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- Why ChatGPT is my new Best Friend
Hello! Welcome to another edition of ABC of Mental Health, your partner to better mental health, one newsletter at a time! on your journey to mental health.
This week, we’re looking at our growing relationship with AI and why setting boundaries matters. As we turn to AI more for support, advice, or even company, it’s important to stay mindful of how we use it and what we expect from it.
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One relevant recommendation:
Try a “No-AI Day” Once a Week
Spend one full day without using AI tools like ChatGPT, smart assistants, or generative apps. It helps recalibrate your inner voice, restore creative independence, and reduce passive digital dependence. Think of it as a digital sabbath to reconnect with your raw, unfiltered self.
🔁 How to Do It:
Step 1: Pick one day or half-day per week to go AI-free. No prompts, no chatting, no tools.
Step 2: Plan in advance—journal, brainstorm, or outline your day manually.
Step 3: Engage with the world using only your senses, intuition, and people. And try tracking or recording every time you felt the urge to use AI and why?
Step 4: End with a journal prompt: “What did I miss about AI today? What did I rediscover about myself?”
Two Quotes on Technology, Peace of Mind & Intimacy:
Sherry Turkle, an American sociologist, on technology and intimacy,
“Technology gives us the illusion of companionship without the demands of intimacy.”
Sydney J. Harris, an American journalist, on humans and computers,
“The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like humans, but that humans will begin to think like computers.”
Three TherapyShorts from TST
Simulated Attachment lacking Authentic Reciprocity
AI chatbots like ChatGPT are built to mimic empathy, curiosity, and affirmation. Even without true emotional understanding, these cues are enough to activate attachment systems in the human brain—especially in people experiencing loneliness, trauma, or high emotional needs. AI listens without interruption, responds without judgement, and offers emotional consistency. This creates an illusion of intimacy and emotional availability. Though over time, users may begin projecting human traits onto AI, creating parasocial bonds. Like celebrity worship or imaginary friendships, these bonds feel real, but they lack the reciprocal growth of human relationships (especially the fundamental ruptures and repairs that exist).
AI Companions: Support or Substitute?
Studies found that individuals—especially those with social anxiety or trauma histories—who regularly used AI chatbots reported reduced motivation for offline social interaction. While these tools offered a space to vent and self-soothe, long-term use was linked to increased emotional isolation, raising concerns about avoidance disguised as regulation. In contrast, it has also been seen that daily use of the chatbot Woebot significantly reduced depression symptoms and improved mood among young adults, especially when traditional therapy wasn't accessible. These findings suggest that while AI can be a powerful short-term emotional ally, its impact depends on how it's used—either as a bridge toward connection or a wall against it.
AI as a Mirror: Rethinking Self-Talk & Inviting Contrast in Opinions
AI tools like ChatGPT often function as emotional mirrors—reflecting the tone, assumptions, and emotional energy you bring into the interaction. If you approach it with curiosity and warmth, it often responds in kind; if you bring in self-criticism or despair, it might gently redirect or validate without judgement. If ChatGPT is feeling more compassionate than your self-talk, it might be time to rewrite your inner script. It could be an invitation to internalise kinder, more balanced narratives and to practise emotional regulation through more self-aware, nurturing inner dialogue. Another important, if not imperative addition to your AI communications would be, asking it for a different/contrasting POV to ensure we’re not using it as an echo chamber to feel better but also working towards reflecting on our own biases and prejudices as well.
A QUICK QUESTION…
Am I Using AI in a Healthy Way? Vote here!
(Mini-scoring attached in the survey as well this time!)
Last week, we asked when you're exhausted, how do you actually wind down, and the responses were… (drumroll please)…
With care and compassion,
The Social Therapist
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