Is there such a thing as talking too much about our feelings? Is it possible for therapy to backfire? These are questions I started asking myself when I began to feel that I was potentially overdoing it least resistance when it came to talking about my feelings.

Some background: I grew up in a home where I was encouraged to discuss my problems to work through them. However, if I didn’t come to an immediate solution or if I stayed upset, it was frowned upon. In my parent’s eyes, everything had an easy solution. Perhaps you can relate.

I learned from a young age that saying “I am fine” was the past of least resistance to creating peace — not peace within myself, but peace within the home. I don’t harbor any ill feelings toward my parents over this. I appreciate it in some ways because they remind me to take a step back and see things from a new lens, and that can be immensely helpful at times. However, in my younger years, this approach wasn’t always so fantastic.