The SelfWork Podcast

When I was contacted by Paulina Siegel about being on her podcast, Shit Talking Shrinks, I was intrigued. She and her friend and colleague Victoria Aron are in Season Two of an hilarious, fresh challenge to the stereotype of the "therapist" - someone who's emotionally calm and somehow "above it all." So this is an expletive-filled SelfWork episode today - because guess what? Therapists can use colorful language as well!

Yes, we offer our expertise in creating an emotionally safe space for you to risk your own healing and growth. But the old "immutable" therapist - the one who rarely interjects their own personality - is an identity that both these therapists challenge. And they do it with laughter and fun, intelligence and caring.

I've long been "myself" as a therapist. I don't suddenly don some cloak as soon as a patient comes through the door. The unique nature of the therapeutic relationship lies in the focus on the issues of one person, the client. And yet, to gain trust, these women believe that being more real is the key to what trust looks like in 2023.

So come laugh with us and listen in to what was a very fun conversation! And get to know Paulina Siegel and Victoria Aron, as they tackle issues that especially millennials and Gen Z'ers face.

Advertiser's Link:

BetterHelp, the #1 online therapy provider, has a special offer for you now!

You can hear more about this and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive my weekly newsletter including a blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life. And it's available in paperback, eBook or as an audiobook!

And there's another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Episode Transcript

This is SelfWork. And I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford. At SelfWork, we'll discuss psychological and emotional issues common in today's world and what to do about them. I'm Dr. Margaret and Self-Work is a podcast dedicated to you, taking just a few minutes today for your own self-work.

Hello and welcome or welcome back to SelfWork. I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford, and I'm so glad you're here.

Let me read you an email I recently received. "I feel grateful to be able to write to you as I love the SelfWork podcast. It has brought me so much joy, vitality, support, and wellness over the months. Of course, that made me feel good. My name is Paulina or Pauly Siegel, and I'm a licensed clinical social worker, certified addiction specialist. And I'm master level trained mindfulness practitioner. I specialize in Gen Z and millennials struggling with trauma, O C D, anxiety and generational specific issues. I've also started a podcast called Shit Talking Shrinks, which intertwines clinical expertise and humor to bring you something that is both psychoeducational and entertaining. Our podcast breaks down mental health topics, the human experience and society at large, while leaving you with tangible tools to navigate life more effectively."

So, of course I listen to the podcast, and by the way, this one is going to be pretty baudy with lots of language. So, you know, use your own judgment in listening. But their podcast is entertaining and hilarious and real and informative and supportive. Polly has a no holds barred co-host, Victoria Arin, who's in practice herself. And between the two of them, there's an energy that was so refreshing and funny. In fact, I've never laughed more in an interview, and I hope you will as well.

As I said, there's a bunch of expletives in this one and we talk about sex. So a heads up there. These two therapists are angry at how the mental health profession teaches therapi...

Today we're going to talk about the fairly sticky subject of the difference between expectations, demand, and setting boundaries. What do you do when you feel disappointed by others? Do you isolate or judge? Do you get mad or sulk? Could it be that your very expectations are the problem? Is it different to voice your expectations than it is to secretly have them? Or is that playing a game that the other person doesn’t know you’re playing? And how do boundaries fit in here? We'll ask lots of questions and hopefully reach some answers today on SelfWork.

The listener email for today is from a young 21 year-old who feels tremendous loyalty to her family and feels “needed” by them. But she also feels very stuck and admits she can hold onto a victim mentality. She’s dealing with enmeshment it sounds like.. and She’s asking how she can take baby steps to start living more independently... Wonderful question and I’ll do my best to give her some ideas. What would you say?

So, in this episode sponsored by the fantastic Athletic Greens, please, sit back and relax... let’s focus on expectations, demands, and boundaries.

Important Links:

Here's the link once again to my new interactive podcast on Fireside Chat! Click here!

Click Here for the fabulous offer from Athletic Greens - now AG1 - with bonus pr oduct with your subscription!

Episode 168 on setting boundaries

Episode 148 on conditional love

You can hear more relationship advice and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive one weekly newsletter including my weekly blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then clickhere and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.

And here's another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code SELFWORK for a great deal: happymammoth.com
* Check out NOCD: www.treatmyocd.com
* Check out Native Path: https://getnativepath.com/selfwork
* Check out Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/SELFWORK
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

It’s confession time here at SelfWork. People ask me all the time, “How do you have time for writing?” Or, “How do you come up with ideas?” Well, yesterday I was hitting a blank wall for this episode today. I’d start writing and then figure out I’d already written on the topic. Or I’d start something and talk myself out of it. But then, I decided to do something I did when I was writing the book and hit just as big a wall, if not bigger. And I’ll offer a dozen things for you to do when you hit your own brick wall.

