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

Do you feel burned out? Or, maybe it feels like depression. Which begs the question, what's the difference between the two? Burnout and depression have a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. We'll highlight the nuances between burnout and clinical depression and also touch on the extensive impact of burnout across various forms of labor, from professional roles to caregiving. Listen...

Do you feel like your attention is fractured? Maybe you move through the day scattered, only to realize that you missed some good stuff along the way. In this episode, we'll talk about the practice of savoring, a simple skill that can help us regain control of our attention amidst the constant distractions of modern life.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen...

It's really easy to fall into a deprivation mindset. It's a common message we hear in our lives that can burrow deep into our body and mind, tricking us to believe that there's not enough to go around and we're not enough either. We'll dig into this destructive mindset and how we can weed it out with the help of savoring. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen t...

Feeling overwhelmed or even just "meh?" In today's episode, we have a special zooming out meditation to help you find and foster joy, even in challenging times. You'll experience a calming visualization practice, encouraging relaxation and broadened perspectives inspired by the overview effect (we talked about this effect last episode). Enjoy this soothing experience to help you release unnecessar...

Tis the season of failed resolutions and unaccomplished goals. So, how can we turn that bummer and those defeats into growth? Dive deep with us as we explore why many resolutions fail: unrealistic goals and a lack of meaningful connection. Learn about the 'Overview Effect,' a concept borrowed from astronauts who experience profound shifts in perspective while gazing at Earth from space. We'll also...

The science is clear that we humans are wired to tap into something deeper than just the surface layer of our day-to-day activities. It doesn't matter your beliefs, this drive for meaning and purpose is universal. That's why we practice having a conversation with our soul or wisest self in the Joy Lab Program. It's a practice we do every month as we work to build our Elements of Joy. If you're not...

What do courage, inspiration, burnout, and the soul have in common? A lot, actually. We'll dig into the 'Courage Work' framework developed by author and teacher Parker Palmer and how it can help us navigate out of burnout and create space for inspiration and renewal. We'll also get into some important details about the causes of burnout, the importance of deep listening and soul work, and how some...

Can inspiration really fuel motivation, connection, and a sense of purpose? The simple answer is yes. Inspiration may seem like a special, rare occurrence, but, it is something that we can prepare for and open up to in a variety of different ways. And that process of preparing for inspiration is surprisingly... well, inspirational. Listen in as we dig into some scientific insights and practical ti...

The 'Happiness Paradox' describes how the relentless pursuit of happiness can lead to poorer emotional and long-term health outcomes. That's an important paradox to know about when there's so much pressure to just "suck it up" or "put on a happy face." We'll talk about how to avoid this by contrasting happiness with joy (short story: happiness is fleeting and dependent on external factors, joy is...

How have your New Year's resolutions worked out in the past? If you're the majority of us, then they haven't worked out too well. We've got an idea for you this year... it's a resolution that is empowering and nourishing... one that goes beyond self care and supports your mind and body in big ways. Here it is: Join us for the Joy Lab Program! It's open and ready to support you as you build more re...

This episode is our holiday card to you... we're so grateful you're part of this community and have put in the effort to grow from your innate goodness. Helping you nurture your unique gifts, embrace your full self, and grow in an empowering way is why we're here at Joy Lab. We're excited to be with you in 2025! Sources and Notes: More on these updates in episode #184: You're Gonna Love This News....

We've got more exciting updates for 2025! First, if you don't already know, Joy Lab is joining the nonprofit Pathways North. Second, we're launching a new podcast next year over at Natural Mental Health... the Natural Mental Health podcast. The new podcast will focus on mental health concerns and lifestyle medicine, covering topics like sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress management. We think l...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we're digging into the fallacy of scarcity and its impact on mental health and decision making. Scarcity mentality can make us believe we lack sufficient resources, leading to anxiety, poor cognitive function, and decisions that leave us worse off. We'll talk about how to shift toward practicing sympathetic joy, which fosters a deeper sense of joy and a sens...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we're digging into a key obstacle of Sympathetic Joy (our element for December). This is important because Sympathetic Joy, or the practice of finding joy in someone else's good fortune or joy, is powerful. It's a quick mood boosting strategy, it can foster a deeper sense of connection and belonging, it can serve as an antidote to envy and jealousy, and can...

In this episode, we'll highlight some exciting updates before we share an encore episode. In the encore episode, we'll dive into the profound power of gratitude and its impact on mental health. We'll mainly focus on the first part of our three-part mindfulness process: see what is, accept what is, and choose wisely. We'll use that process to help explore emotional resilience, the role of gratitude...

We have really exciting news to share with you all! The Joy Lab podcast and program will be transitioning into a new nonprofit organization called Pathways North, starting January 2025. Despite the move away from the National Mental Health Organization, you won't need to do anything differently. You can still find the pod wherever you've been listening, you can still head to JoyLab.coach to join u...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we explore how gratitude can be a powerful tool in managing fear and worrying. We'll touch on the evolutionary roots of fear, its impact on our lives, and how nurturing gratitude can lead to a more purposeful and fulfilling life. Most importantly, we'll illustrate how identifying and addressing fear with gratitude can bring about positive emotional shifts an...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we explore the complex emotions of envy and gratitude. We'll discuss how practicing gratitude can serve as a powerful antidote to the corrosive effects of envy, and delve into the evolutionary purpose and varieties of envy, including benign and malicious forms. We also take a quick (and hopefully helpful!) detour into the concept of counterfactual thinking a...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we explore Dr. Gabor Maté's fifth and final level of compassion: the compassion of possibility. We'll dig into how we can see beyond suffering and dysfunction to recognize the good within ourselves and others. This is a skill we can all practice and get better at. And importantly, this isn't some toxic positivity exercise. This is a skill that helps us see t...

The poet Rumi shared this wisdom: "Grief can be the garden of compassion.   If you keep your heart open through everything, Your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom." The poetry of Rumi makes that process sound like a smooth and blissful journey. But, the reality is that the work of being open amidst tough stuff, seeing our suffering, accepting our pain, an...

We're focusing on the third level of compassion, as conceptualized by Dr. Gabor Maté—compassion of recognition. This level emphasizes realizing the shared nature of suffering, highlighting that we are not alone. We'll highlight the 'illusion of separation' and how breaking through it can deepen our connections and ease our struggles. The episode introduces the 'Judge, Mirror, Bridge' exercise to h...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we'll explore the 'compassion of understanding'—the second level in Dr. Gabor Maté's five levels of compassion. We'll first highlight the power of moving beyond judgment and into curiosity and understanding, using depression as an example. We'll then get into the practice of deep listening, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and Parker Palmer's work, to help cultiv...

In this episode of the Joy Lab podcast, we're not just defining compassion, but we're really getting into how it shows up in our daily life. We'll start by highlighting the important difference between pain and suffering and then get into how compassion, especially self-compassion, serves as a powerful antidote to ease stress responses. This episode also sets the stage for a 5-part series examinin...

In this episode, we're digging deeper into imposter syndrome. First, a reminder from last episode that you do not have a syndrome if you have these imposter feelings. You are not broken. Further, imposter feelings are not just a problem with self-esteem. This is a common misconception. Self-esteem is actually just a small contributor to these very real and uncomfortable feelings. That's why we'll...

Imposter syndrome is a myth. Well, mostly anyway. We'll unpack this concept of imposter syndrome, or rather, imposter phenomenon, emphasizing that the common perception of it as a 'syndrome' is misleading. In this first part of our two-part series, you'll get a historical overview of this phenomenon, which starts with the work of Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes' research in the 1970s. Most...