Tag: mental health

“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.

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