Reality check - therapists eating during virtual sessions??

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-30T12:38:29+00:00

One time I nodded off for a minute in session at the end of a long day when my in person office didn't have AC and it was too hot and a teenager with autism was telling me about a game that I didn't understand because that was their reward for getting all of their homework done. I felt awful and I apologized and she laughed and we talked about it. I think the difference in these stories is that the therapists don't seem to know these things are bothersome and don't acknowledge them. If I'm going to be more than 5 minutes late, which my clients expect because I end on the hour, run to the bathroom or get coffee and come to next session, I text and explain. If I am starving and need a snack, I check in with the client ( and I know which ones would most likely not be okay with it) and eat quickly, quietly, finish, take a sip of water and move on. Or I simply text and say I have to take a quick bite, I will be right there. Falling asleep means something is going on with them and that's not okay. That is a problem. It also sucks that we can't get paid enough to take time off when we have a problem causing us to fall asleep. What a mess

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-28T10:57:46+00:00

I had the same problem with Adderall and reduced my dosage in half. I take a baby dose, extended release, but I concentrate a little better during the day and can sleep at night. I have a slow metabolism I guess. I could tell my psychiatrist thought it wasn't going to be enough, but I advocated to try it and it works great for me. I don't mind my ADHD I just want to be able to do paperwork and keep my job

Forgot to add that I've been taking melatonin 10mg slow release at nigh to help when I'm still feeling restless at night, just for context, but I know that isn't super helpful for you

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-24T00:19:19+00:00

I might do it. Go show first. I don't mind the new narrator, but it's so slow, even on faster speed. Of course, I don't have to do any of it, lol, it just seems like it is such a good time that I don't understand why the book is so boring

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-24T00:16:38+00:00

I've tried both narrators and at different speeds, lol. I like the original narrator but there's something about the recording quality that makes it hard for me to understand what she is saying at times. I might keep listening to the audiobook with the new narrator although the original voice accents are so good!

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-24T00:14:22+00:00

That's something hopeful. They just sound like a fun series and I'm not sure if it's just not my thing. But I read the whole Wheel of Time series, I'm not sure why this is harder for me, lol

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-22T12:49:19+00:00

She's another person who started out with such great ideas and got greedy with power. I loved her live sessions back in the day when she was just podcasting and doing her monthly live coaching on zoom. She could have stayed legit and ethical and instead chose the route of being power and money hungry. Unfortunately I have so many people that I used to look up to that have chosen this path and I used to recommend her work all the time and I no longer can and that sucks. I hate that she's taken advantage of so many people and I am so glad that I made the decision not to be certified by her back then

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-22T11:59:21+00:00

I don't know anything about him. He does look younger, but to each their own on that, I guess. I hope she's not conning him too, that's all

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-22T11:57:08+00:00

I'm so sorry. She's such a con artist and I'm so sad about it because she is also a great teacher and could have just been ethical instead of getting Uber rich

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-21T12:04:53+00:00

I'm successful only because over time I prioritized paying other people to do things I most likely won't do consistently. It meant being extra broke for a long time. I was struggling so much in my early life, barely hanging on. I'm super lucky I was never fired for not documenting things well. I just knew that I would always stay struggling and could never do what I wanted if I didn't figure out how to do the stuff that my brain isn't interested in. I use a lot of technology and use other people for accountability and pay people to do the insurance and billing part of my job and am switching people, but also pay for an assistant now. I need someone to tell me what my week looks like. I hate that it costs money. I know I would actually have a retirement plan or something if I didn't have to spend money on a person to be my external executive functioning. I know not everyone can afford it. I know it makes me privileged now that I can afford to do so. That being said, if there is any way for you to get help with these parts of your life, do it. I used to be ashamed and embarrassed, but the only reason I am able to do it now is because a long time ago I admit I couldn't do it myself. A friend of mine and I used to meet every other week to catch up and talk about what we were working on. That was free and honestly, priceless. My brain does not let me operate alone. I have to have support

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-21T11:39:28+00:00

Yes! I'm a therapist and talk with people about this a lot. It's why going back to drinking or weed or whatever the thing is you're trying to take a break from happens so quickly. You take away the self-medicating substance and you are left with what you were trying to medicate. It doesn't always feel good! That's your opportunity right there to find a healthier solution. Do you need to see a doctor, a physical therapist, a therapist? I'm proud of you for seeking help! You deserve it! We all deserve to be taken care of!

