Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin

Have you ever been upset and had one person tell you to just sit with your feelings—while someone else insists you should snap out of it and take control? Which approach is right? The answer is that it depends on the situation. In today's episode, I'll show you that the most important emotional strength skill is knowing which one the moment calls for. Some of the things I talk about are: Why "sit...

Have you ever spent hours replaying a conversation in your head that didn't go well? Maybe you said something you wish you hadn't. Maybe someone made a comment you can't stop thinking about. But the more you think about it, the worse you feel — and you can't seem to stop. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. My guest is Donna Jackson Nakazawa, an award-winning science journalist and author o...

Want more plays to help you stay mentally strong? Pick up a copy of ⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠. Have you ever tried a mental strength strategy that everyone swears by, and it didn't work for you? Maybe you tried to meditate in the middle of a panic attack and felt worse, or started a gratitude journal while your life was falling apart and just ended up feeling guilty about your list. The same...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "I should be over this by now"? Maybe an old fear or insecurity shows up, and instead of just feeling it, you feel bad about feeling that way. Most of us were taught that hard feelings — shame, envy, anger, boredom — are problems to be solved or character flaws to fix. And when they don't go away, we pile on a second layer of distress. But my guest today say...

Want more plays to help you stay mentally strong? Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Have you ever felt stuck trying to solve a problem? Maybe you're trying to figure out how to attract more customers, smooth things over with someone you love, or finally dig out of debt—but you just can't figure out what to do? Well, sometimes pushing harder for an answer in the same direction is exac...

Think about the last time you couldn't make up your mind about a big decision. Maybe you made a pro-and-con list, read every review, and talked it through with other people — and still couldn't decide. We tell ourselves that just a little more information will finally bring the certainty we need to choose. But my guest today says more research can fuel your anxiety and the certainty we're chasing...

Want more mental strength plays? Pick up a copy of ⁠⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠⁠. Have you ever had one of those days—or one of those weeks—where everything seems to be going wrong, and no matter what you try, you just feel discouraged? Fortunately, there's a play you can run when you don't know what to do. And on the surface, it seems a little backward. In today's episode, I'm sharing a play t...

Think about the last time you tried to work on yourself. Chances are you started with a list of everything that's wrong with you — what you don't like, what you should be doing, and what you want to "fix." But what if thinking about yourself as "broken" is the thing that's keeping you stuck? My guest today is Dr. Paul Conti, a Harvard- and Stanford-trained psychiatrist who runs the group practice...

Want more mental strength plays? Pick up a copy of ⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠. Have you ever had a big moment coming up, like a presentation or an interview, and spent the final few minutes frantically cramming? We often tell ourselves if we just review our notes one more time, we'll feel confident when we walk in. But research shows that last-minute cramming is probably making you perform wor...

Have you ever told someone, "I'm not an optimist, I'm a realist" because the whole "good vibes only" thing seems irritating, and you don't want to set yourself up for disappointment? A lot of us brace for the worst on purpose. We think if we expect the worst, we'll either be right or pleasantly surprised. But bracing for disaster can be bad for your health. My guest today is Dr. Deepika Chopra — a...

Want more mental strength plays? Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Do you procrastinate more than you'd like to admit? You've probably told yourself the problem is willpower, motivation, or self-discipline. But, procrastination usually has nothing to do with those things. It has to do with trying to avoid an uncomfortable feeling. Fortunately, there's a simple mental strength play th...

This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at How To!, the 2026 Ambie Award-nominated “Best Personal Growth Podcast” that’s back with a new host and new topics to fuel your curiosity.  Each week on How To!, award-winning journalist Mike Pesca tackles a listener’s question – on topics ranging from travel and finance to health and relationships – with help from world-class experts wh...

Have you ever scrolled Netflix for 25 minutes, finally picked something—and then couldn't enjoy it because you kept wondering if there was something better? Or told yourself that if you just had more time, more space, or more freedom, you'd finally write the book, start the business, or get serious about the creative work you keep putting off? We've been sold the idea that more options and more fr...

Want more plays to help you stay mentally strong? PIck up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Have you ever wasted a whole day dreading a one-hour meeting? Or braced yourself for a family gathering because you dreaded seeing the family member who makes inconsiderate comments? The interaction with difficult people usually don't wear you out. It's the anticipation of seeing them that is draining...

Most of us don't think about brain health until something goes wrong. We think it's normal to experience brain fog or we just accept cognitive decline is inevitable as we age. Science shows you can physically change your brain at any age. You can grow new neurons, build stronger connections, and even shrink your risk of Alzheimer's — and it doesn't require anything mysterious or extreme. My guest...

Want strategies to help you stay mentally strong right now? Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Have you ever been about to walk into something important — a big presentation, a tough call, a conversation you've been dreading — and your body just completely betrays you? Your heart is pounding, your palms are sweaty, your stomach is in knots. And no matter how many times you tell yourse...

Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Do you ever set a goal you genuinely cared about — get healthier, write the book, finally save money — and two weeks later you can't make yourself take any action? Even when you have motivation and a good plan, sometimes, the action doesn't happen. Closing the gap between what you intend to do and what you actually do has far less to do with trying h...

Buy a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook. Whether you're trying to figure out how to address a problem with a friend or you're struggling to make a decision about what to do next week, thinking about a problem can be exhausting. And the more you think about solutions, the more you struggle to find an answer. Fortunately, there's a simple strategy that can help you uncover the solution fast. Not...

Want to be mentally stronger today? Buy The Mental Strength Playbook. Take a quick look around your home. How many piles of mail are sitting on the counter? How many clothes are in your closet that you haven't worn in two years? How much stuff is shoved in the garage, the spare room, or the storage unit you're still paying $200 a month for? Most of us are drowning in stuff, and it's costing us mor...

Pre-order a copy of ⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠. Have you ever rewritten an email five times before hitting send because you keep telling yourself it's not quite right? Or beaten yourself up over something you said and convinced yourself you've ruined everything? That's your inner critic . We all have one—and while that little voice is meant to protect you, it can easily get in the way of think...

The Mental Strength Playbook is out now. Order your copy today. Do you have someone in your life who only calls when they need something? Maybe it's the relative who always goes from one crisis to the next, the friend who vents for an hour and never asks how you're doing, or the coworker who treats you like their personal therapist. You care about them but you feel drained by them too. Fortunately...

Pick up a copy of ⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠. Have you ever rehearsed an uncomfortable conversation in your head over and over again? Maybe you want to ask for a raise, address something that hurt your feelings, or share bad news—but you keep running the words on a loop, hunting for the perfect way to say it. While we like to practice, rehearsing isn't actually helping. It's worrying in disgui...

Pre-order ⁠⁠⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠⁠⁠ now and get access to pre-order bonuses! What if cleaning your kitchen counter could actually help with depression? What if rearranging your living room could improve your relationships? Or moving your fruit bowl could make you healthier? We tend to think change is all about what's happening inside us — our mindset, our habits, our willpower. But what i...

Pre-order The Mental Strength Playbook and get your pre-order bonuses. Get a signed copy at Books & Books delivered to you. Can't stop replaying that awkward conversation from yesterday? Still anxious about something that might happen next week? If your brain keeps dragging you back to the same worries over and over, telling yourself to "just stop thinking about it" isn't going to work. In fact, r...

Want more plays to choose from? Pre-order ⁠⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠⁠ before April 28th and get exclusive bonuses delivered instantly — including a mental strength audit and the book's introduction. Have you ever wondered why an unanswered text can send you into a spiral? Or why you keep having the same fight with your partner over and over again? It might be your attachment style. And the go...