Checking In with Susan David

Join Susan for a guided exercise that can help you connect with how you want to move forward in the future. Ask yourself: What do I need to let go of? What parts of my life have not been working for me? What does the child in me need? And what does the future in me need?

Even before COVID-19, many of us were teetering on the edge of burnout. With the pandemic ushering in changes to daily life, many of our stressors have only worsened. While we can’t change our situation, we can change the way we relate to it. Being intentional about when to grit and when to quit, and reassessing what goals are currently realistic can lead us on a path towards restoration.

The pandemic is putting a spotlight on our loneliness. But by confronting it, and understanding how meaningful connection works, we can take steps to mitigate this difficult feeling. In this episode, Susan is joined by Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada and one of the leading voices in modern psychology.

Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada and one of the leading voices in modern psychology, guides us in exercises that help us connect with our experiences of loneliness and loss.

One of the best things that parents can do right now to help their children thrive is to teach them emotional skills. For parents, the most effective way to teach these skills is by practicing them yourself. Learn how to help your kids (and yourself) validate, label, and process difficult emotions.

Showing yourself kindness becomes even more important during life's difficult moments, and the current pandemic certainly qualifies. Learn why it’s a misconception that you need to be tough on yourself to succeed, and how practicing self-compassion can make you even more resilient.

As life under COVID-19 tests our emotional bandwidth on a daily basis, we need strategies for managing grief now more than ever. Learn how putting your grief into language can help you gain a sense of organization and initiate a process of moving forward with it.

A special coda to our last episode! Maintaining routines is so important right now that we decided to dive deeper. How do we maintain our stability when our routines are being challenged on a daily basis? Susan speaks with James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, to get some prescriptive, actionable advice.

Many of us are feeling stuck right now, forced to adapt to a world that we have little control over. But if we focus too much on these uncontrollable aspects of our lives, we greatly increase our suffering. Learn why our routines and habits are so important to our wellbeing, and how there are ways we can exercise control even when every day feels unpredictable.

If you’re feeling consumed by fear, panic, worry, or any other difficult emotion during this global pandemic, you’re not alone. But pushing these feelings to the side, or passing them along, simply doesn't work. Instead of rejecting your difficult emotions, learn the steps that you can take today to boost your immunity to these social contagions.