10 Inspirational Quotes for Therapists in 2020
I know I’m stating the obvious when I say that 2020 has been a tough year. As a psychotherapist, you’ve been on the front lines of the biggest public health crisis many of us have ever seen in our lifetimes. We know things aren’t likely to change as soon as the clock strikes midnight on January first, 2021, but the challenges of this year have afforded us perspective, skills, and knowledge that we can carry forward to buoy us through this intense time in history.
I’ve gathered ten inspirational, motivational quotes that have provided me and many other therapists with comfort and meaning this year. I hope they provide some solace for you, too.
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1. “Slowing down is part of being productive.”
- Taylor Anderson // @thetherapistnotes
For many of us, life slowed way down in 2020. The constant hustle and bustle of “normal” life came to a screeching halt at the onset of the pandemic. As a business owner, this likely caused some panic and fear for you. But what many of us learned is that the constant productivity of “normal” life isn’t sustainable. It was only when we were forced to slow down that we realized the truth; slowing down is a part of being productive.
2. “You have permission to rest. You are not responsible for fixing everything that is broken. You do not have to try and make everyone happy. For now, take time for you. It’s time to replenish.
- Alyse Ruriani, maatc // @alyseruriani
A part of slowing down is recognizing that we can’t be everything to everyone. Being stretched to the limit this year put things into perspective and checked a lot of people-pleasing tendencies at the door.
3. “The opposite of illness is not wellness. The opposite of illness is justice.”
- @inclusivetherapists
The fight for racial justice in the US and around the world sparked long overdue conversations in the mental health professions, and made us question what “wellness” really means. We challenged and worked to dismantle systems of white supremacy to make mental health care in service of all. This year was a collective tipping point toward racial justice, and only the beginning of a long journey toward healing.
4. “Do not feel guilty for prioritizing your emotional well-being. You deserve to flourish in safe spaces.”
- Alexandra Elle // @alex_elle
Boundaries has been the word of the year. Before 2020, self care was talked about; this year, it was put to use. Many therapists and business owners, myself included, realized that the only way to continue serving our communities was to prioritize our own mental, emotional, and physical well-being, no matter what. For some, that meant parting ways with agency jobs and starting private practices. For others, it meant decreasing caseload size or creating passive income products to spend less time working and more time resting and recharging.
5. “You don’t have to follow others. You can pave your own path.”
- Youhjung, ATR-BC // @thirstyforartofficial
As systems, structures, and norms fell away, a subtle but distinct feeling of freedom remained. Without external pressures and “shoulds” many therapists released perfectionism and started carving their own creative career paths.
6. “Imposter syndrome loves to show up when you’re about to make major moves.”
- Josie Rosario // @thehealingstrategy
Many therapists in private practice saw major growth in 2020. With the rise of mental healthcare needs and increased flexibility and access to care via online therapy, therapists created e-courses, published books, and offered countless creative ways for people to get relief outside of 1:1 therapy. With these big leaps, however, many therapists experienced self-doubt, fear, and anxiety. If you felt imposter syndrome this year, it’s likely because you were leveling up and expanding your impact!
7. “We take care of ourselves financially so we can be generous with others.”
- Lindsay Bryan-Podvin // @mindmoneybalance
Money was on the forefront of many private practice owners’ minds this year, and so many therapists took the opportunity to challenge old, outdated beliefs about earning money as a therapist. The tide is starting to shift and this realization is starting to sink in: financial self care is mental, emotional, and physical self care.
8. “You are an amazing clinician. You’re helping so much, even when it doesn’t feel like it.”
- @thecollaborativemiami
A huge theme that surfaced in 2020 was loneliness. As private practice therapists shifted to online therapy and we socially-distanced to protect each other, we had to learn to proceed in isolation. Without in-person connection, it was easy for self-doubt and imposter syndrome to creep in, so it was helpful to have reminders like this to let us know we’re doing a good job.
9. “It is taking everything within me to keep waiting, but this is the miracle that I am coming to know; this desert journey has made me weary but my heart is still slouched toward hope. And I will believe I can know peace without knowing what comes next. I will trust in the waiting everything connects. Today is not in vain. And I will grow and I will change in beautiful, meaningful ways.”
- Morgan Harper Nichols // @morganharpernichols
This year has been exhausting. We’ve been tried and tested and affronted by traumatic experiences left and right, and as a therapist, I’ll bet your “heart is still slouched toward hope.” Because that’s what you do best; you hold space for what’s possible, even in the deepest, messiest, scariest corners of the human experience.
10. “Even now, you are held.”
- Monica Kovach // @holdspacecreative
Throughout the year, many of us felt unsupported. Whether from our workplaces, our governments, our families, or ourselves; there was a distinctive theme of groundlessness that permeated 2020. Yet through it all, the opportunity to connect with the feeling of being held and supported was always there.
The challenges of 2020 have been plentiful. From being forced to slow down and adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to rooting out systemic injustice, to fighting against political corruption, we have all felt the seismic shifts on a personal and collective level. As a therapist, you’ve been holding space for your clients to heal amidst the turmoil. It’s thanks to you and your work that many of us will come out of this historic period more self-aware, more healed, and more whole.
