The Verywell Mind Podcast

It's easy to blame other people for wasting your time or for ruining your day. It's also easy to feel as though your kindness is being taken advantage of or that other people are using you to get their needs met. That's why boundaries are important. You get to set the rules on how other people treat you. While that can feel uncomfortable at first, healthy boundaries are the key to helping you live...

Mike Bayer is a New York Times Best-Selling author and a top life coach. He's also the CEO and founder of CAST Centers, a Hollywood-based treatment center that provides intensive outpatient services to people seeking help for addiction or mental health issues. In today's episode, Mike explains intensive outpatient services. He talks about how to find help, who could benefit from this level of care...

We all hold onto certain things that have no functional or monetary value. Whether it's an old ticket stub or a shirt that no longer fits, these items often hold a lot of sentimental value. A quick inventory of the sentimental items you hold onto can actually give you some good insight into how you feel about yourself. Research shows there's a clear link between the items you hold onto and your se...

Singer/songwriter Jewel has always made her struggles with a rough childhood, homelessness, and mental health issues public. She's on a mission to create a platform that will make mental treatment and social support accessible to everyone. She partnered with psychology doctoral candidate Noah Robinson to create Innerworld, a virtual platform where people can get help free of charge while using an...

Self-care sounds simple on the surface. It includes anything that improves your mental or physical health. But there are some common self-care mistakes that could leave you feeling emotionally exhausted rather than energized and rested. Here's how to stop making those mistakes and engage in self-care that rejuvenates you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly Slater is the greatest professional surfer of all time! He's been surfing for 46 years and doesn't plan to quit any time soon. Some of the things he talks about are how he stays so passionate about surfing without burning out, the exact things he does every day to manage his mental health, and how he deals with self-doubt. Check out more about Kelly's story on the new season of Make or Break...

People often associate mental strength building challenges with physical endurance tasks. But, you don't have to subject yourself to incredible physical challenges to build mental muscle. In fact, you can build mental strength without even getting off the couch. There are many ways to build mental strength. Here are five of my favorite mental strength building exercises that you can do right now f...

Lewis Howes is a New York Times Best-Selling author, industry-leading podcast host, and keynote speaker. His show, The School of Greatness, is one of the top podcasts in the world with more than 500 million downloads. He was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. His new book, The Greatness Mindset, describes what he’s learned...

Your brain lies to you. But, it’s tough to recognize those lies sometimes.  Your brain will convince you that you messed everything up or that no one likes you. Or it will trick you into thinking it can predict the future and it’ll tell you something bad is going to happen. Whether you think you’re not smart enough to succeed or you believe that you’ll never get out of debt, your beliefs can quick...

Chase Rice is a country music singer and songwriter. He’s sold over 2 million albums, and his songs have been streamed more than 3 billion times. Some of his biggest songs include "Eyes on You" and “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen. (featuring Florida Georgia Line)." Prior to becoming a musician, he appeared on Survivor: Nicaragua where he was a runner-up.  His newest album, I Hate Cowboys & All D...

Many people go online to seek positive affirmations, mental health tips, and strategies for building mental strength. Unfortunately, many social media tips on improving mental health aren’t accurate, and some strategies can be downright damaging. Many slogans, mantras, and tips just aren’t correct. But these pieces of bad mental health advice can go viral if they sound catchy, get paired with some...

In this bonus episode, I share how to know if online therapy is right for you, who shouldn't sign up for it, and how to find the best service for you. I also answer listeners' questions about online treatment and share some of the winners of Verywell Mind's Online Therapy Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Rucker, Ph. D., is an organizational psychologist who focuses on the science of fun. He’s a charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association, and his academic work has been published in peer-reviewed journals. He discovered that many of the tools he had built as a student of positive psychology failed to help him during a difficult time in his life. He realized there’s a lo...

In recent years, the idea that your physical health is related to your mental health has become less controversial. It’s become clear that physical activity isn’t just good for your body. It’s also good for your mind. But the mind/body connection is a two-way street. There are many ways you can use your mind to help your body too. Everything from laughter to meditation might help you live a health...

Elissa Epel, Ph. D., is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. She studies psychological, social, and behavioral processes related to chronic stress and how it affects health. She has conducted extensive research on the biological processes of aging with a focus on toxic stress. She’s a New York Times Best-Selling author. Her newest book, The Stress...

We often avoid calling our friends and relatives simply because we don’t have time. You might think your aunt is impossible to get off the phone with, or you might think your friend can’t possibly hang up until she’s given you every detail of her life over the past month. But there’s evidence that a quick phone call is not only possible but it might also be the key to happiness. Rather than connec...

Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is a clinician, researcher, and professor who is best known for his work on post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s the medical director at the Trauma Center in Boston. He’s also a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the National Complex Trauma Treatment Network. He’s the author of the wildly popular book The Body Keeps the Score. I...

A town in Scotland made its street lights blue, and the crime rate decreased. Casinos keep people gambling at their tables longer by making the tabletops red. Those are just a couple of fascinating examples of how color affects behavior. The colors around you can have a bigger impact on you than you might think. Colors evoke emotions. And they can affect your choices and your performance.  Compani...

Dr. Amir Levine is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University. He’s a leading researcher on the molecular processes that are unique to the developing brain. His research has uncovered findings that may lead to changes in the way mood disorders and addictions are treated in both adolescents and adults.  He’s also...

At first glance, you might wonder why on earth anyone would be afraid to be happy. But if you think about it a little longer, you might recognize a few times in your life when you experienced an aversion to happiness. Perhaps you won an award, and then you felt so much pressure to live up to the achievement that you were afraid to let yourself really enjoy your success. Or maybe something really g...

Elaine Fox is a cognitive psychologist and the head of the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide, Australia. She’s a leading mental health researcher who combines genetics, psychology, and neuroscience in her work. She runs the Oxford Elite Performance, a consulting group that brings cutting-edge science and psychology to those at the highest levels of sport, business, and the militar...

There were a lot of people on social media this year discouraging others from setting a New Year resolution. Opting out of a resolution isn’t necessarily a bad idea. By mid-January, most people consider their resolutions failed. That means their intentions to hit the gym, wake up earlier, or save more money have already fallen by the wayside. So if your plan to create change this year isn't workin...

Reggie Walker spent seven years in the NFL playing for the Cardinals, the Chargers, and the Broncos before deciding to walk away from the game. Reggie was sexually, emotionally, and physically abused during childhood — something he tried to hide for much of his life. And for a while, football became a socially appropriate way for him to mask his anger because he could be aggressive on the field. ...

Have you ever spent two hours dreading the fact you were going to see someone for an hour? If so, you just gave that person two extra hours of your life. Have you ever blamed someone for ruining your day or putting you in a bad mood? If so, you gave that person power over your emotions. There are many ways in which we give negative people too much of our time, energy, and mental real estate. And t...

Richie Stephens is an Irish gangster-turned-actor who lives in Los Angeles. He frequently plays villains in TV and movies, including Days of Our Lives, Criminal Minds, MacGyver, and Blue Bloods. He’s also the author of The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety where he shares how 12-step groups helped him get into recovery after decades of drug and alcohol abuse. Some of the things he talks about today are...