Why do we become attached to people who don't text us back right away, won't commit, or are generally inconsistent? Because inconsistency is unfortunately a really effective training tool!
How much you like them...
How they treat you is more important than how much you like them.
There's a big difference between liking someone - even loving someone - and being in the relationship you want. But to a great extent (hello rom coms and online dating apps!) we've been trained to focus on the partner, rather than the relationship. Do I like them? Do I find them attractive? Are they smart/confident/successful/interesting/funny enough to swipe right?
What I learned in my first quarter of grad school to be a therapist
It seems therapy has recently grown quite a bit in popularity, and you need look no further than bestselling books like Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, shows like Couples Therapy with Dr. Orna Guralnik, or podcasts like Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel (all of which I personally recommend). Therapists have even taken over Instagram with bite-sized recommendations for managing burnout and anxiety, or gentle reminders that you are not defined by your trauma.
So, while my first quarter was not yet focused as much on treatment or applicable takeaways for the everyday person, I thought that given the newfound interest in therapy as a field I’d still share some of what I learned from the therapist-side of things in my classes this past quarter.
