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Just like my occasional visits to the doctor’s office, I have been to psychotherapy at various points in my life when my mental health was not good. Through these experiences and conversations with other clinicians, I have compiled some 
general themes that are common in therapeutic practices.
o Mindfulness
With hundreds of thoughts circulating in your head, take time to press pause. Focus on what you are doing in the moment and continue to breathe. This will help clear your mind and calm your body, allowing you to move forward peacefully.
o Both/And
Embrace the duality and ambiguity of life. You can love your partner and be angry at them. You can be healthy and afraid of the pandemic. You can care about an issue and still need to take more action.
o Challenging Negative Thoughts
Rather than interpreting everything as inherently negative, work to think through alternative explanations. They were having a bad day before they ran into you. You were hungry and acted out of character. They already had someone picked for that particular job.
o Self-Love
Treat yourself as you treat your best friend. If you would not tear them apart for their appearance, you should not do it to yourself. And you would not call them stupid or weak or insufficient. Give yourself the endless affirmation and love that you show your bestie.
With these tools in your arsenal, life can be a little less draining. And if it ever gets to be too much, that is a great time to start some therapy yourself!
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