The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast with Duff the Psych

Hello, everybody! We are back to the normal question and answer format this week. I really enjoyed episode 100, in which my friend Dan Fields interviewed me as a guest. If you haven't checked that one out yet, I suggest it! Next week will be another interview as well with an awesome guest. Here are the questions that I tackle this week: What should I do to have a better work-life balance when my colleagues work all weekend? Why do I have a great memory for school, but a terrible memory for social information? Is stimming a valid coping strategy for fatigue and burnout as a person with autism? If you have a question for the podcast, shoot me an email to [email protected] or go to http://duffthepsych.com/contact

Hello, friends! This is episode 100 of the podcast and as such I wanted to do something a little different. I invited my friend Dan Fields from the Save It For The Show podcast on to interview ME as a guest. We had a really interesting conversation about all kinds of stuff. Honestly, I wish we had another 2 hours to talk. Let me know if you'd like to hear a part 2 in the future. Super huge thanks to Dan for volunteering his time to this episode. I also just wanted to say THANK YOU. This has been a really special project and I'm proud of what we've created here. I can't believe it's been 100 episodes. I am so honored and thankful for your support.

Episode 99, guys! Next week is big 100. I'll be doing something a bit different for that episode, so make sure you tune in for that one. This week is my first interview of the year. In this episode, I talk to Erez Shek about his experiences with bullying, bipolar, being a gay man, hospitalization, and social media. It was a great conversation! Please show Erez some love on twitter at: http://twitter.com/erezsheck and check out his website at: https://www.theshekcheck.com/ Do you have a guest that you would love to hear me interview? Let me know! Shoot me an email to [email protected] This episode was brought to you by Sudio. Check out http://sudio.com for some awesome Swedish-designed bluetooth headphones. Use the offer code SELFHELP for 15% off!

This episode is actually ripped from a long video that I recorded. I have been thinking a lot about exposure for anxiety lately for multiple reasons. For one, I'm in the middle of creating my online course for anxiety and recently wrote the content for the module on exposure. I have also been frustrated by people that I see in my clinical practice who have gone through years of therapy for their anxiety, but never engaged in exposure treatment for their anxiety. Research indicates that exposure is a vital component of successful anxiety treatment. It's about facing your anxiety head on and teaching your body to stop reacting so strongly to it. In this episode, I talk about exposure in general and then break down two methods for gaining exposure and increasing your tolerance for anxiety. If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode, send it over to [email protected]

Today's episode is sponsored by Sudio headphones. To see some seriously stylish headphones with great functionality check out https://goo.gl/Q5excs and use the code SELFHELP for 15% off of your purchase. This episode is a normal Q & A. My voice progressively died as I recorded the episode, so you get croaky Robert again. Great variety of questions this time including: How can I find a positive male role model for my boys since their father died? Should I talk about my trauma in therapy even though I haven't spoken about it for 30 years? Has my history of hydrocephalus affected my speed of thinking? How can I improve? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] Thanks!

Hello, friends! I'm back from my paternity leave. Thank you for the support, the great feedback, and the patience during my absence. Excited to be back at it. Some exciting stuff coming up in the coming months including some really awesome guests. Look forward to that. This episode is a question and answer episode with questions from my private Hardcore Self Help facebook group. If you aren't a member yet, go to http://facebook.com/groups/hardcoreselfhelp and request access! Here are the questions: How can I prepare for a big life change? How can I get over my relationship insecurity? Is procrastination related to anxiety? If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please send them to [email protected]

Heyoooo! This is one more mini-episode where I am answering a single question rather than 3. If all goes according to plan, this will be the last episode of my paternity leave and I'll be back to normal next week. Thanks for your patience! Keep sending me your amazing questions to [email protected]

Hello, everyone! Today is a mini-episode. I'm still on my paternity leave, so I'm coming at you with a single question and answer, rather than my typical 3 per episode. I hope you enjoy this quick bite of information and I also hope that you're taking great care of yourself. If you want to send me a question, please do so at [email protected]

