Mental Health Bites with Dr. Judy Ho

Hey Mental Health Bites listeners — I’m here with some big news! I’m so excited to let you know I’m back on the mic with a brand new podcast: Savvy Psychologist! I’ll still be sending out my substack newsletters weekly, but this is another way you can receive tips and resources from me via audio and video podcast! Everything you loved about Mental Health Bites podcast is still here, plus so much m...

The first week of December is the time for holiday lights, long lists, and (frequently) more pressure than presence. You’ve got disrupted sleep, extra sugar, unpredictable travel, and emotional triggers everywhere. From a brain perspective, all of that equals uncertainty, and uncertainty is fuel for your threat system—the amygdala lights up, cortisol rises, and executive functions in the prefronta...

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, connection, and reflection. But for many of us, the moment we walk through that familiar front door, something shifts. Your shoulders tense. Your heart rate quickens. You hear a certain tone in your parent’s voice, and suddenly you’re a fourteen-year-old again, trying not to roll your eyes or cry at the dinner table. You tell yourself you’ll stay calm...

Do your thoughts ever get louder the moment the world gets quiet? Your phone finally stops buzzing and you’re off your emails, but your mind starts to replay everything you tried to ignore. You think about that awkward text. You worry about your future. You begin to catastrophize every small thing. Well, if this is happening to you, you’re not alone. It happens to all of us, and powerful neuroscie...

Have you ever looked at the clock, only to discover that hours have flown by? Somehow you’re going to be late again, even though you swore you had enough time. If so, you’ve probably heard the term “time blindness.” It’s trending on TikTok and Reddit, with millions of people saying: “It’s not that I’m lazy; my brain just doesn’t sense time the way yours does.” And they’re not wrong. Although time...

Have you ever caught yourself missing someone you know wasn’t good for you? Maybe an ex who caused chaos? A friend who constantly drained your energy? Or a family member whose approval you still crave, despite years of hurt? When thoughts like this begin to fill your brain you might start to think: What’s wrong with me? Why do I still feel this way? But let me assure you, if you’ve ever felt this...

Think about the last time you felt goosebumps. At a concert? Staring up at the night sky? Watching a child experience something for the first time? That feeling—part wonder, part vastness, part humility—is awe. Awe is an emotional response to something vast that transcends your current frame of reference. It’s an ancient and cutting-edge emotion that usually makes you rethink your place in the wor...

You know that voice in your head that constantly tells the story of your day? Maybe you’re walking into a meeting thinking… Here we go, I’m probably going to mess this up again . Or you might be replaying a memory with a twist: See, this proves I can’t trust anyone. That’s not just idle chatter. Psychologists call this narrative identity. Narrative identity is the internal story we weave about who...

You might’ve noticed a trend that’s sweeping TikTok and Gen Z culture: sleepmaxxing. It’s the idea that you can, and should, optimize your sleep in every possible way. People are building elaborate nighttime routines, buying gadgets, tracking their cycles, and sharing hacks for how to squeeze out that “perfect” night of rest, all in the name of optimization. On one level, this is great. Sleep is a...

You might have seen it on TikTok and Instagram: people romanticizing their lives. You’ve probably seen the videos…someone lighting a candle before bed, sipping coffee slowly while reading a book, arranging flowers on a desk, or even turning a trip to the grocery store into something cinematic. At first glance, it might seem like nothing more than an aesthetic or even a bit of a social media perfor...

From chatbots that act as friends to virtual partners that say “I love you,” artificial intelligence is quickly weaving itself into the fabric of our emotional lives. The big question is: What does this mean for our relationships, for attachment, and for the way we understand intimacy itself? In the last few years, AI companions have exploded in popularity. Apps like Replika let people design an A...

Have you ever noticed that even when something good happens, it doesn’t hit the way it used to? You land the promotion. You buy the new gadget. You finally go on that trip you’ve dreamt about. And then…instead of lasting joy, it feels like just…another thing. Well, there’s a name for this. It’s called emotional inflation. And if you’re wondering if this phenomenon is similar to financial inflation...

