Building Psychological Strength

One of the most common requests we get is to help get rid of negative thoughts, so we’re tackling it on today’s episode. Whether it’s an inner critic, catastrophic thoughts, or unhelpful judgements, we’re taking them all on in today’s episode. We’ll talk about where they come from, why they’re such powerful influences on our behavior, and we’ll dive into evidence-based strategies for dealing with them. My hope is that you’ll walk away with a handful of strategies you can do TODAY to start managing these negative thoughts. 

Learn more about the Ascend program at: www.peakmindpsychology.com/ascend  

I'm going to share something personal. Today is a difficult day for my family. My dad passed away from colon cancer 30 years ago, this very day. His passing impacted me and my family in all of the ways you would guess. But, it wasn't until over a decade later that I experienced the most unexpected, and potentially most profound, impact. I was in grad school, thinking about all of the things I wasn't doing because I was afraid of judgment, imperfection, and failure. And a question popped into my mind that truly changed the trajectory of my life forever. "What would my dad give to have the opportunities that I'm wasting right now?"

Learn the insights of some of the world's most influential and valuable non-fiction books in only 15-20 minutes with the Blinkist app. Get a FREE 7-day trial and 20% off your first year using this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/5bggQN 

Noelle Hancock said "Procrastination is the lazy cousin of fear. When we feel anxiety around an activity, we postpone it." Today’s episode is a hands-on episode tackling a very common issue: procrastination. Many of us find ourselves procrastinating even important tasks. Why is that? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Grab your pen and paper because today’s episode is hands-on. Get ready to do some work! 

Get a free, 7-day trial of the Blinkist app and, for a limited time, 40% off your first entire year by visiting this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/c/2730445/1038174/10732  

If there is one topic that is getting more attention in the field of Psychology than anything else right now it is self-compassion. Self-compassion is our ability to relate to ourselves with kindness and without judgement, even when things have gone wrong. 

This week, we’re speaking with an expert in the realm of self-compassion. Dr. Jane Tornatore is a licensed therapist and the author of the book “Everything is Perfect, Just Not Me.” During our conversation we talk about the critical importance of developing self-compassion, the brain science behind its power, and practical ways to get started.  

Catch this episode, and share it with someone else who needs this powerful message. 

Learn more about Dr. Jane at Everydaylove.me 

Learn more about the Self-Care [by design] program at www.peakmindpsychology.com/selfcare  

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You get to the end of the day, and you immediately think to yourself, "Did I do enough?" or "Ugh, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to get done." We do that so easily. But, what we don't do often enough is think through everything we DID accomplish.

Learn the insights of some of the world's most influential and valuable non-fiction books in only 15-20 minutes with the Blinkist app. Get a FREE 7-day trial and 20% off your first year using this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/5bggQN 

Everyone says that growth and success happen outside of your comfort zone, but scientifically speaking, what exactly is your ‘comfort zone?’ Turns out, the better of an understanding you have of how your comfort zone cognitively forms and how it influences your day-to-day decisions and behavior, the better able you will be to step outside of it when the situation calls. As is frequently the case in business. 

Get a free, 7-day trial of the Blinkist app and, for a limited time, 40% off your first entire year by visiting this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/c/2730445/1038174/10732  

As more and more of the global population receives vaccines to protect against COVID, we slowly begin to think about life opening up again. Seeing people. Leaving our homes. Traveling. Returning to some of the elements of life that we all miss. But, as we navigate this transition, it’s important to remember one thing: ALL change, positive or negative, is stressful.  

Our minds are quietest when things are predictable and stable, so when things change, we naturally experience a bit of psychological upheaval. In this episode, we’ll call out some of the changes you might experience, and we’ll talk about 4 ways to help yourself and others navigate through it.  

At the end of this episode, we mentioned our program Self Care [by design]: learn more at https://www.peakmindpsychology.com/selfcare 

Also, Ashley mentioned our blog post about dealing with mixed or “unclean” emotions. Read it here: https://www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog/Emotional-Intelligence-Sifting-Through-Grey-Emotional-Sludge  

Imagine your'e a firefighter, and you get a call about a fire. You drive into the neighborhood, and you see one home engulfed in flames. You instantly know what your priority is and begin working to put out the fire. Now what if you drove into the neighborhood, and EVERY house was on fire. Where would you start? Would you decide? It's much less clear. This is what it's like to have too many "priorities" at the same time.

Learn the insights of some of the world's most influential and valuable non-fiction books in only 15-20 minutes with the Blinkist app. Get a FREE 7-day trial and 20% off your first year using this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/5bggQN 

Everyone says that growth and success happen outside of your comfort zone, but scientifically speaking, what exactly is your ‘comfort zone?’ Turns out, the better of an understanding you have of how your comfort zone cognitively forms and how it influences your day-to-day decisions and behavior, the better able you will be to step outside of it when the situation calls. As is frequently the case in business. 

Get a free, 7-day trial of the Blinkist app and 20% off your first entire year by visiting this link: https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/c/2730445/802063/10732  

The notion of “Good Vibes Only” or what has come to be called “toxic positivity” has become so pervasive in our society. This idea that if we just think positively, everything will be ok. Not only is that dismissive of the real experience that a person might be having, but it’s not helpful in building a strong mindset. In contrast, a true gratitude practice has been shown to promote mental wellbeing. 

Today on this episode, we’ll talk about the distinction between toxic positivity and a true gratitude practice and how you can implement a practice that will actually help you balance your thinking and create a better life experience.