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We as humans need to take care of ourselves, both physically and mentally. Therapy can help our emotional well-being a great deal, and many of us know that. In fact, statistics show that about 30% of Americans have seen a therapist at least once in their lives.

Sometimes, some internet humor can help us as well. That's what pages like My Therapist Says are for. Some mental health-related jokes, memes, and funny quips to deal with your own imminent mental breakdown are always handy.

To find out more about laughing through your anxieties and other mental health problems, Bored Panda reached out to Nicole Arzt, therapist, author, founder of Soul of Therapy LLC, and the face behind Psychotherapy Memes. Check out our conversation with her below about destigmatizing mental health issues one meme at a time!

More info: My Therapist Says

Nicole Arzt | Soul of Therapy | Psychotherapy Memes | Sometimes Therapy Is Awkward

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#2

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Karen Mercury
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All day long I look forward to getting into bed and sitting up and reading.

Sue Denham
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! I love that feeling of "Ah - bedtime - I don't have to do anything else today".

FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, I invested in a very nice bed for all the above. I love spending every minute in it that I can.

Rowan Kohler
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bed is a great relaxing activity. I don’t see the issue unless you never leave again…

Zorro The Bus Conductor
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I'm doing it right now accompanied by a hot water bottle and an electric fleece over blanket. Bliss! 🤗 Night all. 😴

Vanessa Hill
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hell yeah! Even my dog knows. I come home from work and lay in bed for like 20 minutes before doing anything else. He greets me at the bedroom door.

The Shark
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3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bed is that one special place where you can make all problems go away, even if it's temporary!

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As of 2024, the My Therapist Says Instagram page has over eight million followers. What started off as a group chat between four girlfriends has evolved into a supportive community with many laughs and even advice. The founders of the page, Nicole Argiris and sisters Lola, Gina, and Nora Tash, even wrote a book: "My Therapist Says: Advice You Should Probably (Not) Follow."

The girls describe their page as a place to share "original memes about struggles with anxiety, growing up in the social media generation, and figuring your life out in general." The core message they want to share with the world is that "No matter who you are, dealing with all the tribulations of life, you're never alone and never as 'crazy' as you think."

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#5

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Kaeda
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because morning sleep will soon be over and you must then face the psychotic nightmare that we call reality. And your brain knows.

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The four friends, who all grew up in Toronto, Canada, have been in therapy for many years. In their group chat, they often would share advice with each other, starting with the phrase, "Well, my therapist said..." That's what inspired the name of the Instagram page.

"Our therapist, of course, said no such thing, but we thought that it legitimized the advice to the point where we would have to take it," Lola Tash said in an interview with The Daily Mail in 2020. "It was always with the best intentions that we were giving each other advice."

#7

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Kaeda
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Washing the clothes: 1 hour. Drying the clothes: 1 hour. Folding the clothes: 10-15 business days.

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The girls say their goal is to destigmatize mental health, "finding the humor in the mistakes their mental health journeys have led them on." And many experts agree that the more we talk about how we're not okay, the less stigma there is around it. Therapist and author Nicole Arzt echoes that sentiment, saying that even sharing memes can be a great way to open up about your struggles.

#12

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Rowan Kohler
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t yolo get outta here with tude. I’m jomo, the joy of missing out.

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"Mental health issues are often wrapped in shame," Arzt told Bored Panda. "That shame often says, 'I'm alone in this. Nobody else understands. Something is deeply wrong with me.' While memes don't exactly 'fix' that real pain, they can provide a sense of shared camaraderie. There's such a powerful validation in just knowing you're not alone and that your struggles are not solely yours."

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#14

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David
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did that earlier this year and almost missed my flight. Day 1: Missed an international flight due to serious fatality accident shutting down the freeway for hours. Much time on phone with airline reps got me rescheduled for next day and nearly $1500 in extra fees waived. But with warning of don't miss next flight / can't do this twice. Day 2: I am at airport hours early, get my boarding pass and wait several hours at the gate. Close to flight time, still no agents at the desk. Found out they moved the flight to a different gate but didn't bother posting that at the first gate. Other gate close by - ran to it - made flight just in time.

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Arzt provides therapy sessions for mental health professionals. She even runs the Psychotherapy Memes Instagram account, so she's not a stranger to the ways the internet jokes around about their mental health. She says that humor can sometimes even be helpful during therapy sessions. 

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"Humor is a great way to build and maintain rapport. Therapy is a vulnerable process," Arzt explains. You're sharing some of your rawest stories and deepest pains with another person, and that can feel scary! Humor sometimes creates a necessary lightness amid all that heavy work."

#20

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Howl's sleeping castle
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Happened to me. They refused my sabbatical offer so I had to resign. My manager told me the HR will agree for sabbatical only under the condition that the employee is bedridden. Okay. Fine. Accept my resignation then.

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However, there's a time and place for humor in a therapy session. "At the same time, we want to be mindful of deflecting with humor," Nicole points out. "Humor shouldn't be used as a way to avoid feelings or emotional processing. This can perpetuate avoidance patterns."

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Nicole also cautions against coping with mental health issues through jokes and memes. "Mental health issues are so serious and can be life-threatening," she reiterates. "There's nothing inherently funny about them. But, paradoxically, it can feel bold to choose to examine your greatest struggles and laugh a bit about them."

Arzt also emphasizes the importance of community and connection when joking around with others. "If you can laugh with another person, that's even better," she told Bored Panda. "That connection matters, it's so important. It doesn't take away the pain. It just shifts some of the energy around in a way where the pain may not feel so isolating or debilitating."

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So, Pandas, what do your therapists tell you? Do you have any ill-advised funny quips to share with us? Or maybe one of the memes on this list hit particularly close to home and elicited a belly laugh out of you? Don't be shy, and let us know in the comments! 

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#34

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Lori Ashley
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bet Taylor Swift would struggle to put her laundry away the same day too, if she didn't have people for that.

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#36

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Rowan Kohler
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I forgot I just took my meds when I agreed to that and regret it horribly let’s never do this again. lol

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#37

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Daniel Baca
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For my area it's Autumn, but also Fake Fall because just around Halloween it's going to be Summer Strikes Back

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#39

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Kaeda
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Y'know... it's not very polite to call me out like that. 😭

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#40

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Rowan Kohler
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ohhhhhhh you did not mess with Halloween. Thems fighting words where I’m from.

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#44

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MsPlants
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i read this as picnic attack and was concerned they were doing picnicking wrong....or right depending on how you look at it

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#47

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Kalikima
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my mom got me a shirt that says "I'm not responsible for what my face does when you're talking" and I think that sums me up nicely.

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#49

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Winter Eleven
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh i just bring a book. My best friend is unmedicated adhd, i know when she says 3pm it's actually 4pm but i just in case come at 3pm anyway. Love thy anxiety

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#50

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JimSteve
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just spam them with funny and/or cool things that I've found

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