Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming a new version of yourself.

Key realizations: I used food to manage emotions, I had internalized fatphobia that I'm still unpacking, my social identity was partly built around being "the big guy/girl," and learning to accept compliments is surprisingly hard when you've been invisible for years.

Physical transformation without emotional processing is unstable. Do both.

anna.melb_AU said:

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming…

Positive side effects of mental health that surprised me:

1. Clearer skin — inflammation reduction improved my rosacea
2. Better sleep — weight loss resolved mild sleep apnea
3. Improved libido — better body image + improved cardiovascular health
4. Less joint pain — obvious mechanical benefit
5. More energy — metabolic improvements across the board

Not everything about GLP-1 therapy is a struggle. There are genuinely wonderful changes too. ✨

anna.melb_AU said:

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming…

Agreed, and the size of the effect matters as much as its existence. Something real and small gets treated here as though it were real and decisive.

anna.melb_AU said:

Therapy insights from my mental health journey: my therapist introduced me to the concept of "identity updating" — the psychological work of becoming…

Thank you — that is the clearest version of this I have read, and I have read a lot of them. Printing the relevant bit and taking it with me.

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