Today's episode is all about the Holidaze. We discuss what makes the holiday season stressful or challenging for people. We discuss ways to cope, think about and reframe some of these challenges. We also discuss the challenges with the week between Christmas and New Years and our strategies for getting through it. Wishing you all happy holidays!

In today's episode, we discuss the inverse relationship between confidence and doubt. We get into the "Doubt Hall of Fame" common doubts people get stuck in. We discuss two categories of doubts, uncertainty and inadequacy driven. Lastly, we get into how to disengage with doubt and how to act and feel more confident.

In this episode, we finish our conversation on intrusive thoughts with strategies to talk back to these thoughts. We discuss mindfulness strategies, tolerating uncertainty and using absurdity to talk back to unwanted or unpleasant thoughts. Give it a listen and tell us what you think.

Today's episode discusses the concept of intrusive or unwanted thoughts, something that is common in OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder.) We discuss why viewing this thoughts as intrusive inherently drives a desire to get rid of the thoughts, thus creating a cycle of misery, anxiety, guilt and shame. We discuss the reality that everyone has unwanted thoughts, and how to respond. We discuss the concept of ego dystonic and ego syntonic and the fact they we may have thoughts that we don't identify with or relate to. Give a listen and let us know what you think.

Today's episode is about self esteem and how to like, or at least be, ok with yourself. We talk about what gets in the ways: things we do we regret, behaviors that get us in trouble and self critical thoughts tearing us down. We discuss an antidote: values and committed action. Identifying values and priorities of what is important to you, and who and how you want to be in the world and aligning your actions to that. Give a listen and tell us what you think!

This episode breaks down the effect of daylight savings, time change, routine, and the darkness of winter on our mood. We discuss the role of routines and circadian rhythms to maintain a stable mood. If you, like the majority of people, feel a mood dip in the winter - this episode is for you.

Today's episode we get into the psychology of being a sports fan - what a ride it is. The highs, the lows and everything in between. We discuss how sport unify us, gives meaning and routine to our lives. We had a lot of fun recording this episode - give it a listen.

Ok, the title is total click bait....This episode we dig into the reality of how hard it is to be a parent and the enormous task of raising kids. We talk about common struggles, common distortions, mom/parent guilt, anger/frustration, communicating and managing the conflicts with both your kids and coparents. We try to find some humor and reframes in this crazy endeavor called parenting.

If you are confused, keep reading...Today's episode discusses perfectionism and all of the related trickle down effect's it causes: self loathing, chronic unmet expectations, annoyance with others, unwillingness to try/grow/learn, stagnation.Perfectionism is a real downer. The case for mediocrity is our lighthearted antidote for perfectionism. We discuss ways to rethink your expectations for yourself and others and how to change your behaviors that feed perfectionism. Listen and Enjoy!

The episode talks about the concept of scrupulosity - religious and moral anxiety and obsessions about trying to be a good person. We discuss an emerging phenomenon of social justice scrupulosity: trying to be perfectly woke/inclusive or being the perfect ally. We discuss the thoughts and behaviors that drive this, the costs of how this affects people and the antidote for it.

Today's episode takes the CBT lens to the concepts of the "Ick," gaslighting and trigger warnings.

This episode is our sale's pitch for having more fun. We discuss what gets in the way, how emotions and mental illness can make it harder to feel joy and strategies to make more time for fun.

This episode is a follow up to the previous episode. This episode digs into the cost of polarization, ways to think about moving forward, and where people get stuck in black and white thinking about politics.

This episode we are taking a look at political culture and climate and the role psychology plays in how we think about political divisiveness, tribal politics and relating to people in the political sphere.We will discuss common distortions associated with political polarization. We will also take a look at the Pew Research Study: Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology and discuss our thoughts on this.Pew study to be found here:https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/11/09/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology-2/

In this episode, we discuss assumptions we have around the capacity for people to change. We discuss thoughts and behaviors that keep people stuck in the belief that they cannot change. We discuss adopting an attitude of openness towards possibility of change. We cover the process of behavior change and tips to create behavior change in your own life.

This episode is a dive into our favorite word: No. We talk about why people struggle to say, people pleasing and consequences of not saying no. We discuss emotions of anger, resentment and guilt associated with saying/not saying no. We discuss why saying no and being genuine is a show of self respect and respect for the other person. We discuss ways to set boundaries and practice saying no more. Lastly, we discuss learning to tolerate disappointment and the value of that.

The frequency of difficult, scary and painful events are happening at a frequency that most are finding untenable .There a lot of big emotions on/offline, which are hard to feel on a nonstop, daily basis. The goal of this podcast to sort through thoughts, feelings, attitudes and how we may suggest thinking through these so to not get stuck in big emotions and hopeless thinking and still try to find purpose, meaning and enjoyment in life.

This episode is all about fighting on the Internet. We discuss our observations and thoughts about how and why it happens. We point out distorted thoughts around internet arguments. We reviewed types of biases and it's application to subject. Lastly, we talk about fallibility and how to increase our own awareness to bias on the internet and within ourselves, as well as how to interact with internet debate in a more healthy way.

On this episode, we dig into our thoughts on social media. We discuss benefits and utility of it, some issues we see with it and suggestions to moderate how you use and consume it.

This podcast was recorded right after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting. We spent the episode debriefing on thoughts, feelings and perspectives in digesting the news story as people, parents and therapists.