Hey, friends! I'm currently off on paternity leave, so my friend and fellow psychologist, Amber Baker, Ph.D., is stepping in to answer your questions today. The episode is very similar to my normal question and answer episodes, just with a different host. I think she knocked it out of the park. Be sure to stop by the following links to show her some love and say thanks for doing such a great job. https://twitter.com/DrBakerPhD http://www.gofriendyourselfdoc.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/go-friend-your-self-with-dr-baker/id1266870594?mt=2 Please keep sending me your questions to [email protected]. I'll be doing mini episodes for the next two weeks and then I should be back at it with normal episodes.

Hello, friends! It's only been like 3 episodes since I've done a Q&A, but it feels like it has been forever. Super happy to be back here answering your mental health questions. The next 3 episodes will be a bit different due to my paternity leave, which I explain at the top of the episode. Here are the questions for this week: How can someone with anxiety/depression prevent burnout? Is it possible to overcome anxiety without medication, especially with vertigo? I've been burned before, but I want to date again. What are the signs that I'm dating a healthy/good guy? As always, you can send me your questions to [email protected] Thanks!

My wife, Joelle is back on the podcast today. We talk about lots of stuff including anxiety and pregnancy, our plans for the new baby, communication within our relationship, and we also answer some listener questions. Enjoy! Next week will probably be a normal episode, but after that there will be some mini-episodes and guest spots, as I go on paternity leave. Definitely keep sending me your awesome questions to [email protected]

Here we are. It's 2018. Crazy. In this episode, I reflect on the past year and talk about my hopes and goals for 2018. I talk a bit about my personal life, my professional life, and this podcast. Please stop by Twitter or Facebook and let me know what your hopes for the year are! If you want to send me a question for a future episode, you can reach me at [email protected].

I know I already did a holiday themed episode, but I figured you guys could use a little more love as you continue through the holiday season. Rather than answering your questions today, I'm going to lead you through a guided relaxation designed to help you de-stress and relieve some of the stress that often accompanies the holidays. Give yourself the gift of relaxation. Put in some headphones. Chill with me. I got you. No episode next week. Back at it the week after. Keep sending me your questions to [email protected] Background music credit: https://cctrax.com/cousin-silas/landscapes

Today is a question and answer episode. I'm doing two questions instead of three today, just because I've gotta get up early for a talk I'm giving tomorrow. I think these are two really great questions though. In one of the questions, I reference a video with Kristen Bell, which you can check out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUQ_nlZgWE In the other, I reference the cycle of abuse image, which you can see here: http://teaminfocus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Cycle-of-Abuse.png Here are the questions: How can I help my children, who are starting to show signs of depression and anxiety, when I can't even help myself? How can I recognize and move past abuse when I'm unsure about whether I have been abused? As always you can send your questions in to [email protected]

Hey, friends. I'm not sure if you saw the news, but southern California is on fire. I'm safe, but a lot of friends and acquaintances are not. I'm in this eerie spot where we are very close to the fires, but at very low risk, so "normal" life continues on. Decided to do an episode with some of my tips for getting through disasters like this including: Understanding stress vs anxiety Prepping to avoid freezing Mental rehearsal Importance of rest Focusing on what you DO have control over Mindfulness in disaster situations Finding comfort in the small moments Keeping routine where you can Talking about event without re-traumatizing Processing your feelings Getting help Managing social media consumption Not sure what format next week's episode will be, but please feel free to keep sending your questions over to [email protected] and be sure to check out the info for my upcoming course at duffthepsych.com/course

Hello, my friends! This episode is just a straight forward question and answer episode with some really awesome questions. This week I am also working on a book proposal for a traditional publisher, which means that you would be able to buy this potential book in stores. That's a bucket list item of mine and I'm excited to keep you updated in the coming weeks/months. Here are the questions for this episode: How can I get help when I'm too anxious to call a therapist? How can I get over my fear of vomiting? How can I get through high school when I have been depressed for years? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

The holidays are crazy for everybody and they can be particularly stressful if you deal with any mental health issues. In this episode of the podcast, I share a few tips that can help you stay afloat during the Holiday season. If you have other tips that work well for you, please share them with my on twitter at http://twitter.com/duffthepsych and I will RT them for my audience!

