In The Doctor's Chair

In this episode, I discuss how your words can impact you and the people around you. I describe the contagiousness of positive and negative emotions and the presence of energy in words. I explain how toxic positivity sets you up for more feelings of distress, discomfort, and disease.

I also discuss how the practice of being more mindful and present enables you to let go of the past and anxiety of the future and share wisdom from the brilliant minds of Maya Angelou, Confucius, St. Francis of Assisi, and others.

Today we discuss the science behind adopting a gratitude practice, why there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits all’ approach and why it’s important for each individual to find their own recipe for inner contentment. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

In this episode, I discuss the lessons we can learn about the concept of flow from the Russian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I discuss what ‘being in flow’ truly means and how it impacts your emotional health, well-being, and feelings of joy and fulfillment. I discuss how Mihaly explored the concept of flow by studying artists’ work habits and practices and how we can create more flow in our lives by doing more of the things we enjoy.

Recently I was a guest of Bernie Keogh on her Podcast YayCanDo. YayCanDo is a podcast about possibility, embracing our humanity and letting go of limiting beliefs in our lives. Bernie Keogh, with her co-founder Paula Thomas, is on a mission to power new possibilities in life and work through better relationships with ourselves and others. I enjoyed our conversation so much; I think you will too.

Today, I discuss the importance of living our lives through the lens of mindful self-compassion. I explain how compassion for others is similar to being compassionate to ourselves and how being aware of your thoughts and feelings is the first step toward improving your self-compassion skills. I explain how challenges, failures, and suffering are an inevitable part of being human and how accepting this inevitability puts us on a path toward growth.

This week, I discuss some of the life lessons we can learn from the great minds of ancient philosophers like Epictetus. I share how he learned by choosing how he responded to different situations, it gave him an inner sense of freedom despite his circumstances. I share how Epictetus teaches us to use adversity as a means to develop our sense of freedom and the importance of taking responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs.

Dr. Liana joins me this week to discuss the difference between feeling grateful and expressing gratitude and how to avoid habituation in your gratitude journal. We explain what the Grateful Comparison Exercise is and how it helps keep you become humble and appreciate the things and people you have in your life. We explain the difference between Upward Comparison versus Downward Comparison and why it’s critical to avoid the downward spiral of comparing yourself to others.

This week I discuss the paradoxes of happiness and why each individual’s definition of happiness differs. I explain the Buddhist philosophy on happiness and why they believe there can be no real happiness without experiencing pain and suffering. I discuss why it’s critical to avoid the illusion of creating the perfect, idealistic future and instead learn to embrace your flaws, make peace with your past, and choose to find happiness in the present moment. I explain sustainable happiness and how it boosts your health and well-being.

In today’s episode, I explain what visceral fat is and why having extra visceral fat can negatively impact your overall health and well-being. I explain the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fats, how to measure your fat stores, and the various factors influencing your visceral fat stores. I discuss how excess visceral fat can impact your long-term health, often increasing your risk of heart disease and insulin resistance. I also explain the F.E.A.S.T method and how it can help you reduce belly fat and visceral fat to improve your overall health.