Navigating Digital Dependency for Better Mental Health

In this episode, Amy Morin, a psychotherapist turned “accidental” author, reveals the struggles in her life that caused her to turnaround her mental state. Elliot and Amy discuss how, when you cut bad habits, your good habits become that much more effective. Listen in to hear a world-renowned author and speaker share what not to do to become mentally strong and live a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life.

Visit A-Game Advantage or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Elliot Roe. 

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:00 –Amy’s background and journey
• 01:40 – Amy was a therapist and interested in psychology; she realized that she needed mental strength in her own journey
• 02:07 – Her mother passed away suddenly; she began studying mental strength from a new perspective
• 02:30 – She wondered why some people got “stuck” when bad things happened while others could move on
• 02:50 - Her 26-year old husband died of a heart attack 3 years after her mother’s death; she had since learned strategies to cope
• 03:45 – Soon her father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer; she went into a bad mental state and wrote herself a letter to get herself out
• 04:20 – She published the letter online and it has been read 50 million times; an agent contacted her and told her she should write a book
• 04:40 – In 2013 she wrote that article, her first book came out in 2014 and was translated into 33 languages, and now she speaks
• 05:40 – When you cut bad habits, the good habits become that much more effective
• 06:58 – The most powerful habit to deal with grief
• 07:07 – Don’t give away your power; don’t let other people or situations take away your control of how you feel
• 07:42 – Decide to do what’s best for yourself despite others or their expectations
• 09:40 – How Amy’s techniques apply to business and other areas of life
• 10:05 – Social media opens the door for resentment and comparison
• 10:30 – How Amy’s techniques are applied
• 10:40 – They are applied gradually and some may apply more than others at different points in life
• 11:00 – Your mental strength is like muscle; you must keep working at it to make it stronger
• 11:30 – She’s honest and tells people that she still struggles with not doing certain things; it requires constant work and conscious effort
• 11:50 – She realized that her potential is greater than what she thought 10 years ago
• 12:50 – She never thought she could be a public speaker; but she decided it was ok to be scared as long as she did it anyway. Her TedTalk is currently at 9 million views.
• 13:45 – About her new book
• 13:50 – It released in January and is based on questions readers asked her after reading the first books
• 14:05 – Her book is specifically for women; it explains what it looks like to be a strong woman
• 15:10 – The difference between a man and a woman becoming strong
• 15:55 – Girls are raised seeing only powerful male figures but are told they can do anything; there’s a disconnect
• 16:15 – The book helps people understand their self-worth, where the ideas come from, and how to break through
• 16:30 – How women can break through the programming
• 16:36 – Raising awareness of stereotypes and stories from her childhood help show women their power
• 19:05 – Going from therapist to public speaker
• 19:12 – It’s the same strategy and skills but just used on a larger scale
• 20:30 – She shared her personal story while still a therapist and was worried how it would affect her career
• 21:38 – The impact of social media on mental strength
• 21:55 – It has become a way to escape feelings and get distracted; Instagram is bad for mental health and opens the door to comparison and feelings of lack
• 22:40 – Social media has become a replacement for face-to-face contact
• 23:00 – She uses social media for business but finds it important to unplug; studies show a boost in happiness if you don’t sleep with a smartphone in the bedroom
• 23:35 – Become more aware of what life is like without your phone

3 Key Points

• Mental strength is like physical strength – you’ve got to keep exercising it.
• When you cut bad habits, your good ones become more effective.
• Unplug regularly to experience more happiness and fulfillment.

Contact/Resources

• Primed Mind – Elliot’s Mindset Coaching App
• Katherine Switzer – YouTube Video
• Amy Morin – Website
• 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do – Book
• 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do – Book
• 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do – Book

Credits

• Podcast Production by Podcastily