Baggage Check: Mental Health Talk and Advice

Today we're talking with Dr. Brooke Ellison, associate professor at Stony Brook University, author of Look Both Ways, and subject of the Christopher Reeve- directed documentary, The Brooke Ellison Story. When Brooke w  as just 11 years old, walking home from her first day of junior high school, she was hit by a car-- and left with quadriplegia. In a raw, no-holds-barred conversation, we talk not...

It's the biggest public health problem that the fewest people talk about. Loneliness is an epidemic, and it is increasing-- and taking lives in the process. Today we break down the new report of the US Surgeon General about social disconnection and loneliness, and talk about all the surprising ways that they can wreck your health (yes, your physical health)-- and how we can do something about it....

In today's episode, we wanted to talk about things you can do in this very moment when you're feeling overwhelmed. While we often focus on long-term self-care, at certain times it can feel futile to think about strategies that can help build up your emotional health over days, weeks, and months. So, here are ten things that you can put into practice right now to help make you feel a little bit mor...

Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders there is (no longer THE most common, though-- thanks, anxiety disorders! Oof) and yet there are so many myths that persist about it. Today we are tackling the most common ones, and trying to get the real picture. No two people with depression are alike, and the more you know about its (sometimes surprising) manifestations, the more we ca...

Okay, maybe "wreck" is too strong a word. But with friendship more important than ever to our physical and emotional health, it's time we tackle the common missteps that often lead to heartache. What I often hear from people is that meeting people isn't the hard part of making friends-- it's turning the meeting into something that resembles a relationship: making that jump from acquaintance to fri...

Money is consistently identified as one of the biggest stressors that people experience. So why is its impact on individual mental health not much of a focus, and why are most therapists not trained in any way to talk about the specifics of this issue? And why is it so ever-lovin' awkward to talk about? We sat down with financial therapist (yes, that's a thing, and it's fantastic!) Lindsay Bryan-P...

Are you a people-pleaser? Prone to saying yes to things that you wish you'd say no to? Do you find it hard to establish boundaries, and you end up getting roped into things that aren't true to your values, or that will end up burning you out or causing resentment in the long run? If this is you, we'll ask that you DON'T say no-- to listening to today's episode. (Yeah, yeah, we know.) Follow Baggag...

Do you have something you'd love to get help with-- but it feels too weird, too awkward, too cringe? Is there a lot of shame along with it? A lot of (ahem!) baggage? Join us for today's show, where we talk about some surprisingly common-- but seemingly embarrassing things-- that therapy can absolutely help with. Follow Baggage Check on Instagram @baggagecheckpodcast and get sneak peeks of upcoming...

Today we're talking about Loving Kindness Meditation, and honoring the memory of a remarkable human being who was special to Baggage Check, Dr. Maryann Gray. If you're cringing at the idea of Loving Kindness Meditation, will it help that it might slow the aging process? And change your brain volume? (For the better, of course.) Join us and we'll walk you through it. It won't hurt, we promise. Unle...

Do you think of yourself as "not creative?" Do you miss the ways you tried artistic pursuits during the pandemic, and have since had to let that go? Do you struggle with perfectionism, impostor syndrome, or overly focusing on the finished product of your endeavors rather than the process itself? Today we're talking with mixed media artist and retired psychologist Rachel Davis, whose years of exper...

Long-distance relationships seem more common than ever-- and the research on the ways that the pandemic has changed dating (or just accelerated the trends that were beginning right before) bears this out. But long-distance relationships can also be ever-so tricky. Today we're going over ten tips that can honestly help any relationship grow stronger. Prioritizing each other, improving communication...

We've likely all been tempted to say it, whether to ourselves or others: "Calm doooooown!" But in reality, there's probably not another common phrase that is so ineffective in getting the outcome that it aims for. So what can we do instead? Join us today for five things to say that are much more likely to be helpful, so that next time, you're actually helping someone move toward calm, rather than...

