Month: March 2021

“I’m Normal” and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

This article in Psychology Today called “’I’m Normal’ and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves” points out that, while we feel normal to ourselves, we often project what it’s like to be us onto other people. It’s an interesting read with relevance in today’s social backdrop, and we recommend you check it out.

Key takeaways include:

  1. Averages lie. Even when looking to data to see what is ‘normal’, psychologists often find themselves with flawed statistics that don’t really represent anyone’s experience.
  2. There is no “normal” in mental disorders either. For example, there are more than 1,000 different symptom patterns found in people with depression alone.

Normal is not the goal. Healthy is the goal and it’s customizable.

How to Ease Back Into Social Contact

This Psychology Today article is called “How to Ease Back Into Social Contact” and we think it may be helpful for, well, all of us. Most of our interaction this past year has been over zoom, and aside from the occasional bubble, we’ve all had very little contact with other people.

Some key takeaways and tips include:

  1. “Addressing the awkwardness.” People respond well to the authenticity, and if you address the elephant in the room, chances are the people around you were feeling the same thing and will appreciate your candor.
  2. “Go at your own pace.” This is a good tidbit for any type of social anxiety, but it’s a also a good reminder that you don’t have to attend every work function or office get together.
  3. “Visualizing a positive interaction.” When it comes to socializing, what you bring to the table can have a big influence on how something turns out. Even something as simple as picturing yourself talking to someone with ease can yield good results.

Getting Out of Your Own Way

This Psychology Today article is called “Getting Out of Your Own Way: Bias and Self Defeating Actions.” Research shows the self-criticism is rarely, if ever, an effective way to change behavior. What’s a good alternative then for when you fall short of your goals and standards? This article would argue self-compassion.

Key takeaways include:

  1. Understanding the difference between ‘self compassion’ and ‘self pity’.
  2. Strategies to make self-compassion a habit. It’s one thing to be nice to yourself in times of hardship. It can be a challenge to do it consistently but well worth the effort.

Foster self-compassion by checking out our individual therapy services

Try These 3 Self-Compassion Tips

This Psychology Today article is called “Painfully Self-Critical? Try These 3 Self-Compassion Tips.” Self-compassion, or positive affirming self-talk to use we fall short of our goals, is an incredibly therapeutic tool to have in our repertory. Still, it’s one thing to want to be self-compassionate, it’s another to build it into practice. This article goes over some strategies for being self-compassionate in our day-to-day lives. It’s a good read and we recommend you check it out. Take a look at our individual therapy services to help get you started on the road to greater self-compassion.

The Rise of “Therapy-Speak”

We recommend this New Yorker article called “The Rise of Therapy-Speak.” As psychotherapy becomes less stigmatized, more people go to therapy, and more people incorporate the language of therapy into their day-to-day lives. We think that’s great! But there may be a downside to the rise of therapy-speak as well. When everyone is an expert, the very real problems people with mental health issues suffer may be trivialized. What do you think?