LifeStance Insights
Our team of expert clinicians give their perspectives across a range of subjects, touching on current topics, family and loved one issues, mental health struggles and the comprehensive services that can help you live a better life.
FEATURED STORY
Weaponized Incompetence Explained: From Everyday Examples to Solutions
What Is Weaponized Incompetence?
Weaponized incompetence is when someone pretends to be bad at a task or exaggerates their lack of ability so that another person takes over.
In relationships, weaponized incompetence often shows up around housework, childcare, or daily responsibilities. Instead of saying “I don’t want to do this,” one partner might “forget,” ask for endless instructions, or deliberately perform a task poorly so the other person steps in. Over time, this dynamic erodes trust and creates resentment.
Put simply, the meaning of weaponized incompetence is using feigned helplessness to avoid responsibility.
Examples of Weaponized Incompetence
Some phrases and behaviors that may signal weaponized incompetence include:
“You do it better/faster than me.”
“I could never learn how to do that.”
“But you like doing it.”
“I forgot.”
“Your standards are too high.”
Asking for unnecessary step-by-step instructions despite h...
Read More
Filter Articles By:
Search Articles
Relationship / Dating
Surviving Infidelity: Expert Advice on Rebuilding Trust After Cheating
Infidelity may turn your world upside down, leaving you feeling hurt, betrayed, and confused. If you’re asking yourself, “How do I heal from being cheated on and lied to?”, you’re not alone. As a therapist experienced in marriage counseling, relationship counseling, and affair recovery, I’ve guided many couples through surviving infidelity and rebuilding trust. Below, I’ve broken down actionable steps to help guide your healing journey.
Step 1: Acknowledge Your Emotions
It’s normal to feel a range of emotions after infidelity, such as:
Anger
Betrayal
Grief
Confusion
Insecurity
Express your feelings and thoughts openly but aim to do so without the destructiveness of rage. This can be particularly challenging if the discovery of infidelity was recent. Remember, anger, even intense rage, is typically a secondary emotion that often masks deeper feelings such as hurt, sadness, or fear. Instead of expressing your anger destructively, try to...
Read More
Surviving Infidelity: Expert Advice on Rebuilding Trust After Cheating
Infidelity may turn your world upside down, leaving you feeling hurt, betrayed, and confused. If you’re asking yourself, “How do I heal from being cheated on and lied to?”, you’re not alone. As a therapist experienced in marriage counseling, relationship counseling, and affair recovery, I’ve guided many couples through surviving infidelity and rebuilding trust. Below, I’ve broken down actionable steps to help guide your healing journey.
Step 1: Acknowledge Your Emotions
It’s normal to feel a range of emotions after infidelity, such as:
Anger
Betrayal
Grief
Confusion
Insecurity
Express your feelings and thoughts openly but aim to do so without the destructiveness of rage. This can be particularly challenging if the discovery of infidelity was recent. Remember, anger, even intense rage, is typically a secondary emotion that often masks deeper feelings such as hurt, sadness, or fear. Instead of expressing your anger destructively, try to...
Read More
Share 
Self-Help & Wellness
What Taylor Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl” Era Teaches Us About Reinvention and Resilience
Reinvention as a Form of Growth
Taylor Swift has been known for constantly evolving. Each album marks a new era, from country beginnings to pop stardom, indie folk, and now The Life of a Showgirl. Beyond music, her transformations may highlight an important truth about mental health: reinvention may be part of growth.
Our LifeStance therapists often find that many individuals fear change, worrying that shifting careers, identities, or lifestyles means losing themselves. But as Taylor seems to demonstrate, embracing new chapters doesn’t erase the old. Instead, it may build on them. Reinvention may be about becoming more fully aligned with who you are today, and it’s okay for that to change over time.
Why Identity Shifts Feel Hard
Identity is often a core part of mental health. When we change jobs, move cities, become parents, or step into a new life phase, it can feel destabilizing. Questions often arise like:
Who am I now?
What...
Read More
What Taylor Swift’s “Life of a Showgirl” Era Teaches Us About Reinvention and Resilience
Reinvention as a Form of Growth
Taylor Swift has been known for constantly evolving. Each album marks a new era, from country beginnings to pop stardom, indie folk, and now The Life of a Showgirl. Beyond music, her transformations may highlight an important truth about mental health: reinvention may be part of growth.
Our LifeStance therapists often find that many individuals fear change, worrying that shifting careers, identities, or lifestyles means losing themselves. But as Taylor seems to demonstrate, embracing new chapters doesn’t erase the old. Instead, it may build on them. Reinvention may be about becoming more fully aligned with who you are today, and it’s okay for that to change over time.
