This week’s episode is a voiceover of my birthday essay for this year, along with an introduction to my creative process when I write and where I took inspiration from in writing this post. As I graduate from my early 20s, I talk about how much life gets better when you keep showing up.

I promise I tried my best not to sound angry lol but in this episode, I dissect Liezl Chu’s self-help advice directed at fat women (like herself) since it went viral and led to mixed opinions among different creators. I talk about which points ring true (such as how slim women are favored more than overweight ones) and which points spew utter BS that we need to collectively unlearn. I also discuss the importance of setting goals that are grounded on one’s intrinsic motivation more than extrinsic motivation.

References/resources to read:

Bittersweet: A phenomenological study on the lives of obese teenage girls in Cebu City

Fat shaming is making people sicker and heavier

The economics of thinness

Young Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of Skinny and Fat Shaming

Online communities have become an avenue for people to seek emotional support, and the internet turns into a public jury that determines whether what we are feeling is valid or not. While this can be helpful, focusing on how valid our feelings are in the eyes of others can get in the way of trusting our own judgment. On this episode, I share some introspective questions you can ask yourself instead of, ‘Are my feelings valid?’

For inquiries and collaborations: [email protected]

instagram.com/therapyfortakeout

What’s an occupational therapist for? How do I tell my therapist that I might be neurodivergent? And when exactly are we supposed to start medication? These are some questions that I answer on today’s episode :-)

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instagram.com/notjusdani

Here are some of my thoughts on how using therapy speak becomes a problem, and what we could do to address the hyper-individualism that comes out of exploiting the language of mental that we learn from therapy and social media.

Is Therapy-Speak Making Us Selfish?

The Rise of Therapy Speak

Happy Valentine’s Day! In this week’s episode, I talk about three studies that aim to understand the whimsical dynamics of intimacy, closeness, and relationships among adults.

References:

Aron, A., Melinat, E., Aron, E., Vallone, R., & Bator, R. (1997). The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings. Personality and Psychology Bulletin, 23(4). 363-377. https://doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167297234003

Villafuerte, S. (2023). ‘To grow old with you’: Mentally healthy behaviors of older adults. 10.31124/advance.23642922.v1.

Hudson, N., Lucas, R., & Donnellan, M. (2020). The Highs and Lows of Love: Romantic Relationship Quality Moderates Whether Spending Time With One’s Partner Predicts Gains or Losses in Well-Being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 46(4). 572-589.

For inquiries/collaborations: [email protected]

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Today’s young adults face a loneliness epidemic. In this episode I talk about how it’s affecting us and what we can do to deal with it.

For collaborations and suggestions, email me at [email protected].

Taken from the Substack archive, this is a voiceover of one of the earliest pieces I have for my advice column, Dear Dani. In this episode, I talk about dealing with conflict as an avoidant and wanting to be there for your friends when you don’t have the emotional energy for issues outside of your own.

Interested in having me process your situation and provide some insight? Send a voice message here or email me at [email protected].

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The advice column is now on the pod! Occasionally I open my ask box on Instagram to have people send in their problems so that I can offer advice. On today's episode, I share what I think of new year’s resolutions (do they work?), shifting to a different program, and knowing your potential but not feeling motivated to realize it.

Why the saying “you deserve what you tolerate” is total bs, what we’re getting wrong about providing emotional support, and how we can be there for our stubborn friends without sacrificing our own mental health.

instagram.com/therapyfortakeout

[email protected]