Okay, so now what?

Skin-picking goes by a dozen names and can be the fallout of a dozen disorders. But at the end of the day, it's an anxious addiction that feels like an unbreakable obsession.  As a fifteen-year skin-picking  veteran, I have a few thoughts on the terrifying clinical terms and the petrifying fear that this is the one gross habit I'll never break.

As mentioned in the episode:

• skinpick.com
• "Picking your skin? Learn four tips to break the habit" on Harvard Health Blog

Women's track and field might just be the most incredible thing on TV right now.  Running is a deeply spiritual endeavor and darn it if these women aren't some of the most inspiring humans on the planet. If you're feeling like a blah-blah spectator to life or perhaps you just missed this last week's Olympic highlights, here's a little somethin' somethin' to get you back on your feet. (Your physical feet and your metaphorical feet.) At the very least, you'll be race-walking your way through life in no time!

As mentioned in the episode, here are the rad IG accounts you should follow and a couple inspiring quotes to keep you race-ready:

• Allyson Felix IG
• Elaine Thompson Herah IG
• Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce IG
• Briana Williams IG
• Shericka Jackson IG
• Athing Mu IG
• Sydney McLaughlin IG
• "Follow These 10 Inspirational Quotes From Famous Runners" from Very Well Fit
• "Namibian teens vow to fight Olympics testosterone ban" on BBC News

Getting outdoors is beautiful, but getting into the wild is something all together different. Our souls and our brains need the wild on a fundamental, biological level. And the wild might just need us too.

As mentioned in the episode:

• "Into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul." -John Muir
• "Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits" by Kathryn E. Schertz and Marc G. Berman
• "Nurtured by Nature" by Kirsten Weir
• "You go into that water and it’s extremely liberating. All your worries and problems and life drama just dissolve." -Craig Foster in "My Octopus Teacher"
• "You slowly start to care about all the animals... even the tiniest little animals. You realize that every one is very important." -Craig Foster in "My Octopus Teacher"
• "I fell in love with her, but also with that amazing wildness that she represented and how that changed me." -Craig Foster in "My Octopus Teacher"
• "What she taught me was to feel that you’re part of this place and not a visitor. That’s a huge difference." -Craig Foster in "My Octopus Teacher"
• "In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect." -Alice Walker

It's our first Formidable Friday and we're dealing with a general sense of overwhelm. Here on "Okay, so now what?" we don't deal in self-help plans. We do, however, explore some unconventional tips and tricks that may help with anxiety and the impending doom of a crazy week/weekend. For instance, procrastination productivity is totally a thing and you should try it. Also, distraction and snacks spark genius. But why read this description. All the good stuff is in the episode!

As mentioned in the episode:

• “It takes a lot of time to be a genius. You have to sit around so much, doing nothing, really doing nothing." -Gertrude Stein

The Universal Fry-Sharing Policy would indicate that French Fry sharing is not only socially expected, but benefits both parties and society at large. After all, what kind of fry-monger doesn't spare a fry for a friend? So you've decided to share your fries with your friends. But what about generosity in general. Who's more generous: the poor or the wealthy? Why do people share and is there a correlation between generosity and happiness?

This episode is all about the social, psychological, and neuro benefits associated with sharing your beloved, fried and salted Yukon Golds!

As mentioned in the episode:

• The Universal Fry-Sharing Policy
• The Science of Generosity at the University of Notre Dame
•  "The Science of Generosity" by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
• NPR interview with Paul Piff
• Paul Piff's TED Talk: "Does Money Make You Mean?"
• “A neural link between generosity and happiness” published in Nature Communications

Why do some people get excited about very ordinary things? How can I be excited about my very ordinary life? Recently I stumbled across this guy who really likes cars. His name is Doug DeMuro and he has 4 million YouTube subscribers, but that hasn't stopped him from creating videos in his t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers with basic camera skills and no scripting whatsoever. But he really likes cars and his enthusiasm is contagious. Doug's enthusiasm got me thinking about the intersection between creativity, joyfulness, and intelligence. So if you're into conversations about Cognitive Science, cars, and marshmallow-eating chipmunks then there's something in this episode for you.

As mentioned in the episode:

• Doug DeMuro's review: "The Mitsubishi Pajero Mini Is a Very Tiny, Cute Off-Roader"
• Intimations of Creativity with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman on the Jordan B. Peterson Podcast (Season 4, Episode 31)
• "How to Find Joy in the Everyday" with Ingrid Fetell Lee

Whether you're chasing disaster or disaster's chasing you, there's an opportunity to upcycle. Sometimes our greatest setbacks become our best assets. This episode is for all of us feeling deflated by our failures and wondering what the heck to do now.

As mentioned in the episode:

• "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." -Maya Angelou (This quote might be a popular misquote of, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.")
• Overheard San Francisco's rad IG account

The vitamin of vitamins! The hormone of all hormones! Vitamin D quite literally saves lives. Perhaps you're navigating the post-winter "bleh" or a more serious mental illness or autoimmune disease. Well, Vitamin D isn't the only remedy, but it may be one of the best. This episode is part Vitamin D comedy and part unlicensed, definitely-check-with-your-doctor-first medical advice. Either way, there's a little something in this episode for us sun-lovers and house-hermits alike!

As mentioned in the episode, here are the awesome sources in order of their appearance:

• "Vitamin D" from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• My Naturopathic Doctor's amazing hair
• "Vitamin D and Depression: Where is all the Sunshine?" by Sue Penckofer, PhD, RN, Joanne Kouba, PhD, RD, Mary Byrn, BSN, RN, and Carol Estwing Ferrans, PhD, RN, FAAN
• "12 Vitamin D Instagram Captions for Your Sunniest Posts" :)

If you've ever felt like you're just barely surviving, you should probably know that you've never "just" survived. Survival takes guts and it's damn impressive! This reflective episode is a little bit H.G. Wells, a little bit "Reading Rainbow" read-aloud, and a little bit Toni Morrison because what would we have ever done without Toni?

As mentioned in the episode:

• "We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” -H. G. Wells
• "At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough." -Toni Morrison

 Whether you're the most punctual, most flexible, or most miserable when it comes to running from point A to destination C, this episode offers a few insights for those trying to break the always-late habit or put up with the habitually late loved-one. As the world reopens and our calendars begin to book up again, we might be asking, "Okay, so now what?" The world feels weird and recreating a routine feels even weirder. There's no step-by-step perfect plan to punctuality, but sometimes, the smallest shift in perspective changes everything.