This is a deep dive episode where I spend the entire time talking about one topic of interest rather than taking questions from the audience. In this episode, I cover something that I've been meaning to talk about for a while, which is the word "trigger" and the term 'trigger warning". I cover what the term "actually" means, where it came from, and my mixed feelings about the way that trigger warnings or content warnings are used these days. A the end, I also give some practical tips for when social media becomes too triggering. Next episode will be either an interview with Brent Williams, who wrote the Out of the Woods graphic novel that I review here or just a regular Q&A. Please keep sending me your awesome questions to [email protected]

Thanks for having some fun with me for the Halloween episode last week. This one will be a regular Q&A episode. I wanted to give a quick shout out to my buddy Speeks Geak for hooking me up with the new intro and outro beat. Check him out over at: https://twitter.com/SpeeksGeak909 In this episode, I cover some great questions on a variety of topics. Here is what I cover: What is bipolar depression? How is it different than "regular" depression? How should I tell my therapist that I don't want to work with them anymore? How do I get my files from them? What can I do about my grandparent with dementia not remembering their spouse? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/duffthepsych

This week we are doing something a little different. I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit, so today on the podcast, I tell you the story of 4 spooky psychology experiments that reveal the darker side of the human condition.

Today we have another question and answer episode featuring some super interesting questions. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get the free resources mentioned in the episode. Here are the questions... What happens when you have feelings for your therapist? How can journaling help anxiety? How can I help a friend with major depression? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! This is a deep dive episode all about your phone. I share some apps and general principles that you can use with your phone to improve your mental health and overall life progress. Unfortunately there is one abrupt cut toward the end of the episode because my recording program crashed and I had to re-record some. Oh well! Here are some of the apps that I mentioned: Pacifica: https://www.thinkpacifica.com/ Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/ Calm: https://www.calm.com/ 7 Cups: http://7cups.com/ Forest: https://www.forestapp.cc/en/ The next episode will likely be a Q & A episode, so please continue sending me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! Apologies for the unexpected lapse in episodes last week. Had some family stuff come up on my normal recording night and I was slammed with clinical work for the rest of the week. I'm back with a great Q&A episode this week though! Here are the questions covered: How can I regulate my depression and self-criticism while gaming competitively? Do I need to get additional testing to switch my ADHD medications? Is it bad that I'm obsessed with suicide-related content? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, everyone! Thanks so much for joining me again. This is another question and answer episode featuring the following questions: How can I set boundaries and communicate better with my introverted partner? I've been doing well until recent changes. Now all of my symptoms are back. What can I do? Is it normal to have a spike in anxiety when I have my period? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and don't forget to sign up for the mailing list (launch group list closing next week) at http://duffthepsych.com/course

Hello, friends! Thanks for joining me again for another Q&A episode. I was recently interviewed about anxiety on the Sexy Fit Podcast, which you can check out here: http://sexyfit.com/mindset/ep-180-fk-anxiety-practical-strategies-help/ I also wanted to mention that I will be switching my release day from Wednesday to Thursday each week, just to fit better with my life and keep myself sane. Here are the questions for this week: Are fidget spinners helpful in coping with skin picking disorder? I think about my psych hospitalization everyday. Is that normal? What is avoidant personality disorder? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! This episode is coming at you a little late today, which I explain at the beginning. It's important to be honest with yourself and exercise control over your situation to avoid burnout. Here are the awesome questions in this episode: Why am I starting to struggle with my mental health at age 46? Can you have fleeting suicidal tendencies? Do flotation tanks help with anxiety and ADHD? As always you can send me your questions for the podcast to [email protected] You can also sign up to be part of the launch team of my upcoming course, Kick Anxiety's Ass, at http://duffthepsych.com/course

