Dr. UnStuck Podcast — Get Out of Your Head. Get Into Your Life.

We have become such a productivity-based society that we have forgotten to have fun. Puttering is viewed as a gigantic waste of time rather than a a way to practice mindfulness. Hobbies are often monetized and transformed into entrepreneurial empires, which can certainly have a great ending for some, though many times this ends up being a kill-joy for what was once fun, looked forward to, and enormously life-giving.

#fun #playfulness #hobby #flow #happiness #positivepsychology #joy #authenticity #authenticself #playfulworkplace #Champlaincollege #StMichaelscollege #puttering #theartofdoingnothing #Mindcraft  

It is a very good thing to care about other people and to do our best to feel what it's like to be in their shoes. That said, there are sadly people out there who will allow you to give all you've got, and these emotional vampires are attracted to empaths like ants on watermelon. When this happens, the drawbridge needs to retract over the mote, allowing the gators to be a deterrent. Walls keep the emotional vampires out, while protecting our self-worth and emotional energy. 

#boundaries #selfworth #selfvalue #selfprotection #narcissism #personalitydisorders #empathy #codependency #mentalhealth #addiction #happiness # psychology #education #Mindcraft #Champlaincollege

Are you overwhelmed and overbooked due to an increasingly shrinking bandwidth? Stressed out? If so, this brief podcast is for you. Learn how to create a "shit-giving budget" and start saving your valuable life-minutes before it's too late. 

#lifeminutes #codependency #noisagoodword #happiness #Champlaincollege #Mindcraft #psychology #education #learnedoptimism #selfcareisnotselfish #practiceselfcare #worthiness #selfvalue #justsayno

Skip Harris, Director of Champlain College's Counseling Center, joins us for a discussion on the current mental health crisis on college campuses, as well as what is being done to meet this overwhelming need. In particular, Skip gets real with some of the common ways anxiety and depression can manifest, namely avoidant behavior. When students are overcome by anxiety or depression, they often slide into these behaviors as a way to cope with the overwhelm of academic, parental, and social expectations. Some of these avoidant behaviors include missing class, not turning in assignments, and declining invitations to join friends for social gatherings. Skip explains to us that this can be a slippery slope as these behaviors only get stronger when allowed to continue. He says that "the only way out is through," offering students helpful techniques and strategies to manage the urge to avoid the responsibilities and expectations of the college experience as a way to reduce anxiety or depression. Lastly, Skip emphasizes the importance of "taking care of the care-giver" to keep counselors feeling healthy and rejuvenated for themselves and their families, as well as to better serve our students. 

#mentalhealthcollege #anxiety #depression #collegestudentanxiety #collegestudentdepression #highereducation #mentalhealthcrisis #wellbeing #psychology #posttraumaticgrowth #resilience #happiness #youngadulthealth #learnedoptimism #collegesubstanceabuse

When asked how we are doing, our response is often, "I'm so busy," or "I am so slammed at work," or "I am so stressed out." This has become the equivalent of a societal secret handshake to be accepted into the club. If you don't respond with some form of over-busy, then this means you are a slacker, and no one respects slackers. This is contributing to an overall societal exhaustion, when what we really need to do is lower the bar for stress to not only make self-care acceptable, but preferable. There needs to be a shift in the force towards self-love and compassion.

Pay Yourself First

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/optimized/202011/pay-yourself-first

Positively Stressed?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/optimized/202009/positively-stressed

#selfcareisnotselfish #stressreduction #stresstolerance #wellbeing #wellness #happiness #mentalhealth #holistichealth #psychology #education #busy-ness #stress #overwhelmed #learnedoptimism #anxiety #mindcraft

Those of us in the "Fast Mind Club" are predisposed for increased daily stress simply by the nature of our wild and wonderful minds. We often have difficulty attenuating to boring details the rest of the world deems important, we are not fans of waiting in long lines, we view deadlines as rigid and unnecessary, we misplace things (including ourselves), we frequently interrupt, miss appointments, and want everything yesterday. If this isn't enough to manage in one day, enter anxiety, and all bets are off. Anxiety makes most thing worse. There is also that emotional regulation thing which can take over like a tsunami of overwhelm in a matter of milliseconds.  Learning to identify and label our emotions is the first step in defending against the Titans of anxiety.

The double-edged sword: ADHD and impulsivity | Kimberly Quinn | TEDxAmoskeagMillyard

www.youtube.com/watch?v=34rniXluGxY&t=232s

#ADHD #AdultADHD #Anxiety #ADHDAnxiety #Anxiousbrain #ADHDmind #Emotionalregulation #Fastmindclub #Mindcraft #psychology #education #ADHDeducation #executivefunctioning #emotionalhealth #ADHDwellbeing

Dr. Elizabeth Allen-Pennebaker joins us this week for a discussion on how to bring flexibility to the college classroom via an innovative grading technique which fosters connection, autonomy, motivation, self-confidence, as well as a “growth mindset” in students. It is amazing to think about how something considered to be “standard practice” and that is often dreaded (by both the student and professor), can be transformed into a learning experience that is enjoyable, rewarding, and a catalyst for personal growth.

Dr. Elizabeth Allen-Pennebaker's Website:

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter at B_VT

#resilience #growthmindset #posttraumaticgrowth #learnedoptimism #education #highereducation #mindcraft #psychology #happiness #academicsuccess #postpandemicsuccess #postpandemicresilience #grading #gradingrubrics #gradingtutorials #specificationgrading #connection #personalgrowth #authenticity

From the ground up, we have been so conditioned to set goals and achieve, achieve, achieve. Then, we no sooner achieve the set goal, and the goal post is moved back to chase after the better grade, better graduate school, better job, better social standing, more perks, more vacations, and another promotion. Then, we often pass the torch down to our kids so that they, too, can learn to become human-doings whizzing through life without enjoying the process. This is because we have the formula for success backwards. We have been taught to believe that once we become successful then we will be happy, when it is the reverse that is true. Only when become happy, can we truly be successful. By focusing on the process of living a passion-driven authentic life and letting go of outcomes, we will not only set ourselves up for success, but for a much more enjoyable ride.

#authenticity #success #happiness #joy #gratitude #passion #authenticself #psychology #education #positivepsychology #learnedoptimism #Mindcraft #Mindcraftyoutube #mindfulness

Dr. Laurel Bongiorno joins us for a discussion on play as a key component of well-being, and how important it is to incorporate play into our lives. Dr. Bongiorno addresses the impact of the recent pandemic, and how we have become conditioned by these "play restrictions" in our relationships, as parents, and in the workplace. Realizing that "loosening up" may be a bit of a heavy lift for some, Dr. Bongiorno emphasizes the need for us to first make play a priority, just as we would with any other aspect of our health and well-being, while also modeling this for our children, students, employees, and colleagues. After all, a playful environment opens the door for happiness, creativity, and open minds.

*This is the first episode of a series of guest speakers on a variety topics related to well-being.

#play #playdeprivation #personalfreedom #resilience #joy #flow #Mindcraft #happiness #learnedoptimism #positivepsychology #education #leisure #wellbeing #holistichealth #healthymind

When it comes to personal freedom, we often do not have a clue as far as where we truly land on this spectrum. We may even believe that we are self-aware in many other ways, yet we do not stop and take the time to have this very important conversation with ourselves. We are often on autopilot and unaware. "Personal Freedom Awareness" is essential to live the authentic life you were meant for. 

#Personalfreedom #resilience #selfawareness #authenticity #authenticself #freedom #happiness #learnedoptimism #psychology #education #Mindcraft #Mindcraftpodcast