

Savvy Psychologist
QuickAndDirtyTips.com
Seeking a healthier emotional life? It’s time to bring a trained psychologist and mental health expert along for the ride. Dr. Monica Johnson explains the why behind complex emotions, helps you form better relationships, and guides you down the path of self-understanding.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 5, 2021 • 12min
333 - The Performance-Boosting Power of Positive Self-Talk
Positive self-talk isn't just an athlete's secret weapon! Decades of research shows it boosts performance, builds mental toughness, and regulates emotions whenever you take on a challenging task. Here's how to use it to score some big wins of your own.
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Feb 26, 2021 • 15min
332 - This Is Your Brain On Gratitude
The neuroscience and psychology of gratitude show that cultivating gratitude, even in small doses, can do wonders for your mental health. Here's how gratitude works, and some simple tips for sprinkling more nourishing gratitude into your daily life.
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Feb 19, 2021 • 16min
331 - Am I Having a Panic Attack?
Your heart pounds. Your vision gets blurry. You can hear the blood rushing in your ears. You wonder if you’re going to faint or totally lose your senses. What’s going on? Panic attacks are terrifying experiences that can put a major weight on your life. Let's dig into the science of why they happen and what to do to gain your freedom back.
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Feb 12, 2021 • 17min
330 - The High Cost of Caring: Compassion Fatigue
Some people who continuously care for others burn out and experience compassion fatigue, a very real and natural psychological phenomenon. How can you recognize compassion fatigue? How do you cope? It begins with having compassion for yourself.
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Feb 5, 2021 • 16min
329 - Is My Partner a Dark Triad Personality?
Have you ever been in a relationship that made you feel insecure, put down, and used? Here's how to spot whether your partner has the dark triad, a trifecta of personality traits that can do serious damage in relationships, and advice for safely getting out.
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Jan 29, 2021 • 15min
328 - Beware the Dark Triad in Your Relationship
If your partner, friend, or family member has ever made you feel insecure, unsafe, unloved, and uncertain, they may have high levels of the dark triad personality traits—Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. What do these traits look like in action, and why are they so destructive to relationships? Today we explore the dark triad in part one of a two-part episode series.
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Jan 22, 2021 • 18min
327 - 6 Truly Creepy Things that Can Happen While You Sleep
Have you ever woken up in the middle of eating a sandwich? Felt paralyzed in your bed? Or maybe you heard an earth-shattering explosion just as you were falling asleep that nobody else heard. We'll learn more about parasomnias, the strange medical phenomena that fascinate people and stump doctors.
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Jan 15, 2021 • 13min
326 - How to Be More Creative
People used to think that creativity was a gift from the gods. Now we have some clues from neuroscience and psychology for how to cultivate it. Hint: You might want to lobby your boss for a nap pod at the office.
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Jan 8, 2021 • 9min
272 - Harness Light to Defeat the Winter Blues
The winter blues can sap your energy, disrupt your sleep, and destroy your concentration, but there's a simple key to defeating it—light.
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Dec 31, 2020 • 12min
325 - 6 Science-Backed Self-Care Practices from Around the World
From forest bathing to napping to belly laughing, cultures from around the world have cultivated well-being in many fascinating ways—and science agrees that they're effective! Better yet? They won't cost you a thing.
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