Joy Lab | navigate depression, anxiety, & stress with the science of joy

We're talking about our fourth lesson of loving well in this episode: Learning to Listen Deeply. Listening well is a skill and a superpower that makes us better colleagues, friends, and parents. It's also a skill that goes both ways; as you practice listening well, you'll also gain the skill of listening to yourself. As you listen, you'll start to tap into what you really want, need, and connectin...

In this episode, Henry and Aimee talk about that third lesson of loving well: Be more permeable. What does that mean? Being more permeable means to soften our defenses a bit, to let emotions in, and to also let them out again. To be really alive, we have to be open and let all of life flow in and through us. Listen in to gather insight on how to do that and how you're completely equipped for it. A...

We're digging into our second lesson on Learning to Love Well, which is seeing the innocence in others. This skill gets at the heart of the illusion of separation and opening up to the truth that we are interdependent. And, when we see the innocence in others, then we'll start to see it in ourselves as well (and even if we start the other way around). No matter who you start with, once you see the...

Way back in episode #6 , we introduced the 5 lessons of loving well. These are powerful little strategies, so we wanted to get into each a bit more. So, that's what we'll do for these next 5 episodes. The first lesson and the focus of this episode is "Learn to Love Yourself First." We'll talk about why this really matters and how you can build up your love and self-acceptance in realistic ways. Si...

Exciting news! We'll drop a new episode of the Joy Lab podcast every Wednesday, begining September 1, 2022. This podcast is an important part of our mission to increase access to integrative, empowering, and effective mental health resources. Please join in on this mission by giving us a top rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. This will help us reach more folks and grow partner...

Play is part of our learning process, a key strategy to create connections, and essential for optimal mental health. In this episode, we'll talk about some common obstacles (clocks vs clouds) and we'll also cover simple strategies to soften overthinking (tame those wild things!) and to uncover your most playful self.   About: The Joy Lab Podcast is an Ambie-nominated podcast that blends science an...

Did you catch the first set of images released from the Webb telescope? Did you feel a bit of awe? And if you listened to last episode (#17) you may have thought... "Hey! That's me in those images!" Yes! That might sound a bit wild, but it's true. Aimee is here to chat a bit about the power of seeing yourself in those images. Seeing your mystery, your magic, your power. In fact, the most incredibl...

Awe, wonder, enchantment… don't we all want these experiences?! And when it comes to mental health, they're super beneficial. In this episode, we'll explain how the element of awe and these experiences are not completely outside of our control, but instead available to us daily. We'll also dig into negative self-evaluation, a common obstacle that stands in the way of awe (aka, constant thoughts of...

Curiosity is a powerful element of joy. There are two key constructs related to curiosity that we'll dive into in this episode because they are particularly powerful. These are intellectual humility and uncertainty tolerance. You can practice skills to build these constructs in your life, both of which not only build a more resilient brain and body, but enhance your joy and a deeper sense of conne...

How is joy even possible amidst so much grief and tragic loss? How can we keep the elements of joy that we work on in Joy Lab present amidst such pain and sorrow? An important truth to hold onto is that we're wired for joy, resilience, and all the other elements we work with here. AND, we need some support to fill up our tank because, particularly at times like this, we can get depleted. When we p...

Feeling hopeful is a key contributor to better mental health. And don't worry, you don't have to be an optimist to be hopeful, as it's a skill that we can all boost. Problem is, hope may seem hard to find right now. There's a lot of events and messaging that makes that feel really true. In this episode, we'll get into a key obstacle that stands in the way of hope: The illusion of separation. This...

We're all wired for resilience. It's built into all living systems, from a single cell to dynamic global systems. And none of us would be here if we didn't have it. But, have you wondered why we all have different levels of resilience and how it can be boosted? In this episode, we explore what resilience means, how to protect your resilience, how to get it back if it's been depleted, and even how...

Feeling stressed lately? Our stress responses are being activated by a lot of stressors floating around lately. Activation is generally fine (and can be good stress!), as long as it recedes in a reasonable amount of time. If that doesn't happen, we can really lock ourselves into a chronic state of stress. Here's where equanimity can come in. In this episode, we explore equanimity (we also like to...

In this episode, we are exploring the forgotten key to happiness… savoring! In our modern world, there is both excess and inequity, a recipe that has distracted us from the art of noticing and appreciating the good things around us. We discuss the relationship between dopamine, pleasure, addiction, motivation, and in the midst of those, the superpower of savoring. Listen in for the powerful benefi...

Feeling mentally stuck, burned out, or like your inner spark has quietly slipped out the back door? We'll explore inspiration as a cultivatable, science-backed Element of Joy that's wired into all of us and that can boost our sense of mood, meaning, and motivation. We'll also dig into the traps that derail inspiration (yes, chronic dabbling is one of them), and share five qualities of inspiration...

The element for this episode is sympathetic joy, which is the practice of delighting in other people's happiness. But it's easier said than done—especially when we feel others' accomplishments are unfairly earned or they receive something we want for ourselves. How do we overcome these negative responses? The biggest obstacle to overcome is the belief that we are fundamentally separate from each o...

Today, we're discussing gratitude. Not the gratitude associated with cliche sayings stamped on mugs or "#blessed" posts on Instagram. We're diving into the goodness of gratefulness that's not based solely on circumstances. In this episode, we'll look at the scientific benefits of gratitude and how it can transform your life. Join Joy Lab hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, as they share...

The element for this episode is compassion. Given everything that's going on in the world today, it's more important than ever. Despite this growing need for compassion, it's often confusing and misunderstood. In this episode, we'll clarify what compassion is, the many ways it can take shape, and how we're all wired for it. Join us in this episode of Joy Lab, as we examine the science of compassio...

The theme of this episode is Love. Not the rom-com version of love, but the genuine deep connection that we all long for. And even though love is all around, it's easy to close our hearts to love, in fear of becoming vulnerable and getting hurt. So how do we open ourselves again, and how do we keep our hearts open? Tune into this episode to learn the five lessons on loving well and how we can keep...

Too often mental health conversations get stuck in a focus of dysfunction, uncomfortable symptoms, and focusing on "fixing" what feels off. But, mental health is not simply about trying to rid ourselves of things like negative thoughts. So much of mental health has to do with the day-to-day infusion of positive practices. Which leads us into the importance of fun, pleasure, play, and flow as essen...

Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek are talking all about awe today. Awe might seem like a rare occurrence and entirely outside of your control. But, that's not true! Awe is really about letting in more of the good and allowing yourself to just be with that experience. And you don't have to be in just the right place at just the right time to experience it. Drs. Emmons and Prasek reveal what typ...

In this episode of JoyLab, our hosts Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek explore the element of curiosity and how it can work to reshape our brains. We become what we think, and by changing the way we think we can reframe how we see things. Curiosity can help us see things in different, positive ways that help us reprogram the neural pathways in our minds. Tune in to this episode to explore the...

In this episode, we discuss the concept of hope as a tool to achieving joyful lives, drawing from traditional wisdom, neuroscience, and personal experiences. We'll also highlight what we call the "enemies of joy." These include brain imbalance, an unsettled mind, and the illusion of separation. As always, we'll also note the scientifically-backed benefits of being hopeful, which include better lif...

Are you ready to uncover and foster your most joyful self? Dr. Henry Emmons, MD, is an author and an integrative psychiatrist with over three decades of experience. Dr. Aimee Prasek, PhD, is a researcher and educator in integrative mental health therapies. Together they have created JoyLab, an ideal mix of soulful and scientifically sound tools to spark your joy. Join Dr. Emmons and Dr. Prasek in...