Another Q&A episode today! Some really great questions and I get pretty detailed about a few diagnoses. Before that, be sure to check out the private facebook group for the HCSH community at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/484559841901855/ Look out for more info on my upcoming Kick Anxiety's Ass course and be a part of the beta group here: http://eepurl.com/c06Uzn Here are the questions covered in this episode: Why do I have violent thoughts and why do I need everything to be even in number? How can I work on my relationships with other people, given my estrangement from my mother? Do my symptoms fit with bipolar disorder? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Today we are doing a deep dive episode all about ways that you can maximize your progress in therapy. Whether you are a seasoned therapy veteran or barely thinking about getting started, this will be good information for you to keep in the back of your mind. Before I share the 10 tips for getting the most out of therapy, I wanted to let you know that I started a new closed facebook group for the Hardcore Self Help Community. You can find that at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/484559841901855/ Here are the tips: 1. You don't need to impress your therapist 2. Don't lie to your therapist 3. Don't be afraid to get emotional and let it out 4. Challenge your therapist and correct them 5. If it's not working, say something 6. Find someone you are comfortable with 7. Get therapy sooner 8. Take notes and journal 9. Do the homework and practice the skills 10. Talk about the relationship between you and your therapist during session Next week should be another Q&A episode, so keep sending me your awesome questions to [email protected]

Hello, everyone! Just off the top, given the BS going on in the world at the moment, I need to reaffirm that everyone is welcome here regardless of race, ethnicity, cultural background, gender identity, sexual orientation etc. Just needs to be said. Today's episode is another Q&A with some really awesome questions including: How can I help my mom who has multiple personalities? Why do I procrastinate sleep and what can I do about it? What can I do when I am the codependent friend? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and don't forget to follow me on social @duffthepsych for cute baby stuff!

This is a deep dive episode all about common thinking traps and pitfalls that we encounter as human beings. In the field, we refer to these as "cognitive distortions". In this episode, I break down ten of them for you and talk a bit about how to use your knowledge of them to your advantage. Here are the cognitive distortions that I cover in this episode: Mind Reading Personalizing Just World Fallacy Emotional Reasoning Shoulds and Musts Black and White Thinking Overgeneralization Filtering Catastrophizing Overestimating Power of Thoughts Next week should be another Q & A episode, so please keep sending me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! Just another awesome question and answer episode for you. Two short questions and one more complicated question: How can I overcome my self-criticism and low self-esteem? What does my family member mean when she says that she has "functional anxiety"? Do I need to forgive my abuser? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and follow my on facebook at http://facebook.com/duffthepsych

Hey, friends! Before I get into the questions for this episode, I wanted to let you know that I recently posted a video and blogpost in which I share an entire chapter from my book about suicide. You can check that out and share it at http://duffthepsych.com/suicide. Here are this week's questions: How do I tell me mom that I don't need more therapy? Am I a fraud for improving my depression symptoms on my own? How can I talk about self-harm with my therapist without ruining things? That's it for this week! As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Wide variety of questions this time! I love it. Please continue sending me your questions and look forward to some "guest hosts" in the future! Also thanks so much for the reviews on iTunes. It's greatly appreciated! Here are the questions covered in this episode: What if I don't remember what I enjoyed before depression because it's been so many years? Can my dad recover from his aneurysm? How can I make my boyfriend stop masturbating when he knows that I don't want him to? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]!

