Clara's apartment smelled like the lavender candle she always had burning and the Thai food they had for lunch. Angela sat in the corner of Clara's couch, warming her hands with a ceramic mug of chamomile tea. Clara lay on the other end with her legs tucked under her. "So therapy?" Clara asked, and Angela could feel her friend getting into the right position to really listen—her back was relaxed against the cushions, her phone was face down on the coffee table, and all of her attention was on Angela. "Better,” Angela said. “Dr. Mendel helped me see that I was tying my sense of well-being to social media validation. For example, the positive response to the video felt great, but then I realized I was constantly checking the view and comment counts to see if I was okay." Clara nodded slowly. "That makes sense. For years, people told you you were wrong about everything. Now you're looking for proof from outside that you're right." "Exactly. But Dr. Mendel said that's still letting ot
Last Updated : 2025-10-29 Read more