Therapy Thursday

A liminal zone is a place between places. A transition, or in-between state. They show up in the real world all the time, but can be a real challenge when we face emotional/mental liminal zones. 

It can be a very difficult thing learning we are wrong. Especially if being right plays a big role in how you see your value. So let's examine some of the more lighthearted and simple ways that we have been wrong about things we assumed to be true for years, and how it applies to mental health.

In our first Therapy Thursday bonus interview I got to sit down with my incredibly talented friend Elle McLemore to talk about her journey with eating disorders and self worth while working in the entertainment industry. 

Multiple studies have shown repeatedly how closely our physical health and mental health are associated. But far too often we take care of one while ignoring the other. In this episode we examine what studies say is the best way to get mental health benefits from physical activity.

About a month ago I was fortunate to be a keynote speaker at the Affirmation International Conference. Affirmation is a group helping LGBTQ+ members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. This podcast contains the audio of my address. Although it is primarily aimed at the LDS/LGBTQ audience, I hope that everyone will find it helpful and insightful as we learn to better understand and love each other. 

Often as people start their therapy or healing journey and begin to separate themselves from unhealthy relationships or systems, they will experience backlash from the people still in those systems. This is a normal part of the growth process, but it can be uncomfortable and scary. 

We throw the phrase "I can't" around far too frequently, when in fact the majority of the time, the things we say that we "can't" do are actually just things that we won't do, don't want to do, or understand will be harmful for us and so choose not to do. And although saying "can't" can help us feel more comfortable, it actually limits our own power. Taking that power back is huge for your mental health.

So many clients I meet with are trying to make a change happen in their lives. But far too often they are trying to motivate this change coming from a place of hating themselves or their current situation. Hate is a terrible and weak motivator. Here's why. 

Although a lesson in linguistics may not be what you expect when discussing mental health, there are actually a lot of things we can learn from the way we structure our words and how that makes us view the world.

Developing the skill to have nuance in thinking pays huge dividends in mental and emotional health. And, incidentally, it's important to keep in mind when learning about something as personal as mental health on a platform as broad as social media or a podcast.