Packed episode this week! I didn't realize it when I constructed the episode, but I included two double questions for a total of 5 questions answered this episode, haha! Really interesting stuff though. If you have a minute, please head over to itunes and leave a review for this podcast and consider sharing with a friend. Thanks so much! Here are the questions covered: Why do I get panic attacks when I'm hot? What is EMDR and does it actually work? What should I do about my brother's worrying social media posts? Do therapists worry about their clients? How do you keep good boundaries as a therapist? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! Sorry for the lapse in shows. I did that re-posting of my interview on the Cognitive Rampage podcast a couple weeks ago and this past week I got super sick and completely lost my voice! No bueno. I'm feeling a lot better now and I'm back with another great question and answer session for you. Here are the questions covered: Are anxiety and perfectionism related? How do you find passions and interests? Everything feels like a chore. What can I do about being in the same location as my abuser? Keep sending me in your questions. I will be back again next week as long as I don't get the plague again! Send them in to [email protected]

Hey, friends. This episode is a little different. I didn't have time to record a full Q & A episode this week due to life and work. However, I think I found a nice alternative here. Recently I was on Adam Lowery's podcast called Cognitive Rampage. He's a cool dude and has a book by the same name. This turned out to be a wide ranging conversation and I think probably one of the best interviews that I've ever given. So have a listen and head over to Adam's site to see more content. Next week will be back to the Q&A, so send me your questions to [email protected] Here's the full podcast on Adam's page: http://adamlowery.com/

Hello, friends! This is another question and answer episode for you. Hey, I'd appreciate it so much if you'd send me some honest open-ended feedback about the podcast to [email protected] with the subject line "podcast feedback". As long or short as you'd like. You can give me any feedback that you would like. Anyways, here are the three questions that are covered: What are some ways to avoid vicarious trauma or burnout when working in an intense job? If I have had panic attacks since I was 5 years old, will I always have them? Am I just wired this way? Do you think mental health disorders are actually on the rise or is it just more awareness and the influence of the internet? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and you can also see a video bonus question on facebook or youtube.

Hello again, friends. This is another Q&A episode with some really great questions. Wanted to let you know that I am now doing a bonus question each week on youtube and facebook. I also mention the video about finding a therapist online. You can find that at http://duffthepsych.com/findatherapist Here are the questions that I cover: Should I try therapy again after having a bad experience? How do I break up with someone whose mom is dying? How can I get over my social anxiety and blushing? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, my friends! Another awesome Q & A for you this week. Couple links that I mentioned in the show. Here's the cognitive rampage podcast: http://adamlowery.com/podcasts/ and here is that episode about TMS therapy that I mentioned: http://psychsessions.com/2017/01/01/ps-039-treating-depression-with-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-tms/ Anyways, here are the questions I cover: What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and is this something I should look into for depression? Should I get treatment when my depression isn't so bad that I have a formal diagnosis? What can I do to make my severe cancer diagnosis and treatment more bearable? As always you can find my on social @duffthepsych and you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends. We are back to the Q&A this week. Thanks so much for your super awesome feedback on the last episode with my wife. If you'd like to hear more from her, let me know! At the start I ramble a little bit about the importance of advertising and allowing me to make a living so that I can continue to put all this work in for free. Here are the amazing questions that we go through in this episode: Am I using my depression as an excuse? Should I be better by now? Is it normal to feel like my depression keeps recurring? What should I do about my self-harm when I feel like it's a normal coping mechanism? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and hit me up on social @duffthepsych!

Very special episode this week for you! I've been meaning to get my wife on the show for a good while now. This is the first time that I've ever interviewed her about her experiences with mental illness. I have talked about her in my TEDx talk and my books, so this was a really nice opportunity to sit down for a while and just chat about her life. We talk about what it's like being married to me, her earliest anxiety experiences, motherhood, her hospitalization, and things that have helped her progress in her mental health journey. Next week should be a Q&A episode, so please keep sending me your questions to [email protected] and follow my wife on social @joellecharming

For this episode, I was feeling a little too overwhelmed by the week to do a Q&A so instead I decided to talk to you all about breathing. We talk about different breathing exercises and how to practice them so that they are useful to you in moments of stress or anxiety. We cover the physiological mechanism behind relaxation breathing. Finally, we briefly cover mindfulness and meditative breathing. The tone of this whole episode is a bit more calm and subdued. I hope that it's relaxing as well as informative! As always you can send me your questions for future Q&As to [email protected]

