The Verywell Mind Podcast

Katy Milkman is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the host of Charles Schwab’s popular behavioral economics podcast Choiceology. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, a research center whose mission is to advance the science of lasting behavioral change.Her new book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, is a best-seller that describes the little things you can do to make a big difference in your life.Some of the things Katy shares are her favorite research studies about how to make good habits stick, the critical steps you should take to eliminate a bad habit, and how to set yourself up for success.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many people view vulnerability as a sign of weakness. After all, when you’re vulnerable you put yourself in a position where you could be hurt.So in an effort to prevent others from hurting you, you put up protective armor to stay safe. And while that protective armor may spare you from some emotional injuries, it will also prevent you from enjoying a lot of good things in life. Our protective armor often comes in the form of rules we’ve established for ourselves. Quite often, though, we don’t even recognize our rules because we’ve grown so accustomed to living by them.Asking yourself a few key questions, however, can help you uncover those rules you’ve established in your life. I guarantee you have a few. In today’s Friday Fix, I share how to recognize your protective armor, why becoming more vulnerable is actually a strength, and steps you can take to practice being more vulnerable in a healthy way.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ally Love is the in-arena host of the Brooklyn Nets, and she’s a Peloton instructor. She’s also the founder and CEO of Love Squad, a fitness and lifestyle website that empowers women.Ally’s successful career path has taught her that it’s important to value progress over perfection.She acknowledges that she’s often put too much pressure on herself to be perfect and to be liked by other people. But she’s working on learning how to cut herself some slack.It’s a message she teaches the people she works with as well. You don’t have to be perfect, but you can still take a step in the right direction today. Some of the things she discusses in this episode are how to deal with criticism, how to cut yourself some slack, and how to rebound when you make a mistake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the surface, it seems like hearing nice things about yourself would help you feel good. After all, don’t you want to know if your colleague thinks you’re brilliant or the person you’re dating thinks you’re attractive? If hearing a compliment actually makes you feel uncomfortable, though, you’re not alone. Most people actually cringe when they hear a compliment about themselves.In an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness, we tend to deflect compliments. Consequently, we miss out on the benefits of hearing praise.Fortunately, you can grow more comfortable with hearing nice things about yourself. But first, you have to understand why you don’t want to hear compliments.So in this Friday Fix, I share the four main reasons compliments make us cringe, the three ways we try to deflect compliments, and the things you can do to get more comfortable hearing nice things about yourself.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s scary at first to acknowledge that you can’t control something. You can’t force your parents to stop drinking. And you can’t force your partner to love you. You can’t make your kids get good grades. You can, however, control how you respond to those things. You can influence people with praise and boundaries and by making your expectations clear. And you can work on managing your emotional response when things don’t turn out the way you want.When you put your effort into the things you can control, life gets better. So on today’s Friday Fix, I share how to tell if you’re focusing on things you can’t control and five strategies that will help you stop doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Hollis is a New York Times best-selling author. He’s also the host of the Rise Together podcast, a keynote speaker, and a life and business coach.He has a new book coming out in October of 2021 called Built for Courage where he shares how he is rebuilding his life again after divorce.Some of the things Dave talks about on the show include the lessons he's learned from going through his best but toughest year ever, why journaling is so good for you, and how to create the life of your dreams.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosting a podcast from a sailboat in the Florida Keys is fun, but it certainly poses a few challenges (like tropical storms).But we’ve met some incredible people. From authors and experts to celebrities and musicians, I’ve interviewed some amazing people who graciously shared their time, their stories, and their wisdom with our audience.To celebrate our first 100 shows, I countdown 10 of my favorite mental strength lessons from the show so far.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Pilecki is a psychologist based in Portland, Oregon. He’s passionate about the potential for psychedelic substances to be used in a therapeutic environment — something that is likely to happen in Oregon soon. He has spent more than 20 years studying psychedelics such as psilocybin, MDMA, and ayahuasca and their potential role in mental health treatment. On today's show, he talks about the difference between recreational use of psychedelics versus therapeutic use, the types of conditions psychedelics might treat, and the best resources to learn more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The link between financial health and mental health goes both ways. Debt may increase your risk of mental health issues, but mental health issues may also increase your risk of getting into debt. When you’re experiencing both a mental health issue and some serious financial strain, it’s tough to know how to even get started addressing either issue.On today’s Friday Fix, I talk about the link between your money and your mental health and share five strategies for addressing both of them in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Celeste Headlee is a journalist, speaker, and co-host of Retro Report, a weekly series on PBS. She’s also the author of several books including We Need to Talk and Do Nothing. Her TED Talk, "10 ways to have a better conversation," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. She’s a well-respected expert in communication and how to hold uncomfortable conversations.Some of the things she talks about in this episode are how to hold difficult conversations with people, how to become better at making conversation, and how to deliver bad news effectively.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices