In recent years, mental health has become an increasingly talked about subject – for good reason! Talking to our peers, getting perspectives from people who’ve been there, and building community through transparency are the best ways to beat the stigma of being open about mental health. Dr. Hope Dugan led the first of her three panels focused on opening the conversation, “Evicting the Psychotic Roommate in Your Head”, on Friday at 4 PM in Hyatt Vinings.
To ground and prep attendees for the discussion, Dr. Dugan gave the reminder that your inner critic is not your guide, your intuition, your, wisdom, or your gut feelings. Those are quiet and steady and easy to be drowned out by the loud voices of the four “roommates” that could be living in your head. Fear (“that seems dangerous, don’t try”), Rumination (“woulda, coulda, shoulda”), Ego (“you will look stupid if you do that”), and The Past (“but this is what you are”) can find their origin story in any number of ways but can keep a firm hold in your head.
While it’s important to understand what the feelings are, it’s equally important to name them. Dr. Dugan calls this the Rumpelstiltskin Effect; “shame cannot live in the sun” so don’t let any of the psychotic roommates thrive unnamed and in the dark. Call them out and give them a name.
Attendees were then given the space to process and discuss the origins of these roommates with their elbow buddies (honestly so therapeutic – definitely way easier to talk about the tough stuff with a stranger!).
After being brought back into the presentation, Dr. Dugan dove into deeper explanations of the roommates and how they can suck you into a spiral. So how do we break ourselves out of a spiral and get back to the more productive and loving voice that we should be listening to? Four steps that take serious introspection but is totally worth the work:
- Recognize negative thoughts
- Identify whose voice it is (name them!)
- Reframe the negative talk
- Practice self-compassion
It’s important to remember that growth should be focused on progress, not perfection. Going from negative to loving is a constant practice that will not be linear (more likely than not).
Attendees were left with one final note from Dr. Dugan: “Your roommates may still live here, but you are the landlord.” You have full power to evict the psychotic roommates to make room for the loving roommate you do want living in your head.
Dr. Dugan will be presenting two more panels this weekend. On Saturday you can find her in the Hilton Crystal Ballroom at 8:30 PM for “Imposter! Getting Over Yourself”. She’ll be back in Hyatt Vinings on Sunday at 11:30 AM for “Tips for Getting Stuff Done”.
If you can’t make either of her panels this weekend, Dr. Dugan provided the resources for all of her panels for Con attendees to access for free. Please check out her work here if you need a relatable mental health resource.