Hello, friends! Good news - your boy is official! I finally passed all of the hurdles and paid all of my money and got my license as a clinical psychologist in California. It's super meaningful for me and I appreciate you being a part of the journey. Anyway, this is another great question and answer episode. Here's what I cover: Should I play a show with my band in the city that my friend died? How can I improve my relationship when I might be the toxic one and create conflict for attention? What can I do about my anxiety and agoraphobia if I haven't left the house in two months? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]!

Hello, friends. Thanks for joining me again for another question and answer episode. Wanted to let you know that I've been doing instagram stories over at http://instagram.com/duffthepsych. Check them out if you would like a little snapshot into my day to day life as a psychologist/dad/entrepreneur etc. Here are the questions covered in this episode: I have anxiety caused by Graves disease. I'd like to get anxiety medication to help, but I'm not sure how to talk to my doctor about it. How can I bring it up? My father killed himself and I want to get therapy, but I'm afraid that I'll be hospitalized. Should I bother? Robert, how do you get so much done when I can hardly find a single moment to myself? As always you can send me your anonymous questions to [email protected] and I'll see you next time!

Hello, friends! Thanks for tuning in. In this episode, I take 3 more awesome question from you listeners. There are a couple questions from younger people, which I think is awesome. I decided to livestream this episode on my facebook page. I will try to do more of that in the future, so keep your eyes out for Tuesday night live video on the facebook page over at http://facebook.com/duffthepsych Here are the questions covered in this episode: Could my high IQ cause mental health issues? What can I do when I'm bad at hiding how I feel at school or work? Should I get help as a young person with depression? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hey, friends! In this episode, I do something a bit different. I guess you could say that this is a deep dive episode that was prompted by a listener question. Someone wrote in and wanted to know more about what got me into the field of psychology in the first place and what appeals to me about it. So I get a little personal and tell you about my early life, experiences, and journey through the field of psychology. I hope you enjoy! Next week will most likely be another question and answer episode, so please continue sending me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! I just want to take a minute to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to listen and for sending in questions to help me create this content. Also wanted to give you a heads up that I will be off of social media for next week. Anyways, here are the questions covered in this episode: Now that I am out of a cult, how can manage my anxiety and make sure I give my daughter opportunities to socialize? Would a polyphasic sleep schedule help me get enough rest for my shift work? I'm in a good place recently. What can I do to prepare for therapy between sessions? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and if you are not yet following me on social, get on that. I'm @duffthepsych on everything.

Hello, friends! Another Q & A episode for you today. If you are not yet, please follow me on facebook at http://facebook.com/duffthepsych I've been doing some cool content over there that I talk about at the top of the episode. Here are the questions tackled in this episode: How can I address a lie that I told in my relationship? What does it mean when a therapist mentions their religion in online databases? How can I better prioritize topics for psychotherapy? As always, you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hey, friends! Thanks for the patience during my week off. I talk about about that at the beginning of this episode. The remainder is dedicating to helping you understand the issue of confidentiality in psychotherapy. If you have ever wondered what information is kept private vs when a therapist can share your info, this episode is for you. This turned out to be a longer episode, because it's fairly comprehensive. I cover what you need to know about confidentiality and reporting in regards to: Danger to self Danger to others Child abuse Elder abuse Minors in therapy Crimes And more. Next week will be a Q&A episode, so shoot me your questions about mental health, psychology, and life to [email protected]

Okay, my friends! I think this was a great episode. I got to cover some really interesting questions that I am sure apply to many of you out there. Don't forget to check out my TEDx talk at http://duffthepsych.com/tedx. Here are the questions that are covered in this episode: How can I get over feeling like I don't deserve to feel better? How do you know if you actually need psychological help or if you are just blowing things out of proportion? What can you do to overcome panic attacks on stage? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]