The Psychology of Turning Red: Abby - Therapist Reacts! 

I literally am Abby when it comes to emotions. It gets less cute once you’re no longer a child :/

Every friend group needs an Abby. Full stop.

I absolutely had that lack of a filter as a kid, and I was shuffled through a lot of friend groups.

I have an Abby in my trio of best friends (the other best friend is a lot like Priya funnily enough, I dunno if I'm similar to any of the characters). She's still one of the most amazing and most fun people I know. Honestly between the two of them I could never ever ask for better best friends.

hahahaha

Especially drugs.

Indeed. I'm not a psychologist so this is just an anecdotal experience, but I believe languages are intricately connected to emotions. I'm bilingual with Spanish as a native language and if I want to distance myself from an emotion when I'm speaking of it, I use English. Spanish just hits harder, gets to the heart. I'm pretty certain a lot of people can relate. Also cursing in Spanish is just so much more stress relieving

Adored that little touch

@@ThatOneGanyuMain OMG YES. Saying mierda out loud is so freaking satisfying lol. Saying fuck is fine, but it doesn't hit as hard.

@@ThatOneGanyuMain Totally relate. Based on my emotions or mood, I will be switching from Spanish to English and vice versa. And I think Its also because there are some phrases expressed better in any of the languages... I might even say some words in Hurdu that I learned from a friend, because it feels that it expresses the feeling better.

I think that is a human thing that we only notice when a person had a mother tongue that is separate from the language they speak normally. I noticed that with immigrant communities and you may be talking to a person that appears to have “no accent” but add enough passion and they go back to the “mother tongue” (or the language they speak with the family).

I completely agree:D ( coming from an autistic person:) )

I'm not as hyper as her (ADHD-PI/ADD) unless I'm talking about a hyperfixation, but yeah, there is still a lot to relate to! "I need lunch! I'm starting to black out!" is a pretty common feeling for me when I snap out of an hours long hyper focus.

Haven't seen the movie yet. But ayep. Abbie is neurodiversity personified.

As someone with ADHD, I related to Abby a looooot

Werrrrrd

yes she looks Jaded but she is always supportive and helpful

She's seen reading a Twilight-esque book, so I assume she's trying to act like a vampire/werewolf. (I could 100% be wrong)

@@anib8863 she did ask Mei if she was a werewolf, and then later comment that she always wanted a tail, so you may be on to something there

@@anib8863 I saw it more as she connected to those kinds of books because of her personality. I know I was similarly quiet and sardonic at her age and read the same books because they were usually female led and gave me a feeling of a wider world/bigger potential than my school/home life provided.

great catch @deborah = )) yes no wonder she would think that

I agree so so much with what you said!!! I complete adore how you see it and I agree. Thanks for sharing your analysis!!!

they are a wonderful group together

Yes so true. Real body types not some perfected versions of who we could be

I didn't notice that now I have to go back and watch it again

I didn't notice that either! Could you imagine what was going through her head seeing a panda that big. "So Big! So Fluffy! IT'S MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!" lol Though, looking back, she looks just as freaked out as the others.

OMG So true! I'm an adult Abby and if I'm off my meds EVERYBODY knows! XD

I feel like this is like when BadBoyHalo says "LANGUAGE!" at Dream and george whenever they swear. I love it.

Yes, even with ADHD meds, I'm often told I'm too loud, or saying too much. What am I supposed to do? I used to hide it until my chronic illnesses decided to show up, and I just don't have the energy to filter stuff all the time. Most of my friends also have ADHD or have been around me long enough to understand, so I'm glad I have that.

Basically it translates to “Where the heck is Toledo? Nobody knows what that is!”

hehe it was so cute

Abby is speaking Korean. In the beginning when Mei Mei meets her friends at school, Abby is also yelling something in Korean when she talks to these other kids and the kicks something (Hey, what are you trying to do?) in their direction before greeting Mei Mei. I love how everytime she's upset about something her native tongue comes out. 😂

Purple is also a color associated with royalty. Which makes sense because Abby is a queen.

Pink also represent feminity, if you look at her face and accessories; she's got heart earrings, a sparkly headband, makeup around her eyelids. She's very feminine outwards but very tomboyish and aggressive. That's why she's my favorite, doesn't fake anything and is just herself.

Priya isn’t unhappy her personality is just cam

I'm a super energetic person, and I tend to like colors that are on the cooler, calming end of the spectrum, while my husband, who is the opposite of me, prefers colors that are "louder", like yellows, reds, and oranges. We're also like this when it comes to music - he likes loud, wild music, and I prefer softer, calmer music. Games, too - he likes bullet hells and boss rushes, and I like cozy games and farming sims. So maybe it's the same with Priya and Abby? Priya's low-energy, so she would prefer colors that would energize her, while Abby's high-strung nature would gravitate towards colors that would calm her down?

