It can feel really embarrassing to admit that you are scared of sharing everything with your therapist, because you know that you should trust them, but you can't seem to force yourself to open up. It's scary and is way more common than people admit. Here, we explore the reasons why you might fear their judgment, why you should want to address that fear, and ways to go about confronting it.

Some of us radiate with positivity, leaving others shielding their eyes at the brightness. While positivity is glorified as being the goal, many of us prefer letting that light into our lives in smaller doses. In a comparison with window coverings, a therapist shares how some people prefer to give themselves tiny doses of dopamine throughout their day and others sunbathe in positivity once a year.

Holiday parties often center themselves around eating food and drinking alcohol. While this is fun and enjoyable for most people, those who have a history of addiction or have struggled with disordered eating can find this really strenuous. Here, a therapist shares some strategies to help make your holiday festivities easier for you or your loved ones who might feel this way.

Thanksgiving can be hard for many people, especially when the hardships are currently present. Yet being grateful is known to help mental health. Here a therapist shares the importance of validating pain before practicing gratitude, how to validate yourself and why others might not be able to do it for you, and then ways to observe smaller details to find gratitude easier.

You might wonder why therapists will begin therapy asking random questions about yourself. There are a few reasons, but one of them is to gather more information about you in order to assess further. Take for example, "What superpower would you choose to have?" A therapist shares answers to this question that allow her to see signs of people-pleasing, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, and more!

Having "spoons" has become a commonly used metaphor to describe how much physical and mental energy someone has available to use in a given day. For those of us with chronic illnesses, mental health problems, and are otherwise marginalized, we might feel like we have less spoons to give. So how do we still get the most that we can out of life? Hint, hint: We need to value our time and energy more!

Perfectionism is usually formed out of a desire to avoid rejection. Yet, one can't isolate forever to avoid the judgements of others. In a playful comparison, a therapist dives further into the strategies that one might use to present oneself in the world. How do we decide when it makes sense for someone to be open and easily accessible versus when it makes more sense to have some walls up?

In processing the results of the 2024 Presidential Election, notice how making accommodations for the disabled is commonplace, and were put into place after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, despite people fighting it, saying that it would be an "undue financial burden". Why does someone need a disability to be worthy of help? Here, a therapist shares their thoughts on this question.

Most therapists are careful about sharing political views, respecting our influence over vulnerable people, but this can leave clients feeling uncertain about how safe they are opening up. Here a therapist shares her thoughts and values surrounding politics, as well as connections she notices between generational trauma, systemic policies, and politics, highlighting their influence on each other.

In a personal anecdote, a therapist shares about a chakra balancing treatment she received and points out similarities she noticed between this alternative medicine and what she does as a licensed mental health clinician. Such similarities include: setting one's intentions or goal setting, noticing areas where one is blocked and making connections between problems, and trusting your inner wisdom.

In reviewing The Art and Science of Connection by Kasley Killam, a therapist shares about their personal experience with the book, key concepts that really stood out-regarding social health, and why this book is worth the read. Just like mental health and physical health, Killam makes a great argument about why social health should be considered its own category of health to nurture and care for.

Many hardworking overachievers hate needing help. They don't want to be a burden, they don't want to have to depend on others, and they feel weak or less than when they need more support. Why is that? Here a therapist discusses where those feelings likely stem from, and how they tie in with ableism directed at oneself. Hint, hint: it's usually lessons we accidentally learned during childhood!

Some social media conversations have talked about how those with ADHD should tell others their goals, because it reduces their motivation to actually achieve them. Together, we explore why this happens, how it relates to PDA and demand avoidance, and what direction to take in order to achieve goals instead. Hint: we need to focus on creating a supportive environment rather than on the goal!

You ever feel uneasy when you are seeking to make a large purchase, like a home or a car, because you fear that you aren't being shown the full picture? Trying to pick out a therapist can feel similar, because you often don't get to see the flaws that a therapist has when you're choosing. Comparing with the car-buying experience with Carvana, can a therapist create trust in being more transparent?

Why it is important to network, make friends, be in public spaces, have hobbies, and otherwise be visible? That's how we find our people! How do we make sure that they really are "our people"? By being authentic, we permit people to actually see who we are so that they can make an informed choice about developing a deeper connection with us, or rejecting us early, and this is important and good!

Being neurodivergent doesn't necessarily mean that the way you think and experience the world is rare, it simply means that the way the world is set up isn't made for you. It often can feel like trying to play a game without having all of the pieces, or not knowing the rules. Here a therapist goes through how therapy can help someone with ADHD or Autism, even though the world won't change.

If you've ever looked into Internal Family Systems Therapy, or parts-work, you might wonder, "how does getting to know different aspects of myself actually help me?" It is similar to getting a new dog, where they pine for your attention. When you have strong feelings, your inner world is begging for your attention! To stop those parts from whining, you need to consistently show yourself some love.

Many of us struggle to splurge on ourselves, even when we have the money to do so. Why is that? Here a therapist helps draw connections between the way we feel about money and our family's culture around spending. Is it a bad thing to want to save money? Of course not, but here we reflect on the costs of being overly stingy in spending on ourselves and what it tells us about our own self-worth.

High achievers can struggle with enjoying learning new things, especially if it doesn't come easily to them. Here we look at ways to stay engaged when learning something new, balancing that need for achievement with being more present throughout the learning process. From adjusting the skill level of what is being learned, or creating your own sense of accomplishment, you can embrace the growth!

In a bit of self-reflection after a veterinary appointment, a therapist shares about the mindset many of us have about avoiding spending on healthcare and addressing unseen problems unless we are "really bad". Here we discuss how this belief is interwoven between our own struggles with self-worth, as well as a false belief that sacrificing our own happiness for others will be worth it.