Therapy Thursday

If you've been putting off a project or change because you are worried about how long it will take, I like to remember this principle from today's episode: the time is going to pass anyway, so why not just start?

Did you know that getting punched in the face is a neutral situation? In this episode we break down why situations are neutral, and how our thoughts/opinions create meaning and feelings for us, using this rather painful example!

Problems are an inescapable part of life (and actually, something that our brain craves!) So instead of trying to get rid of or avoid all problems, let's try upgrading our problems to better ones, or problems that we'd rather be solving.

Many people (myself included) start therapy thinking that if they go for a while, they will have some sudden eureka-breakthrough type moment. The hard truth, however, is that therapy is not about sudden breakthroughs. It's about slow maintenance, and that can be boring sometimes.

I know that question is one of the biggest there is, but in this episode we explore who God is to each one of us by learning about the difference between a god-concept versus a god-image, and how exploring the two sides of our understanding of god can lead to a more fulfilling relationship with our faith and religious beliefs.

Every time a mass shooting happens, the same debate is sparked: what is to blame for this awful and continuing crisis? With yet another school shooting recently, and the predicable uptick of blaming the shooter's mental health, we are breaking down the truth about mental health as it relates to gun violence in America.

It's really easy to get down on ourselves when we are feeling stuck, or like we aren't making the progress we'd hoped for. This episode is all about reminding you of the progress you have made, the good you are doing, and the signs that you are probably doing better than you give yourself credit for!

There are a lot of "shoulds" that we pile onto ourselves. But you can stop and question them with a simple "says who?" You'll find that much of the time, it's just completely made up, and no one is actually holding you to that standard other than your own perceptions. 

Burnout has become more and more common in our world of constant hustle. And by the time burnout hits, it's really hard to get out of it. Like so many things in life, prevention is really the best policy. 

We all have qualities or characteristics that we hope to be - kind, loyal, smart, funny, etc. But it's important to ask ourselves whether we care more about actually being that trait, or just that other people perceive us as having that trait?

Your whole life you've probably heard some version of - "Don't care what other people think!" And it sounds like good advice. At first. But it pretty quickly starts to break down in real life. In this episode we discuss why what other people think about you actually does matter, why you should care about it, and how do care about it in a more healthy way. 

After a sickness-related hiatus, we are coming back and talking about an experience I had losing my voice, and how it opened my eyes to the issues we have with accessibility in our society. 

Our brains have a strong bias towards remembering our failures with much more detail and clarity than our successes, and a nasty habit of bringing them to the front of our minds at the worst times. In today's episode we talk about why that is and what you can do about it!

We have all experienced driving down the road when someone is going either waaaaay too slow or dangerously fast. And as we pass them (or they pass us) we have a seemingly uncontrollable urge to look over and see who the other driver was. In today's episode we talk about that urge and what it is doing for our brains. 

This New Years, instead of adding yet another goal that probably won't last til February and then leaving you feeling guilty for not accomplishing it, try setting an anti-resolution by choosing something from your life to get rid of, rather than trying to add another new thing. 

Being "unsurprised" this Holiday season is a great way to break cycles. You know the topics that will stir up problems. You know the family members that will do/say something a bit out in left field. So be unsurprised by that, and take your power back. 

Holiday traditions can be lots of fun, but they can also be a huge headache. When the downsides and costs of continuing a tradition outweighs the benefits, it is time to move on. In this episode we talk about why and how this happens. 

I come to you for this very special episode live from a traffic jam to put into practice the SOFAR model that we have discussed on previous episodes! Let’s take a look at this real world example of implementing the model.

There are a LOT of myths and straight up lies that have been circulating for a long time about gender affirming care. So today we are setting the record straight with facts and studies, not fear and hunches. 

We hear all the time about how gratitude can improve our mood, but did you know it can also improve your physical health? The psychological principles behind why this happens are fascinating. Check it out on this week's Thanksgiving episode!

Today we address a commonly held belief amongst many religious groups, political parties, businesses, etc - that a person will not be able to be truly happy if they leave the group. It's a dangerous belief that not only harms the person leaving, but can seriously limit our own happiness as well. 

Where does anger come from? Why do we feel it so intensely? Is it good or bad? Is it always a secondary emotions? There are a lot of questions to explore about anger on today's episode. 

Have you ever wondered why empaths seem to only take on the "negative" emotions around them, rather than attune to all the people with more positive emotions they meet? In this episode we talk all about empaths,  where this skill comes from, and why they are more likely to take on other people's sadness, distress, etc, rather than people's happiness or joy. 

We all get it wrong sometimes. The most common seems to be when we project our views, understandings, opinions, cultures, etc, onto other people. It helps reduce a lot of conflict and stress when you just communicate with someone about a perceived wrongdoing rather than assume they did it intentionally. 

TikTok and other social media have done a great job at increasing the amount we talk about mental health and therapy. Unfortunately, that has also increased the amount of false information about mental health and therapy. And considering GenZ use TikTok to search for information more than Google, that leads to a lot of incorrect and dangerous self-diagnosing.