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Isn't it awesome that we live in an age when going to therapy isn't as frowned upon as it was, for example, for Tony Soprano?

I'll go out on a limb and say that the internet culture has contributed to mental health awareness too.

There are countless online discussions where people not only share their struggles but also relate to each other, letting the other person know that their feelings are valid and offering suggestions on what they could do to make everything a little easier to bear.

And let's not forget the ultimate tool used for social normalization—humor; laughing at yourself and with others can remedy even some of the biggest wounds.

'Therapy Memes Group' is a Facebook community that invites us to do just that. Let's try!

However, as the public perception of therapy changes, new challenges are arising. A 2022 study from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 6 in 10 psychologists "no longer have openings for new patients."

The shortage comes as demand for therapy soars: since the beginning of the pandemic, about three-quarters of practitioners have seen their waiting lists grow.

In the same period, almost 80% of practitioners reported an increase in patients with anxiety disorders and 66% have seen an increase in those needing treatment for depression.

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Edward Finger Hands
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you’d think having all 3 would cancel them out…instead I end up standing in my kitchen turning in circles like a broken sim

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, but when you have ADHD even the corner seems too much of an effort...

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Ashlisha
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No that's because the corner turns into a monster. Cabinets need wiped, I can't find my rag, where is my left shoe and finally...why is my hand bleeding...has anyone seen a bandaid?

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PupperPanda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every single thing that you manage to do is a win. At my worst, I set myself a goal of achieving three things a day. At first, the three things were: get out of bed, clean my teeth, eat a meal. After a few days of doing that the achievements got bigger. Baby steps are key to recovery. Activation comes before motivation.

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Aria the Dog Lover
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something wise I learned from Agents of Shield. You don't have to solve the whole problem, you just need to solve part of it. Solve 1% of the problem everyday, in 100 days you'll have it.

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Vermontah
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As long as I can make the bed every day I feel accomplished. It's become a game with the cat to get it made. I used to have days where the only reason I got up was to feed my pets. I'm not afraid to tell my doctor when a medicine isn't doing it for me.

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xolitaire
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also: try to balance "the thing" with something that destresses you. Spent 15 minutes doing the thing and feel overwhelmed? Good, now sit down and read a bit.

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deejak
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do this. It takes me months to clean just one room like the kitchen. By the time I get to every part, the other parts need it again. Maybe next year I can get the bathroom done.

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Jonathan Nichols
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's why, while struggling with anxiety disorder and fibro, when I'd make a checklist of things to do, I'd always include extremely basic things and things I'd already accomplished that day so I could have things to check off

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Superb Owl
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Is it better now than it was before I started?" My life has been better since I started to ask myself that on various tasks :)

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Shelby Moonheart
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If something is worth doing it is worth doing poorly. Like brushing your teeth.

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Bobby
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate leaving a job unfinished. No problem with not started though. When I see a project I don't even know where to start(like that storage shed I keep saying I'll get to) I get overwhelmed and can't even grab the item closest to me to at least say I did something because I will feel like a failure if I don't clean the whole thing

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Queen Shay
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you’re like me you find something in that corner that needs to be organized and now you end up wanting to sew a bedside organizer cause you think you need something to hold your tablet and cell phone. Start cutting fabric, get distracted by looking at ideas on Pinterest then end up watching anime.

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Bobert Robertson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I smack my wife on the butt so often. Gotta take what I can get.

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The Veil of Fire
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm just happy I can get up to go pee some days. Yea! For the 1% daily accomplishments. yea me!

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“I started my private practice just before Covid hit, and it was certainly filling up then,” Dr. Jennifer Reid, a psychiatrist, writer, and podcast host in Philadelphia, told The Guardian. “But the numbers have exponentially risen since that time.”

Reid even stopped advertising her practice on sites like Psychology Today and other places where people can find therapists. There's simply no need now.

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being an MD who worked as a psychiatrist and suffering from 3 of the above mentioned myself I can only say... it's true. No freaking other way that we know of, and it's frustrating the hell out of me.

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Schlay van Gay
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Removed "the chair" when remodeling my bedroom to avoid the pile of clothes. Let me introduce: "the floor".

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Reid focuses on anxiety and insomnia, which have been “major players” in the pandemic. According to her, people with anxiety, phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorder related to germs had particular trouble. Then there were the isolation and doomscrolling.

Now, she noticed, people are struggling to re-enter the world. "People are finding they're having anxiety trying to re-engage in social settings in situations that were previously not as safe", she said. “Now they’re having to kind of retrain their brains.”

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Chihuahua Mama
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even great parents give you an awful lot of terrible gifts you just can't seem to get rid of

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Reid said people often may need to return to their primary care doctor for a period of time, “or they just end up going without and waiting on waitlists, unfortunately”.

The APA study also found that the average psychologist reported being contacted by 15 potential patients every month.

Reid, who combines therapy and medical approaches, said she generally has space for about one new patient every few weeks.

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To manage the growing demand, Reid works with a platform for Philadelphia therapists that allows them to see each other's availability. “We really feel a sense of responsibility to try and get patients some good options if we can, if we’re not able to see them,” she said.

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Seeking a therapist through word of mouth – asking friends or calling practitioners even if they’re fully booked – is a good first step. The increasing use of telehealth may also help, particularly under programs such as PsyPact, a legal framework that allows practitioners to work in multiple states. But remember that you can also simultaneously express yourself through memes!

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Jesse
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

me sharing that one time i hit my head and my mother yelled at me for getting blood on the table instead of helping me be like

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But even in Poland you can't stop playing this out in your head over and over...

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As your brain is inside your head, yeah, everything related to it is 'only in your head'

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Artsy Bookworm
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Went on a wine tour yesterday and the guide explained how it's champagne only if it is from the town Champagne. It was destiny that made me open this post!

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fair_weather_rose
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But... but I made a list! See, it's a list with all the stuff I need/want to do today, and it's written in purple pen, which is my favorite pen to write in even though blue is my favorite color, but sometimes I tell people my favorite color is red or black, because those are the colors I wear the most, but I actually really like silver, but I don't think I have any silver clothes... wait, what was I talking about?

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Jill
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Umm...this sounds like me....hides in corner. Oh, I mean latibulate!

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Feathered Dinosaur
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah brain, you should really wait for my consent before putting your thoughts in my head!

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Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.