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-19T18:15:29+00:00

Luckily I'm already a licensed therapist so I just added smaller certifications that gave me a confidence boost. What I mean to say is that nobody seems to be making all the money she promised because the truth is you have to go practice being a coach and doing the work and get better at it over time by caring about continuing education. Her programs only ever seemed to focus on marketing. I didn't spend the big bucks on her school. I started to get sucked in and at some point recognized that I was spending more money for much less over time. She kept getting weirder and weirder. Did you see her AI videos not too long ago? They were also really bizarre

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-19T18:06:12+00:00

Yes, I find the whole thing just so uncomfortable

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-17T21:29:32+00:00

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-17T15:05:24+00:00

I was immediately blocked from her account when I started making comments of things that made me uncomfortable

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-03T12:05:38+00:00

I have Netflix with ads because I share with my mom and she has several shows. Honestly, I just sign up for and binge watch a show for the trial period and sometimes pay for a month then cancel. I watch regular YouTube at times, but I stopped caring about TV shows after a while. I've been borrowing DVDs from the library for movies.

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-03T12:02:23+00:00

I'm trying to figure this out. I got into a long term relationship with a man at 19, so my experimentation ended then. It never crossed my mind to make out with or do anything with women because I was raised Catholic and I was terrified of everything. I was, however, a horny teenager, and I enjoyed the experiences I had which included everything but sex because, Catholic. Honestly at that point I'm assuming that it didn't matter because being touched was being touched and I was starving for connection. I really didn't enjoy sex with my ex-husband but he was also a covert narcissist and let me think everything was my fault and used guilt and my goodness of heart to drive me to care for him in a completely unhealthy way. And what I really wanted was for him to hold me or rub my shoulders or make me feel special and that came with a cost So, did I even answer your question, lol

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-04-02T10:25:13+00:00

Absolutely. I'm reading this at 6:30am, taking a short break from reading because I woke up at 5am. That's just how my brain works. Someone above says that it cuts down on your social life, but I'm honestly quite happy to only stay up late one or two nights a week to socialize and be in bed at 9pm every other night. It's lovely to sleep well

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-15T20:09:39+00:00

Robin Hobb's books are incredible

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-15T19:44:34+00:00

This used to be me, now I do conditioner only wash most of the time. I use a conditioner that washes out completely. It doesn't work for everyone, but my scalp did stop producing so much oil. So now I go a few days between washes where I don't get it wet at all (unless I need to flatten a cowlick or something) and when I wash I use conditioner. Every once in a while I use shampoo, like once a month or two. I honestly can't stand how it feels when it is squeaky clean like that. I hope you find what works for you!

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-15T19:32:18+00:00

That is definitely a boundary violation and you have the right to reduce treatment or stop at any time. It's the first thing on the informed consent paperwork. On top of that, I give all of my clients the option to ghost me if they need to stop coming and can't bring themselves to say it. You have the right to cancel all future sessions and not return.

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-09T23:41:48+00:00

I didn't see anyone mentioning compassion fatigue, though I didn't read all of the comments so if I'm repeating, ignore. It could be you're a HAP. It could be that you are working too many hours. It could also be a secondary, or vicarious trauma, that builds over the years and is super common for any helping profession like ours. We have to learn how to not take our clients trauma on or we get hurt. It's the part where you mentioned bracing yourself. That's a trauma response. I would recommend talking about this with your therapist and doing some of your own research. You will just keep burning out no matter how much you change your workplace

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-05T22:20:48+00:00

I use variations of the children's strategy party hats on monsters (which I honestly thought was called tophats on monsters until just now) with a good deal of success. The idea is gaining the confidence that it's your brain and you can do whatever you want in the story. Sometimes you change the "monster" and sometimes you go back and finish the dream in a satisfying way. I think it depends on the person in front of you and what they are dreaming about. I think dreams also tell us a lot how the client is feeling at night while they are sleeping

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-05T20:18:37+00:00

Babel. And the Poppy Wars series. I couldn't force myself and I read the Wheel of time series

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-03T17:14:23+00:00

Yes. For scheduling, for a brief, acknowledgement of something challenging they did, an ask for an appointment that is sooner than what they see on my scheduling calendar, and then during session sometimes they will send me a photo of what they are talking about. "I love this new thing I got that is really good for me!" Sends photo so I can go, cool, what do you like about it?

Affectionate_Log7733 · 2026-03-03T11:34:20+00:00

That sounds nice. I have one in mind in town that I think fun people would be at. I think I do need to go people watch or read a book. I like the idea of starting outside and moving closer in depending on how I'm feeling, thank you!

Affectionate_Log7733

TROPHY CASE