Dr. Jenny Taitz

And so it's again like the stress thing.

We could either keep it small or we could create this whole web of stress.

layer on top of layer and the first feeling that we have is helpful and productive like the first feeling is like let's get this done let's go for like good enough this is not going to be perfect we're just going to do this like how fast can you like do the things versus like unproductive which is like shame or more anxiety it could lead to like

not being in a position that you could actually do the thing.

And so I think a huge thing that we can all do when we start to feel stressed instead of getting into catastrophic thoughts or instead of like berating yourself is like normalizing the normal, like just being a good friend to yourself.

It's so simple, but so something we don't do for ourselves, but we do easily for others.

of course you feel this way given this of course you feel this and it's just like a quick reframe versus like what the hell is wrong with me is like this makes total sense and that immediately could probably take stress down a notch and that's why we like enjoy talking to like the friends that are empathic and validating and when we don't like

call people that, you know, say like you're overreacting and don't worry what's wrong with you.

Sure.

DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy, and it is a treatment that was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, who is an incredible pioneer.

And just very interestingly, she came out later in her career in an article in the New York Times sharing that a lot of the

treatment that she developed was the treatment that she wished she had when she really struggled with psychiatric crises.

And it's really incredibly moving.

She actually had been hospitalized repeatedly for her own mental health challenges and treated in really inhumane ways and prescribed tons of medications that really did more harm than good.

And not that there's anything wrong with medications, but the medications she was prescribed were really

not working for her and the literally the unit that she was hospitalized on like ultimately became a dbt unit where she came out and told her story which is really powerful and so dbt is a treatment that combines zen buddhist principles with cognitive behavioral therapy and so it teaches it's called dialectical because it's kind of seems like a dialectic or an apparent contradiction it teaches a hundred percent change

alongside 100% acceptance.

So I wholeheartedly accept this moment and I also wholeheartedly will change and acceptance also kind of paves the way for change.

And when you learn DBT, there's four specific tools that you learn.

So a lot of people maybe think therapy is like you go, you share your problems, you do a lot of the work, your therapist listens, takes some notes and maybe summarizes some things.