Today we're focusing on drinking-- and getting rid of the generalities and stereotypes to get real about the complications, the nuances, and the human side of alcohol use. On today's Baggage Check welcome Dr. Debra Kaysen, Stanford University professor and expert researcher on alcohol abuse. From how to think about what is "problem drinking" to surprising new data on who is drinking more (and who...

There'll be no numbered lists here today, just some frank talk about how important it is to set limits when the news is dark. We think about what our brains and hearts are evolutionarily meant to handle (and what they're not), how we can take small steps to set boundaries, the reasons why it's so important to do so-- and how it ultimately make you do better for the world. Join us! Follow Baggage C...

We've talked some about relationship violence and emotional abuse (check out our recent episode with Dr. Carolyn West!), and Dr. Andrea has written a lot about controlling behaviors. But what about those subtle relationship behaviors that might not necessarily spell doom, that you should keep an eye on? Perhaps those things that it's easy for us to convince ourselves are nothing, and yet they can...

We talk a lot about anxiety on Baggage Check, and how all of us struggle with it to some extent. Today we're focusing on how to know that maybe it's gotten to the point where it's problematic. How do you know when it's time to seek help? What everyday behaviors might be hiding anxiety beneath? For some surprising ways that excessive stress might affect your behavior to a really hurtful extent, tun...

Today, as always, we want to shine a light in the darkness-- and so we're going where civil, "polite" discussions often don't. We're talking about the traumatic, tragic shame of accidentally killing someone. Dr. Maryann Gray is the founder of The Hyacinth Fellowship, a support network for those who are living in the darkness of having unintentionally caused death or serious injury. Having traveled...

We've talked about how the truest, deepest forms of happiness and well-being don't necessarily come just from pleasure, comfort, or ease. They come from a deeper sense of meaning-- which is often very connected to your sense of purpose. But how can we think about our sense of purpose? What can we ask ourselves to help us find it? And is all hope lost if we have absolutely no clue what that sense o...

Do men and women have the same depression symptoms? Certainly, there's much overlap. But there are often times when our classic visual of what depression looks like tends to miss men altogether. And there are ways that their most common symptoms might not look like depression at first glance at all. Join us today to talk about all things depression-- and especially to bust some stereotypes of how...

Today we're taking a listener question-- and wrestling with the common but potentially heartbreaking dilemma of what happens when an otherwise happy and committed couple differs about whether or not to have children. Is there any hope? Let's dig deep about parenting ambivalence, in today's Baggage Check. Follow Baggage Check on Instagram @baggagecheckpodcast and get sneak peeks of upcoming episode...

There are many stereotypes about what relationship violence looks like-- and there are many ways that survivors and perpetrators of it defy those stereotypes. Today we sat down with Dr. Carolyn West, professor of psychology at the University of Washington and leading authority on relationship violence, to learn the realities of this difficult topic. From the way that technology increases a partner...

Apologies are something we all have experience with-- and baggage about-- that probably began from the time we first learned to communicate. But as frequently as the need to apologize comes up in life, it can be a hard thing to get right. And in fact, sometimes our apologies are disastrous and do more harm than good. On today's show, we're discussing six common things that make apologies worse-- a...

There are many visualizations out there, and many people who find the concept of them to be trite. But with anxiety rising and some solid evidence behind visualization as a relaxation technique, we think they're worth a try. Learn what visualizations can-- and cannot-- do, and get five solid examples of ones you can try today, perhaps even without rolling your eyes, in today's Baggage Check. Follo...

Today we're talking with Marni Amsellem, Ph. D., a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in health-related issues. With more and more individuals predicted to suffer from physical health problems in the coming years, and with many already suffering mightily, we thought it was high time for a conversation about the role of psychological support in medical treatment. From new uses of techno...

The health benefits of friendship are immense-- and you've likely heard us nagging you about it in the past. Today we wanted to get down and dirty-- or not so dirty, these are just friends we're talking about!-- and discuss some realistic, fast, and actionable things you can do to give your friendships a boost. Nothing grandiose, nothing long-term, and nothing too intimidating is on the docket tod...