DSM - Don’t Shrink Me

26/03/2026

🛟 Sometimes our nervous systems can go into ‘survival mode’ when we’ve been hurt, ignored, or made to feel unsafe in the past.
🧠 Our brains then learn to scan for the smallest signs that something might go wrong in a relationship. 
🌀 It may be a change in tone, a slower reply or a shift in energy which can cause us to spiral
🤯 Overanalysing, pulling away or needing reassurance but feeling guilty for it at the same time.
💭 Why do we do this?! Because we have different parts which are trying to protect us from experiencing the hurt and the unsafety again.
😣 The difficult part is that those same protective parts can show up even when we’re finally feeling safe with someone.
🧘 So when things feel calm or consistent, it can actually feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.
We don’t want to shut these parts down but we want to slowly teach them and our nervous system that it’s okay to feel safe again.
You can get through whatever happens now 💫

📝 Save this post as a reminder that you don’t have to live in survival mode anymore

24/03/2026

🤫 Psssttt.. I’ll let you in on a little secret…
You can be anxious AND still be ok.
How?!
Well two things can be true at once .
Anxiety will tell you “wait till you feel better”, but you actually don’t have to
You’re allowed to feel anxious AND still live your life.
The power is in acknowledging both ⚖️

19/03/2026

😇 Being the “good kid” can look like coping, but it’s often about survival.
Holding it together, staying quiet, not needing too much.
The hardest part?
it may cause you to lose touch with your own needs, feelings, and identity along the way.
The first step is finding your way back to yourself 👣
If this hits, you’re not alone 🩶

18/03/2026

😮‍💨 We’ve been taught to reach out only when things feel unbearable.
But therapy isn’t just crisis support, it’s space to build self-awareness, emotional tools, and resilience before things hit breaking point.
You don’t have to wait until you’re struggling to deserve support ❤️‍🩹

Save this as a reminder that you deserve support before things break 〰️

16/03/2026

🔓Opening up isn’t always straightforward… 
Sometimes silence means that we’re still working out if it’s safe to speak.
Common thoughts that can sometimes stay unspoken:
〰️ ‘I don’t know how to explain what’s wrong’
〰️ ‘What if you think I’m being dramatic?’
〰️ ‘What if my problems aren’t serious enough?’
〰️ ‘I want help, but I don’t want to look weak’

Trust often builds slowly. What isn’t said at the beginning can become easier to share over time.

💾 Save this if you’re feeling nervous to start therapy

15/03/2026

🤝🏼 Sometimes the people who want connection the most are the ones who push it away.
This isn’t because they don’t care, but because getting close to people has felt risky before.
A lot of us deeply want to feel understood, supported, and accepted. But if we’ve been hurt, rejected, or let down in the past, our brains learns to protect us 🧠

So when someone gets close, our alarm system can go off 🚨
This might look like:�〰️ Shutting people out�〰️ Acting uncaring�〰️ Pushing others away�〰️ Becoming defensive�〰️ Testing whether someone will leave

Underneath those behaviours is often someone who really wants to belong.
Sometimes “I don’t care” actually means “I don’t want to get hurt again.”

People who push connection away the most are often the ones who need safe, consistent relationships the most 💞

💬 Can you relate? Or can someone you know?

15/03/2026

🫀 Not every uncomfortable emotion needs an intervention or a diagnosis.
Mental health language is everywhere online right now. In a lot of ways, that’s a good thing because people have more permission to talk about their inner worlds than ever before.

But something else can happen too.
Sometimes normal human emotions start to get framed as problems that need fixing.

Whether it’s feeling jealous, lonely, frustrated or insecure. These emotions don’t always mean something is “wrong.” Often they’re just signals that something meaningful is happening in our lives and relationships.

Therapy isn’t about eliminating difficult feelings. It’s about understanding them, making space for them, and learning how to relate to them differently.

Some emotions need to be felt, and not ‘healed’

If this hits, save this post for later or share it with someone who might need the reminder.

Do you think social media sometimes pathologises emotions?

20/02/2025

Have you read our most recent article featured on the number 1 women’s podcast in the country - Mamamia Ouloud?

If you haven’t, read here… 👇🏻

We are currently living through a Mental Health crisis, and our system is failing so many. So where did we go wrong? And what can be done?

28/01/2025

⚠️ TW: This post deals with the topic of Self-Harm

More resources:

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/self-harm/

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/if-youre-worried-about-someone-else/how-can-i-support-someone-who-has-self-harmed/

https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/worried-about-someone/how-to-help-someone-who-self-harms/

https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/self-harm

Follow for more mental health content 🧠

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