Some internet content is so relatable and hits so hard, it sometimes feels like it was personally crafted just for you and you alone. However, when you start talking about these memes aloud, you can come to a startling conclusion: a lot of other people feel the same way, and have plenty of shared experiences, whether they’re positive or negative. And some of them fight the very same mental health battles.
The popular ‘Memes to Discuss in Therapy’ Facebook page touches upon this memetic connection that we have. The page is dedicated to sharing memes—both funny and serious—that are often relatable to a painful degree. And, as the name of the page suggests, they touch on topics and struggles that you might want to consider discussing with your therapist if you have one.
Let us know which of these memes you relate with the most by giving them a big old upvote and leaving a comment. And remember, if you think that January feels as long as a year, you’re not alone.
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Agreed, family gatherings are generally a f**k-all stressful ass experience, and yet, we go back and to same shenanigans each year...
Nearly 617k people follow the ‘Memes to Discuss in Therapy’ page on Facebook. What’s more, the project has 585.5k likes on the social media platform. In other words, it’s proof that the content is relatable, witty, and a lot of people feel that it’s worth their time.
The Facebook page describes its content as stuff that’s “found on the Internet that feels like a personal attack and should be discussed with my therapist.”
And speaking of therapy, there’s still quite a lot of stigma attached to the idea that someone’s reaching out to a professional for help.
Earlier, Bored Panda spoke about the stigma of seeking professional help with British psychotherapist Silva Neves. He pointed out that, in his opinion, the situation has been improving over time.
“I think it is getting better and there is less stigma seeing a therapist now. It depends on your location though, there are still some parts of the world where therapy is still a taboo. Some people think that seeing a therapist means that you're 'crazy,' but this is not actually what therapy is about," he explained.
I noticed that my days off are way more complex that work days. So much to do and there is no schedule Oo
"Therapy is a confidential and private space where you can get help from a professional with anything that bothers you, from your work problems, relationship issues, or other psychological problems such as post-trauma stress, depression, and anxiety," the therapist said.
"Those things are actually very common and many people struggle with these things, it doesn't mean they're ‘crazy.’ Seeing a therapist when you have emotional struggles should be as normal as seeing your doctor when you have a physical problem. But at the moment, our society hasn't normalized therapy yet. It is changing with famous people talking about the benefits of therapy such as Lady Gaga and Prince Harry,” the therapist told Bored Panda.
Therapist Silva said that some people who have deep-seated insecurities can lash out at others to make themselves feel better. However, with proper self-compassion and learning to accept themselves as they are, they can develop a new, healthier mindset.
“Insecurity can manifest either by making themselves invisible (If I'm not seen, nobody will notice my flaws) or the opposite, by what we call 'bragging': shouting at everybody about how wonderful they are. This is usually to try to persuade themselves that they are good enough,” he said.
"Another way to counter the 'I'm not enough' [mentality] is by pushing others down, sabotaging other people's success, or attacking people as a way to feel powerful so that they can control their inner pain of 'I'm not enough,’” he said.
“All of these strategies don't work because what they do is either internalizing or externalizing the belief 'I'm not enough' rather than changing it," Silva explained.
Right? I am almost 32 and last night I was suffering about not being able to do the university entry exams that I did at 18...
Yes! This! And sometimes I dream that a new year at school starts and I don't have a schedule so I don't know what classes I have and where I have to go. I always thought I was the only one who dreams things like that. Glad to learn I was wrong :)
Load More Replies...I once had a dream where I realised I didn’t attend a math class in high school and was scared if anyone found out my uni degrees would be taken away.
Once in the last year of HS I dreamed that i falied history and my teacher (i liked her) kept telling me how disappointed she was. I was the rest of the morning dreading my history exam resul until I realised that i wasnt taking history that year...
Load More Replies...I'm 41 and still have nightmares that I can't remember my locker combination
Oh my god, why does no one discuss the trauma of dreaming about a forgotten locker combo?! Why?!! 😂😂😂
Load More Replies...I'm 57, and believe it or not, I still have upsetting dreams that I'm at a weird unfamiliar school and can't find my locker or can't remember the combination. I discussed it with my husband (60 ysr) a while back and he said he still has similar dreams. We all must have lifelong PTSD from the "fun" of attending high school.
I was just thinking, after reading all these comments, that there is a high possibility that we all suffer complex PTSD due to repeated exposure to stressful exams. I think some psychologists or psychiatrists should look into it. Maybe schools need to come up with non punitive assessment systems.
Load More Replies...I tend to have dreams where I'm back in high school band expected to play when I haven't touched my trombone in a little over two decades.
As a fellow former brass player, I sympathize. I no longer have the lung capacity or embouchure!
Load More Replies...I sometimes dream I am ridiculously behind in this compulsory course for my degree, and there is no way I'll learn the material well enough to pass it, and I'm agonizing because I hate the course and want to just drop it but then I won't get my science degree, and maybe I should just give up because there's no way to fix this...then I wake up and it actually takes me a bit to realize that, hey, I completed my science degree at the end of freaking 2008 and it did sweet f**k-all for me anyways, and I realize nothing matters and I can relax.
Damn. That stressed ME out! 😂 Congratulations on your degree!
