24 Eye-Opening Insights from Therapists That Could Completely Shift Your Perspective on Life Today

Regardless of whether you're in therapy, on a break from it, or haven't started yet, receiving guidance from therapists can be incredibly transformative and healing.

Here is a selection of insights that individuals (from our Mytour Community and Reddit) gained during their own therapy sessions:

1. "My therapist encouraged me to picture myself as an orange. Then, she asked me to remember that not everyone likes oranges. This doesn’t mean the orange is bad or spoiled, just that people have different tastes. That really helped me with my insecurities and my tendency to please others."

—u/chainedtothestove

2. “Does worrying about it actually affect the outcome? If yes, then go ahead and worry. I realized I couldn’t think of any situation where the answer to that was yes. This really helped stop my cycle of worry."

—u/smallfancypants

3. "There isn't always a clear-cut right or wrong decision. Morally, sure, things like murder are wrong, and honesty is generally right, but when it comes to life choices, you can only make the best decision with the information you have at the time. This shifted how I approached decision-making because I used to freeze up, asking, 'Is this the right thing to do?' There’s no way to know for sure, and if I look back and think, 'That wasn’t the best choice,' I try not to beat myself up because I made the best choice for me with what I knew in that moment."

—alexandrak4a2b5f498

4. "You are not unique." At that time, I was struggling with anxiety, feeling like everyone was watching me. I couldn’t go to the store, ride the bus, or even take a walk without feeling judged at every turn. It was terrifying. I told my therapist how I began to avoid going out, which was a real problem since I had college starting soon. She looked me directly in the eyes and said, '(Name), I say this with all the care in the world, but you are not special, nothing about you would make me second guess you if we passed each other on the street.' It was tough to hear, but it was exactly what I needed. That moment changed my life, giving me the strength to attend college and be out in public again."

— u/so_yellow 

5. “Don’t view the relationship as being over. Consider it as complete. This shift in perspective helped me tremendously in coping with a difficult breakup. It was incredibly helpful."

—u/kasssowary

6. "'You didn’t deserve that.' It was so straightforward, yet it was something I had never heard before."

—u/splithoofiewoofies

7. "You are not accountable for your parents' emotional state. They are grown adults who have lived on this earth for much longer than you."

—u/SmokedPears 

8. "When you catch yourself saying 'I should…', what you’re really thinking is '…in order to deserve love and respect.' The word 'should' has become much less common in my vocabulary now."

—u/DerAlliMonster

9. "My therapist encouraged me to picture my 5-year-old self and speak to her the way I speak to myself daily. It wasn’t until then that I understood how cruel I was being and how it was hindering my emotional growth."

—jazsesy

10. "Your partner should amplify the best qualities you see in yourself. It completely transformed my approach to dating! No more settling for anything less."

—u/Own_Natural_9162

11. "'Grief isn't just about death.' I was explaining that before losing my grandfather, I had never truly experienced grief, but she pointed out that grief isn't limited to losing loved ones. It applies to many other losses we face. This insight helped me allow myself to grieve and heal from other experiences of loss."

—b481d76f3c

12. "When I downplayed my struggles in comparison to others, I was reminded: 'This isn’t a competition of suffering.'"

—amyk453e68492

13. "Feelings, even the uncomfortable ones, aren’t inherently bad. Every emotion has its rightful place."

—u/notapeacock

14. "Anger is your brain's response to fear. When you feel angry, take a moment to ask yourself what fear lies behind it."

—u/tptman

15. "'It’s only a thought, not the truth.' This has been incredibly helpful for me in managing anxiety and panic attacks."

—sps437

16. "If you literally laid down and let people walk all over you, someone would still complain that you're not flat enough."

—u/Wolfblood-is-here

17. "'Why do you go out of your way to make others feel comfortable when you’re uncomfortable yourself?' It really helped me realize how much I was people-pleasing and avoiding confrontation."

—u/ERsandwich

18. "'You can become so used to feeling low that you unintentionally sabotage things when they start to get better. You can unlearn that! The key is not to shame yourself.' Even though I despise my depression, it's a familiar feeling, and when I'm starting to get better, I become afraid I'll be let down, so I end up falling back into self-destructive habits. It’s normal to be afraid and to gravitate back to what feels familiar, but it's crucial to allow yourself to feel that fear and still choose to move forward anyway."

—thelongweaver

19. "Take a five-second pause before responding. This transformed my life. Don’t react immediately with the emotion you're feeling in the moment. A brief pause makes all the difference. Calm yourself, reflect on what happened, and take time to carefully choose your words."

—u/CalabreseAlsatian

20. "I am not responsible for the emotions of others, in most situations. Their feelings belong to them."

—u/Actuaryba

21. "Not every relationship needs to conclude in marriage. Gain insight from each one, and stop blaming yourself when it ends. It wasn't a failure; it was simply an experience."

—u/Emotional_Giraffe_63

22. "'If you're out walking in the rain, you're going to get wet.' This really helped me. I was struggling with my dad's stage 4 cancer diagnosis, my mom's myasthenia gravis diagnosis, and my sister's recent Stiff-person syndrome diagnosis. He was reminding me that it's okay to feel unsteady when things are falling apart. I'll never forget that."

—u/hollybiochem

23. "To paraphrase, 'Stop holding yourself to standards that you wouldn't hold others to. Let yourself off the hook for the things you'd easily forgive someone else.' I may not have followed this advice, but it’s still wise."

—u/Notthesharpestmarble

24. And lastly, “'Therapy isn’t a straight path, and just because we don’t meet anymore doesn’t mean all your progress with me will vanish. You did it, I just supported you. You’re strong, and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come.' She made me cry in our last session when she said she was proud of me."

—u/PlotsOfAFrog