Category: Mental Health
-
Why willpower is less about strength than it seems
There is a familiar explanation for behaviour change: some people have willpower, others do not. One group gets up early, sticks to routines, eats well, stays focused. The other struggles, drifts, gives in. The difference is usually treated as character. It is a neat story. It also doesn’t quite survive contact with everyday life. Because…
-
Clingy or Connected? The Real Difference Between Codependency and Healthy Love
Clingy or Connected? The Real Difference Between Co-dependency and Healthy Love Ever found yourself constantly worrying about your partner’s mood, trying to fix their problems, or feeling guilty when you do something for yourself? Or maybe you’ve heard phrases like “we do everything together” or “I can’t live without them” and wondered — is that…
-
Dopamine Addiction. Why the Click Myth Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story.
Everyone talks about dopamine like it’s some secret drug hidden in your phone. One click, one like, one scroll, and boom—you’re hooked. Social media is supposed to be addictive, right? But here’s the truth: it’s not that simple. The idea that every little ping from your phone floods your brain with dopamine and keeps you…
-
The perfectionist who couldn’t stop proving himself
Daniel thought his relentless standards were the reason for his success. In therapy, he discovered they were also the source of much of his unhappiness. Daniel spent almost an hour rewriting an email. It wasn’t a particularly important email. Nobody’s job depended on it. No major decision would be made because of it. It was…
-
Perfectionism isn’t about high standards. It’s about fear
We tend to think of perfectionists as driven people with high standards. But psychologists have long argued that perfectionism is less about excellence and more about avoiding criticism, rejection and the fear of not being good enough. There was a time when describing yourself as a perfectionist sounded almost like a humblebrag. During job interviews,…
-
“Everyone has ADHD these days”: what mental illness says about society
There is a phrase that keeps resurfacing with increasing certainty: “everyone has ADHD these days.” It tends to appear in casual conversation, often with mild irritation and a sense that something has gone wrong. The implication is that a once-specific clinical diagnosis has somehow leaked into everyday life, becoming a catch-all explanation for distraction, procrastination…
-
When the Mind Steps Back: The Hidden Spectrum of Dissociation
Most people only notice dissociation when it looks dramatic: missing chunks of time, blank spells, or describing the world as unreal. But that’s just the far end. In reality, dissociation runs through ordinary life in much smaller doses, usually unnoticed. It is less a rare condition and more a sliding scale of how much a…
-
Trauma-Informed Care – A Journey to Healing with Zain
Trauma-Informed Care: A Journey to Healing with Zain As a therapist, I’ve been fortunate to witness many remarkable stories of healing and resilience. One story that stands out is Zain’s, a man in his mid-thirties of Asian descent, who courageously allowed me to share his journey with the understanding that his real name is not…
-
Finding Light in the Darkness. Elio’s Journey Through Depression and the Power of Psychotherapy.
Elio had always been the kind of person who kept things to himself. On the outside, he seemed fine—maybe even great. He had a decent job, a small circle of friends, and a cozy apartment that he shared with his cat, Luna. But on the inside, things weren’t so simple. Elio had been struggling with…