Why Identity Shifts Feel Hard
Identity is often a core part of mental health. When we change jobs, move cities, become parents, or step into a new life phase, it can feel destabilizing. Questions often arise like:
Who am I now?
What...
Read More
Share
Therapy
How the “5-to-9 Before 9-to-5” Trend Can Lead to Wellness Perfectionism
Scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you will quickly see how much space wellness routines take up in today’s online culture. Influencers post carefully edited clips of early mornings filled with workouts, meditation, journaling, elaborate breakfasts, and skincare rituals, all under the banner of self-care. One of the most viral of these routines is known as the “5-to-9 before 9-to-5.”
The appeal is to invest in yourself before the demands of the workday begin. While the concept can encourage healthy habits, it may also carry risks. For many, trying to live up to a flawless routine may lead to frustration and guilt, possibly connecting to what has increasingly been described as “wellness perfectionism”, a buzzword capturing the pressure to maintain an idealized self-care routine.
What Does “5-to-9 Before 9-to-5” Mean?
The 5-to-9 routine is built on the idea of waking up at 5 a.m. and dedicating the next four hours to yourself before starting work at 9 a.m. These hours are su...
Read More
How the “5-to-9 Before 9-to-5” Trend Can Lead to Wellness Perfectionism
Scroll through TikTok or Instagram, and you will quickly see how much space wellness routines take up in today’s online culture. Influencers post carefully edited clips of early mornings filled with workouts, meditation, journaling, elaborate breakfasts, and skincare rituals, all under the banner of self-care. One of the most viral of these routines is known as the “5-to-9 before 9-to-5.”
The appeal is to invest in yourself before the demands of the workday begin. While the concept can encourage healthy habits, it may also carry risks. For many, trying to live up to a flawless routine may lead to frustration and guilt, possibly connecting to what has increasingly been described as “wellness perfectionism”, a buzzword capturing the pressure to maintain an idealized self-care routine.
What Does “5-to-9 Before 9-to-5” Mean?
The 5-to-9 routine is built on the idea of waking up at 5 a.m. and dedicating the next four hours to yourself before starting work at 9 a.m. These hours are su...
Read More
Share
Therapy
Why People Collect Labubu Dolls: A Therapist Explains the Psychology Behind the Craze
If you’ve been on TikTok, Instagram, or even walked into a collectibles shop recently, you’ve probably noticed the Labubu dolls. These quirky, wide-eyed monster plush toys, originally created by Pop Mart in China, have taken the world by storm. Some fans spend hundreds of dollars to track down rare versions, while others eagerly rip open “blind boxes” to see which Labubu they’ll get.
As a psychologist, I see this kind of collecting behavior as more than just a passing fad. It speaks to something deeper in how our brains are wired, and why collecting can feel so exciting, comforting, and even therapeutic.
The Dopamine Hit of Collecting
At the heart of the Labubu craze is our brain chemistry. When you open a blind box or finally track down that rare Labubu, your brain releases dopamine (the neurotransmitter linked to motivation, pleasure, and energy).
This dopamine burst isn’t just about feeling “happy.” It also fuels momentum. Dopamine creates the mental energy to go out, do mor...
Read More
Why People Collect Labubu Dolls: A Therapist Explains the Psychology Behind the Craze
If you’ve been on TikTok, Instagram, or even walked into a collectibles shop recently, you’ve probably noticed the Labubu dolls. These quirky, wide-eyed monster plush toys, originally created by Pop Mart in China, have taken the world by storm. Some fans spend hundreds of dollars to track down rare versions, while others eagerly rip open “blind boxes” to see which Labubu they’ll get.
As a psychologist, I see this kind of collecting behavior as more than just a passing fad. It speaks to something deeper in how our brains are wired, and why collecting can feel so exciting, comforting, and even therapeutic.
The Dopamine Hit of Collecting
At the heart of the Labubu craze is our brain chemistry. When you open a blind box or finally track down that rare Labubu, your brain releases dopamine (the neurotransmitter linked to motivation, pleasure, and energy).
This dopamine burst isn’t just about feeling “happy.” It also fuels momentum. Dopamine creates the mental energy to go out, do mor...
Read More
Share
ADHD
Navigating ADHD Care: Should I see a Psychiatrist, a Psychologist, or a Therapist?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects both children and adults. Whether you’re noticing symptoms in yourself or in your child, the path to understanding and managing ADHD should begin with proper clinical evaluation, not self-diagnosis.
This guide is designed to help you understand who to see, what steps to take, and how treatment options vary depending on age and previous diagnoses. Our goal is to point you in the right direction and help you access compassionate care.
Start with a Professional ADHD Evaluation—Not Assumptions
If you suspect you or your child might have ADHD, often the first and most important step is to seek a professional evaluation. Many symptoms of ADHD, such as difficulty focusing, impulsivity, or forgetfulness, can overlap with other mental health or medical conditions, so a thorough, in-person assessment can help find an accurate diagnosis.
