In the Open

Theresa and America explore the art of making habits stick. There is a discussion about being in tune with your body and building routines. They talk about the importance of rituals and boundaries, how to turn a habit into a routine and trying to replace your bad habits with good habits.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Dr. Stew Shankman, a Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern, joins the podcast to discuss therapy and the brain. Dr. Shankman explains what happens with the brain when it’s at rest and when it’s doing tasks and he also shares information on the affect therapy has on the brain. They talk about the time it takes to heal the brain, the benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and how the real work is done outside the therapist’s office.

For more information on Dr. Stew Shankman’s work visit: https://sites.northwestern.edu/nearlab/

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa talk about a topic they struggle with…asking for help. They share the scale of asking for little and big types of help and when they first remember asking for help. They talk about why people struggle even asking for any kind of assistance, finding the right people to ask for help and some available resources if you are seeking help.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa identify what matters and how that ties into personal values. There is a discussion about how in middle school their value systems started to begin to take form and how their culture shaped what mattered to them. They talk about why America values family and why Theresa values honesty plus they speak on why exposure and introspection matters.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa dive into the topic of finding your purpose. When googling this topic one of the main search results was creating a vision board so they share the process of putting a vison board together. They talk about what they believe their purpose is, finding meaningful roles and why it’s more important to accept who you are.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Theresa and America talk through what it’s like giving love to others. They ask each other if they feel like they are good at loving others and they describe their individual love language. They talk about the signs of a healthy relationship, loving through touch and how to give and receive love genuinely takes vulnerability and humility.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa go through the feelings of being happy. They both share their relationships with happiness and how it’s evolved over time. They describe their versions of happiness, trying to be present in the moment and finding validation and feeling grateful.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa explore how to be mentally strong. They feel some anxiety when talking about strength, so they explain how society has played such a big part on how the world views strength. They talk about control and power, the differences between strength and confidence and building better mental habits.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Theresa and America talk through how they learned how to calm down when tensions are high. America starts off by sharing why she’s triggered by the phrase “calm down” in the moment and where that comes from. They talk about using productive and non-productive energy, their personal definition of “being calm” and learning how not to be reactive even when you don’t feel calm.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa add onto their conversation last week and discuss building confidence. They talk about what confidence looks like and believing in your confidence. They link confidence and competence, having friends to help build you up and they talk about building confidence around an illness.

To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org