What are a few of those? Acceptance, not catastrophizing or panicking, looking for reasons or a context as to why this particular task or mental problem has so much power, giving yourself emotional space when you're anxious or irritable. You'll have to listen to find out more!

I’m always grateful to hear from any of you who write or leave a voicemail. But this voicemail came in last week – and the listener was talking about an interview that I did with Lewis Howes a couple of years ago where he saw another side of me. I know just the interview he’s talking about and will have a clip of that for you in the show notes and the link as well. I was very grateful for his feedback!

So in this episode, sponsored by Athletic Greens, let’s talk about hitting the proverbial wall – what does it mean when your mind goes blank, when you “run out of ideas”, you can’t seem to find your focus or even the meaning in what you’re doing.

Important Links:

Click Here for the fabulous offer from Athletic Greens - now AG1 - with bonus pr oduct with your subscription!

My interview with Lewis Howes on The School of Greatness

Huffpost article on mental obstacles of runners

And here's the clip if you'd like to see!

[video width="1000" height="1000" mp4="https://drmargaretrutherford.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DrMargaretIGPromo_V1.mp4"][/video]

My new book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is going strong and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.

And there’s a new way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code SELFWORK for a great deal: happymammoth.com
* Check out NOCD: www.treatmyocd.com
* Check out Native Path: https://getnativepath.com/selfwork
* Check out Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/SELFWORK
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This past month, I heard from a woman who identifies herself as manifesting covert narcissism and she’s looking for both support and information on how she could best address what she so desperately and sincerely wants to change in herself. She talks about the extreme lack of help out there- and she’s right. Sometimes we can forget as a culture that those we “label” as having a personality disorder are often living very difficult lives. So, today we’ll talk about covert narcissism: I’ll offer recent research and as usual, add my own ideas about healing. Our listener email for this week – or basically another listener email! – is from a young woman who asks what the relationship is between perfectionism and social anxiety and she’s struggling with her progress not going faster – as she says she wants to get “rid” of her anxiety.

BetterHelp is sponsoring this podcast today – and I’ve been made very aware during the pandemic (because I myself moved to only doing virtual work) how convenient and effective virtual therapy could be, especially for those not quite ready to walk into a therapist’s office. So please do whatever it is you like to do when you listen, and let’s talk about covert narcissism, what it is, how you can spot it in yourself or others, and as always, what you can do about it.

Important Links:

BetterHelp, the #1 online therapy provider, has a special offer for you now!

Scientific American article on narcissism and imposter syndrome

MindBodyGreen article on covert narcissism

InStyle article on covert narcissism

You can hear more about this and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive my weekly newsletter including a blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression has been published and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life. And it’s available in paperback, eBook or as an audiobook!

And there’s another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code SELFWORK for a great deal: happymammoth.com
* Check out NOCD: www.treatmyocd.com
* Check out Native Path: https://getnativepath.com/selfwork
* Check out Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/SELFWORK
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Imagine my surprise when I heard of a great book I wanted to feature on SelfWork - and then discovered its author lived in my own hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas! That book is You Are What You Click and its author is Dr. Brian Primack. He holds a master’s in education from Harvard (with a focus on adolescent development, psychology, and education), an M.D. from Emory, and finally a Ph.D. in Behavioral Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Those credentials might seem to be enough, but he's also an internationally acclaimed expert on the relationship between media, technology, and health.

It turns out for example that Dr. Primack's most recent research has found that there is a direct link between the amount of time you spend on social media and your level of depression. And we're lucky enough to have him right here at the University of Arkansas, as he's now Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. So I present him and his work to you today. On top of all that, he's light-hearted and engaging to listen to, as you can hear the passion for what his research is uncovering and how we all can govern how social media is affecting us - not the other way around.

So, in this episode of SelfWork, sponsored by Athletic Greens or AG1, you can learn what social media's influence is on you and your mental health.

Important Links!

Here's the link once again to my new interactive podcast on Fireside Chat! Click here!

Click Here for the fabulous offer from Athletic Greens - now AG1 - with bonus pr oduct with your subscription!

You can hear more of many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive one weekly newsletter including my weekly blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then clickhere and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available and you can order here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.

And here's another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code SELFWORK for a great deal: happymammoth.com
* Check out NOCD: www.treatmyocd.com
* Check out Native Path: https://getnativepath.com/selfwork
* Check out Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/SELFWORK
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands