It's Okay To Not Be Okay / Selena Gomez

This is a long post with a lot of thoughts.

Recently it was in the news that Selena Gomez, who is very brave to have shared her struggles with lupus, depression, and anxiety in the past, is seeking treatment for those things again. I read an article about it that said one of the treatments she getting is called “DBT” or dialectical behavioral therapy so I looked that up, since Self-ValYOU uses cognitive behavioral therapy tools and they sounded really similar.

Here is the article: https://psychcentral.com/lib/whats-the-difference-between-cbt-and-dbt/

And here copy and pasted is the most important part I got from it:

“Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a specific form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. DBT seeks to build upon the foundation of CBT, to help enhance its effectiveness and address specific concerns that the founder of DBT, psychologist Marsha Linehan, saw as deficits in CBT.

DBT emphasizes the psychosocial aspects of treatment — how a person interacts with others in different environments and relationships. The theory behind the approach is that some people are prone to react in a more intense and out-of-the-ordinary manner toward certain emotional situations, primarily those found in romantic, family and friend relationships.”

A lot of the time I am asked what people should do when someone else uses negative self-talk around them. This article makes me realize that when people use that talk, they need to reshape how they interact with other people when they are feeling self-doubt or insecurity because of things happening around them. Sometimes when people are feeling vulnerable around something or someone, they put themselves down. I know I have done that before — that is one of the things I work on. The cognitive therapy piece, I guess, is the self talk and working on that part, and the “dialectical” is more of dealing with the things going on around you and how they affect you. The “You-Turn” can be both—you reframe how you see yourself AND you can reframe how you handle your interactions with other people. I am meeting with and IntervYOUing a neuropsychologist soon and I am definitely going to ask her about this.

When I talk about the health effects of negative self image, I tell people that it puts a person at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other issues. Selena is taking care of herself and showing that positive self image, self talk, and healthy relationships are a very real health concern. I have so much respect for her. I don’t know her but I am praying for her. I used to watch her when she was in Wizards Of Waverly Place and remember her as this amazing Disney actress who was good at everything. I am grateful for her being public about her very real struggle so people don’t have to feel like it’s something to be embarrassed about. I am happy that she is getting help. Dealing with stress and handling self-doubt is never over. You (at least I) always have to work on it.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. If you are struggling with self-doubt or depression, reach out for help. You can go to www.nami.org for more resources. #valYOUable #itsokaytonotbeokay