I love her so much also. I hope you accept that part of you as a wonderful part also

I am sorry they didn't understand you. I hope you are at peace with it now and can be expressive and fun without fear

I can relate. I was basically Abby as a child but they also labeled me with having ODD along with ADHD. I didn't throw a desk but I threw a chair at my teacher after she separated this boy and me because he cut my hair and I punched him. However, I kept having a lot of anger issues and I wasn't medicated for my ADHD. Now a days I'm medicated with some co and multi morbidities but I can slow down enough to get my filter to work, even if it's a bit weak. Work in progress.

@@GeorgiaDow While it was hard and I may have matured a bit faster emotionally than most my age, I always still felt a bit of that same energy deep down. The hard part is getting past the natural shyness, but I'm gradually getting better. What I find funny is how little filter Abby has, in a sense you could say that Abby already lets her Panda out all the time lol.

@@kittiesice for all I care Abby's already a panda!

I hope it is going well and we are all works in progress. Thank you for sharing to give hope and support for others who are going through similar things.

I hope you still have some of your spark also. I am sorry that they didnt accept you

Honestly, same... I became afraid of just being my hyper silly self after realizing too many times that most people don't like it. It's hard now to even trust letting it out completely around the few friends that are more accepting because there's this chronic fear that they'll realize I'm too annoying.

Hehehehe thanks

Abby is me when I discovered the Internet 😆

Love it =)

Me too. She’s funny 😆

HAHA i was like wait i dont.... then I went OOOOH hahaha appreciate you thanks for that

I have three

HAha yes I didnt think of that but it does seem similar.

There’s a book that says that it’s likely Tony has ADHD, and I 100% believe it entirely

Magic

Yeah, I was curious too.😆

i go to second hand and sometimes paint. I show how i make them on my patreon lol its kinda fun thanks for want ing to know

Hope you enjoyed it!

ha that is probably true

@@GeorgiaDow I didn’t think you’d see this! Love the video, I’m an Abby myself :)

I think that if Abby had the panda, she wouldn't be able to stay in human form for more than 5 seconds.

@@TheUlt yeah I’ve got ADHD and I have difficulty not reacting like Abby. And I’m in my late 20s 😂

with you there

i do try

hahahah

yes some people can do that and it is totally okay and most do grow out of it. she is adorable for sure

@@GeorgiaDow mhm so basically it is more a matter of the parent knowing what surrounding their child is going to get into and actively working with their child (such as making activities which will challenge and satisfy the kid), potentially with the aid of a qualified counselor? Sorry if my questions seem ... impertinent, but mental health is still heavily stigmatised over here in Slovakia, and as a hopeful father-to-be, I'd like to be prepared in case my baby turns out hyperactive (there certainly is precedense for that in my bloodline).

so true

she is too much fun

people just filled with life and enjoying it.

@@GeorgiaDow (laughs) Yeah...except for the entire lack of situational awareness of danger. Too focused for that. Whereas I tend to be more aware than most. Thus, I would get dumped as a friend for spoiling their fun. But it was quite the ride while it lasted!

I'm not a psychiatrist, but a few years back me and a friend got hit hard with existential dread. From my experience, I think that existential dread is linked to a feeling of not having control, specifically over your future. As a teen it's difficult, you are burdened with the knowledge of the world but are still too young to influence it in any meaningful way. My solution was to try and establish more control over myself. I've worked to break habits that I see as counterproductive, while focusing on my goals for the future. My dread was based on the negative affects humans have had on the planet, so I made my goal to help save endangered species. Using this, I've tried to make a staircase of steps that will help get me there, so that I can feel like I'm working towards being able to influence what hurts me. And when I feel like I just need to do something or I'll go crazy, I've taken what opportunities for action I have. I started picking up litter because it represented me confronting the challenges ahead, and making a good impact on the world. Picking up litter is effectively my side quest. I have my sights set higher, but you cannot only focus on one goal, and it's a great mood lifter when you feel that your actions have made an impact. I don't intend to stop with the small hurdles, but they keep me going on the way to the large one. I hope some amount of this helps. Existential dread sucks, and though I'm not qualified at all I wanted to offer anything I could.

@@blu3cheesecake978 massively appreciate this man. A lack of control of my mortality is what is really affecting me, so maybe establishing some control would be beneficial. I’ve just been hoping for the thought to eventually go away, and I can live my life again like I did despite it still scaring me. Thank you for the time you put into this I really appreciate it.

Oh how I feel you. :/ no panic attacks, just moments of dark thoughts and dread. Not sure how to deal with it since the things i worry about aren't things I can do anything about. Anyway I wanta keep an eye on this thread and see if anything can help me.

In my beliefs, existence is not a predetermined thing. What you do here and now is how you exist. Existence is not something given to us by others, it is something we give ourselves.

