Think Act Be Podcast

Why is anxiety so common as you look to the future? Why do we tend to worry about things even though we know that worry is useless? And how can we stop dreading the future and start living more in the present? Joel and I explore these questions and more in this episode.

How do you tend to speak to yourself—more like a friend or your worst critic? In this episode Joel and I explore why self-talk tends to be so negative, techniques for speaking to yourself more kindly, why it’s often hard to change negative views of yourself, and some of the many benefits of changing your internal speech.

It's often easier to start taking a psychiatric medication than to get off of it, or even to know when it's OK to stop. The Make America Healthy Again movement has highlighted this issue, which has long been neglected by the field of psychiatry. In this episode Joel and I discuss the widespread use of antidepressant medication, the risks and benefits of taking medication for psychiatric issue (especially depression), and a recent consensus statement on deprescribing psychiatric meds by the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Learning techniques for managing your mental health can sometimes be a double-edged sword. As helpful as they might be, they can also become a kind of burden, especially when they get wrapped in “shoulds” and “have-to’s.” For example, maybe you tell yourself, “I should meditate more often,” or, “I have to get eight hours of sleep every night.” While those practices can be good for you, thinking you must adhere to them at all times can add unnecessary stress to your life. In this episode Joel and I discuss some of the common pitfalls in mental health self-care, why it’s easy to f...

Social media is great, except when it isn’t. Most of us enjoy what these platforms offer for entertainment and connection, and also find them hard to use in moderation. In this episode Joel and I explore what makes social media so addictive, some of the costs of excessive use, and the society-wide experiment that we’re unwittingly a part of.

If you’re tired of spending much of your life stuck on a screen, try the behavioral strategies we discuss that can help you recapture more of your time and mental bandwidth.

Guilt is a normal human emotion that everyone deals with at times, and it’s not a problem by itself—it can actually be quite helpful. But excessive guilt can take on an oversized role in your life. Maybe you feel guilty even when you did nothing wrong, or you can’t forgive yourself for an honest mistake, or for something that happened a long time ago.

In this episode Joel and I explore where guilt comes from, when it’s useful, how to question it, and the best, most powerful ways to respond.

Anxiety can be hard to manage, and many of our best attempts to reduce anxiety end up having the opposite effect. In this episode Joel and I explore surprisingly effective ways to deal with anxiety, from agreeing with your worries to stopping the things that seem like they're keeping you safe. With consistent practice, these techniques can make anxiety much more manageable.

Disturbing recent events have left many of us reeling, especially the violence and killings in Minneapolis. In this episode Joel and I explore the coarsening of our public discourse, the distorting effects of elevating political allegiance above all else, and how to find solace in these troubling times.

New Year's resolutions are famously hard to keep. In this episode Joel and I explore why our resolutions don't tend to stick and what they might leave out for effective behavior change. Find out how you can set more useful resolutions that you're more likely to follow through on.

Worry is an understandable response when you’re not sure how something you care about is going to turn out. But worry can become self-perpetuating, eating up your mental bandwidth and creating unnecessary tension over things you can’t control. In this episode Joel and I share some of the best-tested approaches for freeing your mind from the trap of worry.

For more daily practices to manage stress and worry all year, here’s the link to my latest book that Joel and I discussed: Your Daily Reset.

Many people are turning to AI for support, and even for therapy. These technologies are low-cost, seemingly empathic, always available, and draw on a vast store of knowledge. In this episode Joel and I explore the safety and effectiveness of AI as a therapist.

Changing your thoughts can be a powerful way to greater well-being. But too much of a focus on thinking can keep you stuck in your head and get in the way of meaningful action. In this episode Joel and I explore how to find the balance between the cognitive and the behavioral elements of CBT.

How can you find more peace in each day, even when things aren't going exactly the way you want them to? Joel and I discuss many ways to cope with life's daily struggles, from changing our perspective to removing the source of predictable problems. You can't eliminate daily hassles, but you can experience a lot less stress and strain.

Therapy is a big investment of time, finances, and energy. How can you make your time in therapy as productive as possible? How can you prepare for your sessions, and apply what you’ve learned to the rest of your life? And how do you choose a therapist in the first place? Joel and I explore these questions and more as we consider how you can get more out of every therapy session.

Therapy is a place where you can say things you wouldn't share anywhere else. But what if you're afraid of what your therapist is going to think of you? Joel and I explore common fears that come up in psychotherapy, what's behind them, and how to address them so they don't get in the way.

There's nothing more important for your well-being than having good relationships. But countless people find themselves feeling isolated and alone, with few real friends. Joel and I explore effective ways to meet new people, including how to address common obstacles like anxiety and depression. Discover small, practical steps you can take toward building more connection in your daily life.

Out-of-control anxiety can dominate your thoughts and direct your actions. In this conversation Joel and I explore many effective ways to tame anxiety so you can live more freely. Use these practices every day to loosen the grip of anxious thoughts and feelings and find greater peace.