Your body runs on clocks. Some are daily (your 24-hour circadian rhythm) while others are seasonal, shaped by changes in daylight length, temperature, and routine. Those clocks tug on neurotransmitters, hormones, sleep timing, immune activity, and even how quickly your brain’s alarm system fires. That’s why the texture of anxiety can change by month or light level, not just by stress load. In this...

Hustle culture. Main character energy. Your brand must be bold. Chaotic. Unapologetically loud.  Over the last decade, we’ve been told this is how it had to be. But you’ve probably noticed a shift happen about how we talk about power, confidence, and self-expression.  Lately, something different is taking hold. A calmer and more grounded kind of influence has become increasingly popular, the kind...

Whether you panic at the thought of public speaking, dread the sight of spiders, or feel irrationally nervous in a crowd, phobias can quietly shape our choices and our lives.  They’re something that almost everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. These fears can feel embarrassing, especially when they seem “silly” or hard to explain to others. The truth, however, is that phobias are...

You’re overwhelmed. Again.  Sure, it’s because you took on three assignments this week, but you had to; no one else was going to step up .  And you’re drained from managing your kid’s classroom outburst, but of course you’ll also be the one to soothe them about their exclusion from their friend group later, and to help your significant other with their problems, and your friend is calling about th...

So you have a big and inspiring goal, one for the ages.  Maybe you want to write a book, start your own business, move to a new city, or change your career. But instead of taking action, you stay busy with lower-stakes tasks, telling yourself you’ll start "once things settle down" or "when I feel ready." But what if “ready” never seems to come?  How do you know if you’ve stretched the preparation...

In today’s hyper-connected world, we rarely sit in silence. Even when we’re physically alone, we scroll, stream, text, or talk. We equate being alone with being left out, and solitude is often mistaken for loneliness. But solitude, when embraced with intention, is one of the most powerful mental health tools we have. It allows us to pause the noise, reconnect with our inner world, and replenish ou...

We live in a world obsessed with the idea of finding your one true purpose. You know the story: you’re supposed to discover that one big calling — the singular passion that defines you now and forever. It’s everywhere — in self-help books, social media quotes, graduation speeches. “Find your passion.” “Live your calling.” “Do what you were born to do.” But today, I want to challenge that myth. Wha...

You’re not imagining it. Your brain is working behind the scenes while you rest, and those late-night “aha” moments aren't just happy accidents—they’re the result of powerful neurobiology. In this post, we’re going to explore bedtime brain and how you can intentionally prompt these moments of inspiration every night with a little practice. For a deeper dive, you can listen to the latest episode of...

Have you ever spent countless hours tweaking a project until it felt "just right," only to still feel disappointed? Or maybe you’ve avoided starting something altogether because you were afraid you couldn’t do it perfectly? f you answered “yes” to either of these questions, you’re not alone. In this post, and in my most recent episode of Mental Health Bites, we dive into a mindset that so many peo...

You know that voice in your head? The one that says things like… "You’re messing everything up." "Why even try? You’re just going to fail again." "You’re not smart/attractive/worthy enough." Sound familiar? That’s your inner critic. And while it may feel like a permanent part of your personality, here’s the good news: It’s not. Using tools from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the power of n...

While being “too nice” might seem like a virtue on the surface, when left unchecked, it can quietly unravel your mental health. You know what I mean. You’re always the reliable one. Always agreeable. The peacekeeper. The one who never rocks the boat. These traits are often praised. But when your niceness becomes reflexive and consuming, it can start to erase your needs, silence your boundaries, an...

Have you ever been lying in bed, scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, or hear a friend talking about what they’re planning to do this weekend, and suddenly it feels like everyone else is living a better life? Their vacations look effortless. Their friendships look deep. Their careers? Thriving. Meanwhile, you’re in your sweatpants, battling inbox fatigue, wondering if you’re doing something wron...

For a long time, people believed that certain symptoms, characteristics or traits were hardwired into our personalities—that if we were anxious, depressed, reactive, avoidant, or insecure, we were simply "wired that way." That belief still lingers today, and for many, it becomes a quiet, heavy burden: the feeling that no matter how much effort you put in, you'll always be stuck. But neuroscience t...