough times never last, tough people do.” Although dedicated practice of REBT can be difficult, I argue that enduring this process isn’t as hard as failing to address the tough times you currently experience.

 

Are you ready to get better and not merely to feel better? REBT will be challenging, though I invite you to consider than tough times without adequate help – or when seeking services from someone who simply consoles you – is likely more difficult than what I’m offering you.

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW


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References:

 

Apple Music. (n.d.). K-Prez. Apple, Inc. Retrieved from https://music.apple.com/us/artist/k-prez/1289503989

Discogs. (n.d.). K-Prez, Snowgoons – The Come Up. Retrieved from https://www.discogs.com/master/2216482-K-Prez-Snowgoons-The-Come-Up

Goon MuSick. (2021, May 18). K-Prez & Snowgoons - Tough Times (Produced by Marco Polo) [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/EZb4fUWnUcg?si=jYPI1rJSFw7JByMS

Hollings, D. (2024, November 15). Assumptions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/assumptions

Hollings, D. (2024, November 10). Catharsis. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/catharsis

Hollings, D. (2024, February 25). Doing the work. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/doing-the-work

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2024, December 30). Empowerment. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/empowerment

Hollings, D. (2024, April 26). Eudaimonia. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/eudaimonia

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use

Hollings, D. (2023, May 7). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-emotional-and-behavioral-health

Hollings, D. (2024, February 10). Perverse incentives. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/perverse-incentives

Hollings, D. (2023, March 20). Practice. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/practice

Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2024, May 15). Rational living. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-living

Hollings, D. (2024, March 14). REBT and emotions. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rebt-and-emotions

Hollings, D. (2024, April 21). Stoicism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/stoicism

Hollings, D. (2024, January 11). Therapeutic alliance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/therapeutic-alliance

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Hollings, D. (2023, November 23). Validation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/validation

Hollings, D. (2024, September 29). Well, well, well. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/well-well-well

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Marco Polo (producer). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_(producer)

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Snowgoons. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowgoons

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