This week for #freeyourmindfriday, Dr. Meredith Teriecki of Instagram’s @thepsychologistandme, took over our Insta stories to talk about mental health and mental health education. Check out her bio below!
Hi it’s Dr. M from @thepsychologistandme. I’m a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychology, and Addictive Behaviours Researcher in London, UK.
Why am I on Instagram? Good question. Statistics say that 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental health issue in their lives. During and after the coronavirus pandemic, I suspect that number will be even higher. And month after month of quarantine and uncertainty, people have been asked to dig very deep for the strength to hold on during these tough times without their usual support network. The demand for mental health services is at an all-time high and wait-lists are long. There is stigma around acknowledging our mental health issues, what it means to have issues with mental health, and what mental health treatment really is. Mind you, this is through the eyes of an actual psychologist who trains psychologists (not a mental health influencer!).
I started the page @thepsychologistandme to offer free mental health education and to demystify what mental health therapy is. My mission is to provide fun and engaging mental health content using humour and pop culture to make mental health topics approachable and interesting. The page provides tips for good mental health habits, such as things you can do every day to feel less depressed or anxious. The page also offers advice on common thinking traps and ‘unsticking’ yourself from patterns that don’t get you where you’d like to be, all of which can result in poorer mental health. I’m hoping that people might see going to therapy as a good thing for health in the same way they view going to the gym as a good thing for health. Because it is. Trust me you’ll thank yourself.
Take care of yourself. Remember there is no vaccine for pandemic burnout.
Dr. M.