At LifeStance, we offer ADHD testing and eva...
Read More
Navigating ADHD Care: Should I see a Psychiatrist, a Psychologist, or a Therapist?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects both children and adults. Whether you’re noticing symptoms in yourself or in your child, the path to understanding and managing ADHD should begin with proper clinical evaluation, not self-diagnosis.
This guide is designed to help you understand who to see, what steps to take, and how treatment options vary depending on age and previous diagnoses. Our goal is to point you in the right direction and help you access compassionate care.
Start with a Professional ADHD Evaluation—Not Assumptions
If you suspect you or your child might have ADHD, often the first and most important step is to seek a professional evaluation. Many symptoms of ADHD, such as difficulty focusing, impulsivity, or forgetfulness, can overlap with other mental health or medical conditions, so a thorough, in-person assessment can help find an accurate diagnosis.
At LifeStance, we offer ADHD testing and eva...
Read More
Share
Psychiatry
Can Wellbutrin® Help ADHD? Evidence, Expectations, and Next Steps
What Is Wellbutrin® (Bupropion)?
Wellbutrin® is the original brand name for bupropion. It is a medication most often prescribed for depression and smoking cessation, and FDA-approved for those indications. While it is not FDA-approved for ADHD, I frequently turn to it as an off-label option in my practice. Individuals with ADHD often need alternatives when stimulants don’t work well for them, and bupropion can be one of those options.
How Wellbutrin Treats ADHD
Unlike most antidepressants that target serotonin, bupropion primarily impacts norepinephrine and dopamine—the two neurotransmitters most implicated in ADHD. These chemicals play a central role in attention, executive function, and impulse control.
Whereas “stimulant” medications like Adderall®(mixed amphetamines) stimulate the release of these neurotransmitters, bupropion blocks their reuptake. Both approaches affect the same systems but in different ways. This unique mech...
Read More
Can Wellbutrin® Help ADHD? Evidence, Expectations, and Next Steps
What Is Wellbutrin® (Bupropion)?
Wellbutrin® is the original brand name for bupropion. It is a medication most often prescribed for depression and smoking cessation, and FDA-approved for those indications. While it is not FDA-approved for ADHD, I frequently turn to it as an off-label option in my practice. Individuals with ADHD often need alternatives when stimulants don’t work well for them, and bupropion can be one of those options.
How Wellbutrin Treats ADHD
Unlike most antidepressants that target serotonin, bupropion primarily impacts norepinephrine and dopamine—the two neurotransmitters most implicated in ADHD. These chemicals play a central role in attention, executive function, and impulse control.
Whereas “stimulant” medications like Adderall®(mixed amphetamines) stimulate the release of these neurotransmitters, bupropion blocks their reuptake. Both approaches affect the same systems but in different ways. This unique mech...
Read More
Share
Psychiatry
Gabapentin for Anxiety: What Patients Should Know Before Considering It
If you’ve been exploring alternatives to standard anxiety medications, you may have noticed gabapentin frequently mentioned in online discussions and treatment forums. While it’s FDA-approved for seizure disorders and nerve pain, gabapentin has also gained traction as an off-label option for anxiety. But how effective is it really? When might it be considered and when should it be avoided?
What Is Gabapentin Usually Prescribed For?
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication originally developed to treat seizures. Over time, its use has expanded to other conditions involving nerve pain and neurological dysfunction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved gabapentin for:
Partial seizures in adults and children (as an add-on therapy)
Postherpetic neuralgia, a type of nerve pain that can occur after shingles
Restless legs syndrome (in its extended-release form)
Beyond its FDA-approved uses, gabapentin is sometimes prescribed off-label for conditions such as mi...
Read More
Gabapentin for Anxiety: What Patients Should Know Before Considering It
If you’ve been exploring alternatives to standard anxiety medications, you may have noticed gabapentin frequently mentioned in online discussions and treatment forums. While it’s FDA-approved for seizure disorders and nerve pain, gabapentin has also gained traction as an off-label option for anxiety. But how effective is it really? When might it be considered and when should it be avoided?
What Is Gabapentin Usually Prescribed For?
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant medication originally developed to treat seizures. Over time, its use has expanded to other conditions involving nerve pain and neurological dysfunction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved gabapentin for:
Partial seizures in adults and children (as an add-on therapy)
Postherpetic neuralgia, a type of nerve pain that can occur after shingles
Restless legs syndrome (in its extended-release form)
Beyond its FDA-approved uses, gabapentin is sometimes prescribed off-label for conditions such as mi...
Read More
Share
