256. 10 years of therapy in 20 minutes (what i wish i learned sooner!)

wanna know what over a decade of therapy, a psychology degree, and my own podcast have taught me about mental health?! in this solo episode, i’m breaking down the key takeaways that i’ve learned throughout my mental health journey. in honor of it being mental health awareness month, i’m condensing everything i’ve learned from receiving intensive mental health care and years of dbt therapy as a suicidally depressed teenager– combined with my psychology education at upenn and my experience creating this very podcast– to make your 12-step guide to maintaining your mental health. by the end of this episode, you’ll know all the mental health tips + tricks i wish i’d known when i was struggling! i talk about: • why avoidance is impacting your mental health  • how to start getting better at recognizing your emotions • my mantra for dealing with conflict more effectively • relationship changes + how to navigate them  • the power of secondary emotions  • effective ways to reach your goals + stabilize your mental health • a mental health quote that changed my life • an underrated aspect of managing your mental health  • whether we can use our mental health to predict our futures • the mindset that was stopping me from building a life worth living • how distraction can actually save lives • what i learned in therapy that changed my self-esteem forever mentioned:  • atomic habits • dr. blaise aguirre episode ☕giveaway! want coffee on me? every month, i gift one listener a starbucks gift card to enter: 1. leave a review on apple or spotify 2. dm me a screenshot on instagram 📲 bonus entries for story or tiktok tags! ⁠@shepersistedpodcast⁠ ⁠shepersistedpodcast.com⁠ ⁠[e-mail]⁠  © 2026 SHE PERSISTED LLC. all rights reserved.