Totally Mental

It’s our one year anniversary! 🥳 this week we celebrate turning one by answering listener questions & chatting about what this past year has been like. We chat through our favorite & most challenging episodes, learning curves, our studio set up, how the show has impacted our friendship & other relationships in our lives & more. We love you so much. Thank you for being here with us. Enjoy! 

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

In today’s episode, we’re talking about toxic positivity. Sometimes toxic positivity is downright obvious, like when someone says, “well look on the bright side” or “just be grateful for everything you do have” amidst tragedy and trauma. Other times, the line toxic positivity can sneak in behind an overall optimistic outlook. We all fall somewhere different on the spectrum of toxic positivity and it depends on the situation.  We cover our own outlook on positivity vs toxic positivity, examples of toxic positivity, and what it feels like in this episode. Enjoy!

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

In this episode, we talk about religion. There’s so much to talk about on this topic, so we start with our own experiences with Christianity & the Catholic Church. We inherited so many beliefs & subconscious programming from religion ranging from sex, relationships, right vs wrong, our “roles” as women, guilt, shame, & more. We chat candidly about the spectrum of experiences we had with church & how we relate to it now. As this is such a broad topic & we have experiences from just one sector of one religion, we would love to hear from you about your experiences, thoughts & as always, *feelings* on this topic. Enjoy!  

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

September is National Suicide Prevention Month so today we’re talking about suicide. One of the biggest misconceptions about suicide is that talking about it plants the idea in someone’s head, but the truth is that talking about suicide is suicide prevention. Hannah shares her experience, the difference between passive and active suicidal ideation, how it feels when you’re in it, how to talk about suicide, and some resources to connect with. You are not alone. We love you.


RESOURCES

Help Lines
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - call or text - 988
Crisis Text Line - 741-741
The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth) - 866-488-7386
Trans Lifeline (Transgender Individuals) - 877-565-8860

Websites
National Alliance for Mental Illness
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Resources
Mental Health First Aid - find a course in your area
PsychologyToday.com - find a provider near you
211.org - find a range of resources in your area


Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

In today’s episode, we sit down with Courtney Soule & Kristi Kozubal to unpack the complexities of female friendships, connecting over life pain & champagne, the fact that healthy friendships sometimes take space, how differences can be so beneficial & more. It was fantastic to sit down with these ladies for this conversation & we can’t wait for you to be a part of it too! To keep in touch with them & all they’re doing, follow them online @courtsoule & @kristi.kozub & if you’re in the tri-city area, catch us at Public House nearly every weekend. Enjoy!

Resources:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

The Knowing-Doing Gap. Em and I talk about this idea about the knowing-doing gap being the disconnect between knowledge and action. Basically - knowing something is not always enough and there is often a gap between what we know and what we actually apply in our lives. We mention our big experiences with hesitating between knowing something isn't right and moving forward like in college, jobs and relationships. Enjoy!

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

Finding a new therapist feels like dating. You want to be vulnerable & connect but you also want to be funny & for them to like you. It’s a doozy! In this episode we cover how it feels to decide you want to go to therapy, how to get connected to the right therapist, what the first appointment feels like & how to navigate it from there. Enjoy!

Example emails to send to a new therapist:

Subject: New Client Request
Hello Rachel! I see you have a waitlist currently for new clients. I have gone to a few therapists over the years. I have not been to therapy in a while as I am looking for a new therapist who can give me more of what I am looking for/need at this stage. I am really interested in EMDR. Additionally, I'm a 29-year-old single girl who has literally no idea what I'm doing and needs help getting less lost haha :) Hope to hear from you!

Hi Leah! My name is Emily. Your profile stood out to me on PsychologyToday as I’m looking for a new therapist who specializes in ADHD. It says you're not taking new clients but I'm emailing you in the chance that's changed. I have recently gone through some life changes and am seeking support and practical life strategies that will help me manage my responsibilities and emotions more effectively. I’m very curious to explore ADHD and, if diagnosed, ways to manage it. I’m not super sure what that process looks like but am ready and eager to learn. I've been in therapy on and off for the last 14ish years so I'm pretty comfy with the process and really just looking for the right fit for this moment in my life. If anything opens up in your books, please let me know what would be the next steps to find out if we’re a good fit to work together. Thank you!

Other helpful resources:
https://psychcentral.com/health/changing-therapists

Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

This we’re talking about our friendship! This past Saturday was International Friendship Day and friendships are so special Ours is so fun, and it’s also taught us about communication, being seen, acknowledging our downfalls  &, as cliche as it can sound, what it looks like to do life with someone. So today we’re going behind the curtain to chat conflict, communication, nuances of friendship & as always, alllll the feels. Enjoy!

Friendship Questions:
168 Questions to Ask Friends That Are Fun, Personal, and Deep -Teen Vogue
36 Questions That Lead to Love - NYT

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

We’ve got that summertime … sadness? Turns out SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) isn’t just reserved for the winter blues. Just this episode we talk about how high expectations of summer activities can feel crushing, that feeling low in summer months can actually feel even lower because we feel like we shouldn’t feel that way & how it all feels to navigate. We hope you feel less alone in these feelings through this episode. Enjoy! 

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling

We're keeping things loose again this week! In this episode, we catch up on what's been going on in our lives and through our brains over the last few weeks. We talk about new therapists, skydiving, Hannah being allergic to everything, Em gives an ADHD assessment update & more. Enjoy!

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - like Hinge for therapists!
211.org - any resource you might need in your area.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for 24/7, free, confidential counseling when you are in crisis (whatever feels like a crisis to you).

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: [email protected]

Connect With Us:
Instagram: @totally.mental
Website: totallymentalpod.com
Email: totallymentalblog.com

Resources We Love:
Dial or Text 9-8-8 for the National Suicide Lifeline
PsychologyToday.com - to find a therapist you like.
Crisis Textline: Text 741-741 anytime for free, confidential counseling