🧠You are NOT Your Error Message: What Actually Defines You🎯

Let’s have a little real talk about identity. Contrary to what your 3:00 am brain or awkward middle school flashbacks may suggest, you are not your worst moments, your messiest mistakes, or that time you called your current partner by your ex’s name (Yep, still cringing)!

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental illness. But research consistently shows that people who view themselves beyond their diagnosis experience higher levels of hope, motivation, and resilience. You are a whole, dynamic human being—not just a collection of symptoms or struggles.

👎 Things That Don’t Define You

• That time you hit "reply all"

• Your diagnosis

• Your overthinking spiral

• Life’s setbacks and plot twists

✅ Things That Actually Define You

• Your resilience when things fall apart

• Your laugh that could light up a room

• Your dreams, goals, and weirdly specific passion for 90s trivia

• Your creativity (even if it only comes out in sticky note doodles)

• Your values and how you treat people

Research from the University of Michigan found that people who identify with their strengths, values, and interests over their limitations report greater life satisfaction and self-esteem. Your spark matters way more than your setbacks.

So here’s your reminder:
You are not your diagnosis.
You are not your past.
You are not your intrusive thoughts. You are your perspective, passion, and perseverance

🎸 Whether you’re rocking out on a guitar, leading with empathy, or just trying your best each day—that’s what defines you.

💬 Let’s Flip the Script Together
If you’re feeling weighed down by labels or struggling to see the good stuff, therapy can help you reconnect with your real identity. At TDT Counseling Services, we help you celebrate what makes you, you—while building the tools to thrive along the way. Let’s talk!