Mental Health New Year Resolutions: Dr. Margaret Rutherford on Self-Care, Therapy, and Real Change

A new year often brings the pressure to reinvent ourselves — to lose weight, quit bad habits, or be more productive. But what if this year, your most important resolution was simply to take better care of your mental health?

In this insightful Giving Voice to Depression episode, psychologist and author Dr. Margaret Rutherford joins Terry McGuire and Bridget to talk about setting mental health resolutions that actually help — ones rooted in self-compassion instead of shame.

Dr. Rutherford explains why traditional resolutions often fail and how to replace them with practical, emotionally sustaining goals that strengthen your mental, physical, and spiritual health. From journaling and mindfulness to therapy, social media limits, and learning to forgive yourself, this conversation offers a roadmap for real and lasting emotional change.

If you’re starting the year wanting to feel better but unsure where to begin, this episode gives you both insight and doable next steps.

💬 Primary Topics Covered

• Why most New Year’s resolutions fail — and how to make meaningful ones
• The link between mental, physical, and spiritual health
• How to set goals based on self-compassion, not shame
• The importance of therapy, meditation, and journaling in recovery
• The role of social media, boundaries, and relationships in emotional wellbeing
• The difference between “superficial self-care” and real self-care
• How to support others’ mental health by reducing stigma
• Learning to forgive yourself and heal from past mistakes
• Using your experiences to grow empathy and connection
• Embracing the truth that there is no health without mental health

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Why New Year’s resolutions often fail
02:27 – How setting intentions for mental health can be powerful
03:38 – Dr. Margaret Rutherford on self-awareness and emotional honesty
04:30 – The problem with goals based on shame or self-loathing
05:22 – How to take a holistic view of health: mind, body, spirit
06:12 – Why self-validation is essential in challenging times
06:40 – How to plant “mental health seeds” for your future
07:45 – The effects of social media on depression and self-image
09:03 – Resolutions that make a real difference (therapy, journaling, mindfulness)
10:22 – The benefits and accessibility of online therapy
11:20 – Breaking down stigma and understanding hidden struggles
13:22 – “People don’t fake depression. They fake being okay.”
14:43 – Seeing mental health as a spectrum — and everyone’s on it
16:25 – Healing from guilt, shame, and past actions
17:09 – There is no health without mental health
17:25 – Creating a “to-be” list instead of a “to-do” list
18:05 – A message of hope and self-forgiveness for the new year

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