The practices we discuss come from my just-released book, Your Daily Reset. This guide offers 366 exercises for managing stress and anxiety, one for every day of the year. If you use one of these links, some of the purchase price will go toward supporting this podcast, at no additional cost...

One of the hardest parts of being a parent is dealing with a child’s challenging emotions. Many of the same skills that help in your relationship with your child can also help in managing your own feelings. In this episode Joel and I explore how to diffuse difficult emotions rather than adding fuel to the fire, integrating firmness and warmth, and investing in a long-term relationship with yourself.

Your mental habits have a powerful effect on the health of your relationship. In this episode Joel and I explore some of the common cognitive distortions that can drive a wedge between partners, such as mind reading, personalizing, shoulding, and the blame bias. Discover how to recognize and see through these distortions.

What is emotional intelligence (EI)? Where does it comes from? And what are its benefits? Joel and I also discuss what you can do to increase your ability to recognize and work with emotions, whether your own or others'.

Stress management includes more than just trying to calm down when you’re overwhelmed. Joel and I explore a 360-degree approach to managing stress, from what you eat and how you spend your time to doing breathwork and setting boundaries in relationships, and more.

Joel and I explore what intrusive thoughts are, what causes them, what makes them worse, and how to deal with them more effectively.

There is an ongoing debate about what makes therapy effective. Is it aspects of the therapist? What the patient brings to treatment? Common factors that cut across all psychotherapy, or specific elements of certain treatment programs? Joel and I explore these questions and discuss our own views on why therapy works.

Here is a link to the classic review that Joel mentioned about psychotherapy clinical outcome studies: Meta-analysis of Psychotherapy Outcome Studies.

Fellow psychologist Joel Minden and I talk about behavioral activation, one of the most effective treatments for depression.

In this episode I discuss some ongoing health challenges I’ve had, why I decided to pause the podcast for the time being, and why you don’t have to take your struggles so personally.

My guest this week is holistic executive coach Doug Holt. It was Doug’s second time on the podcast (the previous episode is here) and another great discussion. This time we focused on the marriage relationship—especially when you fear that you married the wrong person. Our discussion focused mostly on male-female couples, but many of the things we talked about are relevant for all committed partnerships.

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My guest this week is Dr. Paul Kesselman, a clinical psychologist and close friend of mine. It was Paul’s second time on the podcast (the previous episode is here) and another great discussion. This time we focused on how to keep open lines of communication with our kids.

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My guest this week is Dr. Nadia Colburn, a poet and author of a new book of poetry entitled I Say the Sky (affiliate link). 

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My guest this week is Dr. Carla Naumburg, a clinical social worker and author with a brand new book called How to Stop Freaking Out: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Cool When Life Feels Chaotic. This is an excellent guide for young people who are struggling with overwhelming emotions.

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My guest this week is Diane Manser, a long-time high school teacher with an important message that she shares in her recent book, I Didn’t Sign Up for This: One Classroom Teacher’s Journey Through Emotional Fatigue to Personal Empowerment (affiliate link). 

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My guest this week is Dr. Scott Rick, an associate professor of marketing and author of a great book called Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships (affiliate link). 

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My guest this week is philosopher and counselor Dr. Samir Chopra, author of the fascinating new book, Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide (affiliate link). 

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My guest this week is Dr. Marla Deibler, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety. We discussed her excellent new book, The BFRB Recovery Workbook (affiliate link). Check out the publisher’s website where you can download many free worksheets and resources.

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My guest this week is Dr. Alissa Jerud, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety.

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My guest this week for part 5 of our series on mindful awareness is Ethan Nichtern, author of a new book called Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds (affiliate link).

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My guest this week is Amanda Knox, author of the New York Times bestselling book Waiting to be Heard (affiliate link). Amanda’s name is probably familiar to you because she was in the news a lot over a decade ago when she was tried for murder in Italy. Even though she was convicted, it turned out the charges were completely false, and eventually she was fully exonerated.

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My guest this week is Brett Larkin, yoga instructor and author of Yoga Life: : Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos (affiliate link).

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My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Steve Taylor, author of the new book, The Adventure: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Awakening (affiliate link).

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My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Beth Kurland, author of the new book, You Don’t Have to Change to Change Everything: Six Ways to Shift Your Vantage Point, Stop Striving for Happy, and Find True Well-Being (affiliate link). We begin with a calming guided meditation that Beth led.

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My guest this week is Dr. Peter Levine, who is well-known for being the developer of Somatic Experiencing. He’s also the author of a new book: An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey (affiliate link), which we focused on in this very enjoyable and meaningful discussion.

Peter shared about how his own wounds from early in life were a big part of what led him into the field of trauma therapy. We explored how the healing continues, even now in Peter’s ninth decade.

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