Load More Replies...I have a recurring dream (at least 2 or 3 times a week) that I don't go in to work when scheduled. I'll be doing something and remember, "Oh s**t, I have a job". Then I try to call, but I can't get the number dialed right. It's the most frustrating dream ever, and it just wrecks the next day for me.
I have this all the time. It takes me about 2 minutes to realize I am 43 and not in school
I'm also in my 40's and while dreaming about being in HS again, I'm thinking "why the hell am I in HS I'm over 40, and I have nothing in common with these kids." OR that me and some of my graduating class had our diplomas revoked because the school didn't test us properly so now we're taking Math again for a big test so we can "really" graduate... in our 40's
Load More Replies...Still having nightmares about being late for a class...graduated HS in '71.
Can anyone read in dreams because I can't and it stresses me out in the dream.
I'm not the only one!!! I have a reoccurring bad dream where it's the first day of highschool and I forgot the print out of my class schedule. I run to the library to check on a computer and I'm in a panic about being tardy, but when I look it's blurry and I can't read it. Then I wake up. But what's weird is in actual hs I was late all the time and didn't give a f*CK. I'm nearly 28.
I am at the moment a mature mature student. I've exams this month and have silly dreams all the time. Tonight was a the back half of my clothes are all gone. So from the front I've clothes on from the back I'm naked and i can't concentrate on writing because my bum is out. I'm writing this at 3am because i woke up panicking
When I was doing law I lived in a place where the house down the road had beautiful roses. They would come to full bloom just as the end of year exams were starting. For years after I couldn't walk past that place at that time of year without feeling a bit nauseous. They were such beautiful roses, too
There will come a time that you will wake up an more time of your life will have been spent as an adult than as a child.
I don't get those, but from time to time I get dreams that I am back waiting tables, the place is full and I don't know where the kitchen is. The last time I waited tables was in 1988.
Since I taught college for 30 years, my nightmare dreams are now about forgetting to teach concepts that are on the exam I'm giving TODAY.
Or in my dream I smoke a cigarette and want another and then think, "Crap! I'm addicted again!" After I quit 33 years ago.
This is why no one says "I was an alcoholic". You hit a certain point and it's not a matter of "was". I sincerely wish you the best of luck and congratulations on giving it up, and keeping it that way.
Load More Replies...Nah, this is universally one of the most common stress dreams. There's no cultural bounds on this one.
Load More Replies...Nah. It's probably the season where the main character winds up in a coma. You know, to "add drama."
"The key to becoming more secure is to change the underlying belief 'I'm not enough' to 'I'm enough,'" the therapist told Bored Panda.
"Perhaps parents didn't praise children enough, or they paid more attention to the mistakes rather than the successes. As an adult now, people can give themselves a hug once in a while and tell themselves, gently: 'you're doing good,' 'well done,' 'congratulations.' Eventually, the brain will listen and slowly change the message 'I'm not enough' to 'I'm enough,'" he said that everyone can try to overcome their insecurities.
"Rather than shouting your praise at other people, it is about speaking to yourself in a loving way. When people are genuinely aware of their successes, they can become genuinely more confident without the need to impose their power onto others."
If you can't handle me at my worst, I don't care if you're made of love, you're in for a really bad time
2023: If I'm fiscally savvy, I can save up to buy a cardboard box and furnish the ditch I'm living in, while I work three jobs and dumpster dive for food. Ah yes, the American Dream!
I walked into PTSD group with my new hair style and the first thing I heard was, "OMG, what happened?" Um... I went to a salon.
I sometimes find myself screaming in my own head. Does that count?
Jan 4th-Dec23rd: Anxiety joins depression. They team up with Covid panic and financial insecurity, to kick the s**t outta me all year.
Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
I have never taken so many screenshots from one thread. Title lives up to it's name that's for sure!
I just e-mailed every shrink I know a link to this. :-)
Load More Replies...One of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, made me realize that my frustration about the things that happened to me was just a matter of perspective. It really helped the way I saw the events of my life after that.
Right! Rincewind much? RIP Sir Terry. Probably the only reason I'm not in therapy, but I probably should be...
Load More Replies...Have a phonecall appointment next Monday. I've written down my favorites to read to him. That way he'll know that inspite of everything happening right now, I'm really still ok.
This annoys the hell out of me on Bored Panda. I was gonna read this thread earlier today and then it was "100 Funny and relatable...", but now it's just 40?
they shorten the lists based on upvotes. you can view the full 100 image list on desktop, i believe if you scroll all the way to the bottom there is an orange link
Load More Replies...I have never taken so many screenshots from one thread. Title lives up to it's name that's for sure!
I just e-mailed every shrink I know a link to this. :-)
Load More Replies...One of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, made me realize that my frustration about the things that happened to me was just a matter of perspective. It really helped the way I saw the events of my life after that.
Right! Rincewind much? RIP Sir Terry. Probably the only reason I'm not in therapy, but I probably should be...
Load More Replies...Have a phonecall appointment next Monday. I've written down my favorites to read to him. That way he'll know that inspite of everything happening right now, I'm really still ok.
This annoys the hell out of me on Bored Panda. I was gonna read this thread earlier today and then it was "100 Funny and relatable...", but now it's just 40?
they shorten the lists based on upvotes. you can view the full 100 image list on desktop, i believe if you scroll all the way to the bottom there is an orange link
Load More Replies...