The Psychology of your 20s

Attractiveness and beauty is something we all inevitably find ourselves considering. We question whether we would be happier if we lost weight, would find love if our skin was better, would be more successful if we looked more like her or him. Our obsession with beauty is psychological and deeply rooted in our biology and evolution as a species. In today's episode we break down the existence of pr...

In our 20s there are four things we worry about more than anything else: love, money, the future, and our friendships. As we grow and change, the relationships around us will also naturally change and we may begin to notice how we are seeing our friends less and less, watching certain friendships fizzle out or completely outgrowing each other. It's not the same as it once was. This can cause a lot...

Have you ever had the experience of leaving a conversation and feeling like something you said was off, you sounded weird, you were awkward, worrying about what this person may think of you? This experience is much more common than we think and in today’s episode we break down the psychology behind why we replay conversations, exploring: Rumination The illusion of control Social approval Hypervigi...

In this week's episode we discuss the curse of being an overachiever. Society celebrates us for our successes, for our ability to work hard, push ourselves and constantly be the best. But this sometimes has contradictory consequences whereby the more we invest in our achievements, the less satisfaction and fulfillment we feel. We break down the paradox of being an overachiever and explore:  The im...

We all know the feeling of wanting desperately to move on from someone - an ex, a past love, situationship, someone we know we shouldn't be with - but being unable to stop obsessively thinking about them. In this episode we explore the psychology behind why that is, but also how to get to the next stage of healing where you are free of the past memories, thoughts and your feelings for this person....

Envy is ingrained into our human psyche, each and every one of us has, at times, compared ourselves to someone who has more, or possesses a quality or a level of success that we don't, and felt that familiar spike of pain. In today's episode we break down the psychology behind envy, and why it reflects a deeper insecurity in ourselves we are not ready to recognise. We explore:  The prevalence of e...

Dating in our 20s can feel like a minefield, a lot of people don't know what they want, what they like, we get ghosted, we get stood up, and then there are the first dates. First dates can feel intimidating but today we are breaking down my 10 tips to have the best first dates of your life. By adopting the mindset that you are there to learn more about yourself and have a fun experience, we take f...

Dr David Rosmarin is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Centre for Anxiety. Today he joins us on the podcast to discuss how we are getting anxiety WRONG as we break down a new approach to managing our anxiety, rather than approaching it with fear. For anyone who is anxious or has battled anxiety in their 20s and beyond, join us for a vulnerable conversation of...

Today we're having a candid chat about how I'm going. How I'm really going! We discuss imposter syndrome, why I've been putting way too much pressure on myself as of late and in the lead up to 2024 and why that has manifested in some serious burnout and illness (don't mind my Covid voice). I also break down my struggles with being disliked, particularly online and how we can manage and redirect th...

Putting off a task to the last minute might feel good in the moment, but it often leads to a lot of long term consequences and stress. In today's episode we discuss the psychology behind why we procrastinate. Procrastination is often confused with laziness and poor time management, but its so much more than that. Many of us are chronic procrastinators because of factors like:  Boredom Perfectionis...

Our relationship with food is so much more psychological then it appears to be, and the evidence for that can be seen with emotional eating. Sometimes we eat as a way to process or regulate our emotions, rather than from actual hunger. This can disrupt our relationship with food and lead us to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. In today's episode, we discuss:  The psychology behind emotional eat...

You're dating someone new and suddenly, they show up to a date wearing crocs, or wear goggles to the beach and you get the ick. You immediately lose all attraction to them, you feel the immediate need to end the relationship, why is that? In this episode we break down some of the surprising psychology behind the ick, including the links to our intuition, emotional unavailability, rejection sensiti...

The post graduation blues can leave us feeling incredibly anxious, aimless and stuck, battling with the question of 'what next'? We are faced with a number of significant changes and transitions such as increasing distance between us and our friends, financial anxiety and having to make significant career decisions. All of this can culminate is a sense of choice overload and paralysis, but also a...

Taylor Swift is possibly the most famous person in the world right now, beloved by millions, streamed by billions, her eras tour may have even saved the US economy. What is it about her as an artist, a celebrity and a person that is so uniquely captivating? How has she continued to reach new heights, new fans and achieve such career longevity? And why do so many of us feel an emotional connection...

We have all had that experience of feeling bored with our everyday life, whereby we look around and our daily experiences have lost some of the colour and excitement. Why is that the case? Psychology can provide some explanations including:  A lack of novelty and new experiences Seasonal affective disorder  Overstimulation from our phones and social media  Social comparison  The benefits of a dopa...

On today's episode we bring on the wonderful, Katy Bellotte, to discuss everything love, dating and relationship in our 20s. We discuss what it feels like to have never had a relationship in your 20s, the milestone anxiety and societal pressure that makes us to feel like we need to settle for someone we're not fully committed to, feeling behind and what it feels like to finally find the one. Katy...

We all know the feeling of oversharing at a party or work function and feeling the sting of embarrassment and shame the next day. So why do we feel the need to overshare with others, even though it has emotional and mental consequences? In this episode we explore the psychology of oversharing, from the difference between trauma dumping and authenticity, why oversharing soothes our social anxiety o...

One of the hardest dilemmas we have to face is when it's time to walk away from someone you still love because you know the relationship isn’t right for you. We can often find ourselves stuck in a constant battle between knowing what is right, and what our heart wants us to do. In this episode we break down the five key signs its time to walk away, particularly for those of us in our 20s, and why...

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot recently as someone who is VERY invested in the self-help space. Have we reached a point where we are too aware of our problems, faults, thoughts, actions and behaviours? Self awareness can free us from so many mental restrictions, it allows us to make better decisions, be a better friend, a better person, invest in our dreams and values. But at s...

Many of us battle with a deep-rooted fear and anxiety that those we love will leave us. Maybe we have been hurt in a past relationship, or witnessed a messy divorce or the passing of ones we love and we have unconsciously learned to associated vulnerability, intimacy and love with pain and disappointment. This fear of abandonment can cause us to sabotage otherwise perfectly healthy relationships o...

The new reality of dating in your 20s is that the majority of us who are single are on the dating apps. Tinder, Hinge and Bumble have completely changed how we approach dating by expanding our options, making dating convenient and accessible and are increasingly becoming the way many of us meet our partners. A study conducted by the Pew Research Centre found that almost half of us between 18 and 2...

A lot of us in our 20s feel the urge to upend everything and move to a new city - maybe for work, for a partner or just for the pure adventure of a new experience and environment. So in this episode we're going to break down why our 20s are perhaps the best time to make this major life change, from the lack of external responsibilities to the psychological benefits it brings, including self reflec...

It's been a while since my last life update so I thought we would take a bit of a breather and sit down for a nice chatty episode, just for you all the loyal podcast listeners, discussing all the recent changes and surprises that have been transpiring in my life as of late. From discovering what a healthy relationship looks like after years of tragic dating stories, the end of my single era, to mo...

Increasingly, those of us in our 20s are facing an exceeding pressure to be exceptional and have a million accomplishments and accolades under our belt. If we are not successful, what are we worth? Examples like the Forbes 30 under 30, the wunderkind phenomena and young success stories all make us feel like we're not achieving enough or are falling behind. Today we're going to break down exactly w...

Each of us deals with feelings of embarrassment, awkwardness and feeling social self conscious every now and then. But social anxiety can cause us a level of emotional, mental and physical discomfort that disrupts out ability to build authentic connection and can hold us back. In this episode we break down the psychology of social anxiety, particularly deconstructing the belief that everyone is ju...