Firstly, I want to say that what you’re experiencing is /common./ Not “good” or “normal”-this is obviously impacting you in a way that makes it difficult to function-but what you’re feeling A LOT of people are feeling as well. You’re not alone feeling in feeling this way. Not the same root cause (mine is having physical health and comorbid mental health&trauma affecting my ability to be a financially independent adult), but my therapist has been working on techniques to calm myself before my symptoms get into a full attack. Basically, learning how to deal with chemical or thought spiraling (I disassociate to varying degrees so actual spiraling inner thoughts is pretty rare for me; I “hear enemy or boss music without music” instead and have to untense, work on my breathing (stop holding it/deep breathing) and make myself notice my surroundings (IF I’m not overstimulated. If I am then “sky&trees” and quiet works better since sound (and others’ emotions) overstimulates me, which makes my skin/muscles/nerves hypersensitive. (Internal or what my body feels like mindfulness techniques do NOT work for me-those can send me into a classic vs dissociative spiral.) Gently repeating a mantra of “I’m safe, I’m okay” (and hugging a cat that’s checking up on me LOL) also helps when I’m too overstimulated for Senses Grounding to work until my nerves stop firing and turning my vision “sparkly white edges and greyed out colors” But yeah. Georgia’s mentioned in some of her videos how Calm Breathing and Calming Mantras (like Pepa’s “Clear Skies, Clear Skies”) can help trick our brains into not flooding us with stress hormones. Then for me “okay so what can I do” helps for feeling like I have a bit of control not necessarily over my situation, but it feels like carving stairsteps to eventually climb out. But if that causes a panic (usually “I shoulds/why can’t I like everyone else” etc) then it’s time to distract/redirect. But a big one for me is just repeatedly accepting “this is how things are.” Not in a Gloom&Doom sorta way, but closer to setting it aside-carrying it isn’t helping me or anyone else. And like airliners doing the passengers’ oxygen mask training before each take off, you can’t help someone else if you’re struggling to breathe (although someone who is Trained and/or Okay can certainly help you get your “oxygen mask on”. As an internet stranger the best I can do is “read the manual” and explain my working-understanding.) And therapy /can/ help. But I’ll be blunt: it took reaching rock bottom and fully financially dependent on my parents as an adult and therefore qualifying for medicaid with my Really Bad Income ($0 🥲) before I /finally/ could begin to make therapy work. Why? Well…if I hadn’t aged out of my dad’s insurance (and cobra is astronomically expensive…so yeah. I had to just “make do” for a few years) I would not have had enough visits to even do therapy (dad’s company insurance only gave me 3-5 per year. You can’t do shit with that.) It also takes TIME beyond “therapy takes time to work” to find a therapist who’s actually qualified For You and works well For You. Sure you can try searching via your insurance’s site or Psychology Today (they allow you to filter by issues/specialty, insurance, and location/if telehealth is offered) or your local government’s site, but brace for it being trial&error (and if you can afford that. Which absolutely SUCKS.) But if you honestly cannot-check out Georgia’s Dow’s and Mended Light’s video library. Both channels have general therapy videos because access to therapy (and a fitting therapist) *is* such an epidemical problem (that literally doesn’t make sense-therapists are not wealthy in the way many medical doctors are, insurance is idiotic, and late-stage capitalism doesn’t pay really anyone enough to seek help unless they’re very, very lucky and have Actually Good insurance, have good medicaid, or they are Actually Upper Middle Class or wealthier.) Not to drop a bunch of Doom on you-personally I just really, really wish someone had been candid with me years ago verses muddling through on my own until I “qualified” for actual help. Biggest hugs (if hugs are your cuppa tea; if not, whatever’s the most comforting instead) and best of luck. You can survive this. Proof being you’re still alive and breathing. And for now that is enough. Take a breath. Right now, in this moment, you are okay, you are doing just fine. The rest can come later.

yes I think we all need that. Young and old alike.

@@GeorgiaDow aww thanks 😊

Thank you for appreciating me and liking that I am sometimes just happy to do it. And I think that we shouldn't give negative labels it can be damaging and become an identity for ppl

Aww appreciate you sharing this. It is what I hope to do and I love that I am your positive voice in your head. Thank you for sharing a part of your journey with me and I wish you all the best. Thank you for being a part of my community.

That is exactly what I hope to do. thank you for letting me know it helped reach you.

Thank you so much!

Yes Abby is just too adorable for words

Yes =)) lets hope

yes oh i should have those are great additions

thank you =))

i will have to finish horizon then =)

@@GeorgiaDow I'll be eagerly awaiting. The original game literally traumatized an entire generation of kids. Watching some people play the remake as adults on twitch, so many of them break down into tears at certain points just from the memories of what is to come. It is amazing to see. Unfortunately the remake is only the first snippet of the old game, I think there are going to be 2 (or more) games to fit in the rest of the original story into it. Just hearing a particular song from that game just about brings tears to my eyes.

just a touch :p

Ha and we will love her for it

hahaha YAY

yay =))

thank you I painted them myself =)) happy someone noticed it. Always makes my day

Yes hahahah lets burn this place to the ground

Glad you like them!

well abby is awesome so then you are as well =)