Why It’s Hard To Make The Changes That Might Heal Your Mental Health

Psychologists believe it’s natural to get stuck and explain how releasing shame can help us move forward.

Photo by Darya Skuratovich on Unsplash

“Years into my practice [as a clinical psychologist] I began to realise that all of us, myself included, were suffering from some version of a universal stuckness. I’ve had many amazingly insightful moments with myself and with clients where we come to realisations. We know what doesn’t work and we know what may work, yet we can’t actualise change.”—Psychologist Nicole LaPerla

I’m supposed to exercise every day.

I don’t do anything fancy, so if you’re imagining me squatting, thrusting, and doing one-armed press-ups, then bless you but no. What I go for are near-hysterically positive power-walking videos, yoga, or 30-minute seaside strolls, where I daily try to resist the best salted-caramel ice cream in town.

I try to exercise every day because it transforms my mental health; something anyone with anxious energy will understand. Today, however, I’ve barely moved from my desk, and if I’m honest, it’s not the first time I’ve wiggled out of exercising.

It’s not just exercising. I aim to take vitamins, do more guided meditations, react less violently to…