Whatever it is you’re doing to cope with the constant new normal of these uncertain times as we barrel into the holiday season, we hope it is healthy but even if it’s not, we’re glad you’re finding a way to self-care. And self-care is one of many topics that our guest today is a master at. Nick Wignall is originally from Northern California, but he’s also lived in Dallas, Rome, Chicago, and now Albuquerque where he lives with his wife, and three daughters. He’s a licensed psychologist at The Cognitive Behavioral Institute of Albuquerque where he does psychotherapy with adults.

Board-certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology (ABPP), he specializes in empirically-supported treatments for anxiety and insomnia, including interoceptive exposure therapy for panic attacks, exposure and response prevention (ERP) for phobias and OCD, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for sleep difficulties. He is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology, a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, as well as a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the New Mexico Psychological Association.

https://nickwignall.com/about/

Time Stamps:

5:30 How and why the topic of mental health is still so misunderstood 

8:01 Habits as the most important level of analysis when looking at mental health 

9:14 We talk about the shame associated with mental health and the resistance to admitting that we are not okay

14:00 Nick gives his thoughts on positive psychology

16:45 We discuss men and their perspective on mental health 

21:25 Nick talks about his Drill Sergeant Theory of Motivation 

27:06 Best practices for managing our expectations of ourselves and others 

32:43 How emotionally charged situations can clue you in to what expectations are causing friction in your life 

33:42 Nick talks about mindfulness meditation and how it is currently the most under and overrated thing in popular culture right now 

34:57 Nick shares details about his meditation practice 

40:54 Why we should think of meditation as an exercise and not a coping strategy and how  finding your why when it comes to meditation is so important 

47:13 Nick shares strategies to get started with a mindfulness meditation practice 

52:05 Where to find Nick 

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