Fear, boredom, grief, confusion—we're all feeling... a lot right now. How do we cope with our heightened emotions during this global pandemic? Susan David—a psychologist at Harvard Medical School—is here to offer us strategies. This show is an urgent response to an urgent moment—a support system, toolkit, and understanding voice during a time of great uncertainty.
Wisdom for the future
It’s possible to create extraordinary beauty in the face of stress, separation, and illness. Explore the value of music during this difficult time with Richard Kogan, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center, and noted concert pianist. Guided by the life story of Frédéric Chopin, one of the greatest composers in history, Susan and Richard reveal ways to move forward into an uncertain future.
6/15/2020 • 24 minutes, 24 seconds
Your past, present, future self
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?
6/8/2020 • 26 minutes, 48 seconds
What do you value?
The conditions we live in under COVID-19 have put many of our goals in conflict — parenting vs work, comforting our loved ones vs social distancing, and more. They can feel like impossible choices in chaotic times. But there's a way to feel more confident in making tough decisions: getting clear about what we value. What's more, our present circumstances might actually offer us the opportunity to make choices that move us closer to the values we want to live by.
6/1/2020 • 19 minutes, 10 seconds
Bonus: Self-soothing exercises with Dr. Kristin Neff
Practicing self-compassion is so vital right now that we consulted Dr. Kristin Neff on exercises for directing compassion inwards. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research and a co-developer of the empirically supported training program "Mindful Self-Compassion." Here she guides us on some self-soothing exercises and unpacks the research on why this approach is one of the most powerful sources of strength, coping, and resilience.
5/9/2020 • 21 minutes, 11 seconds
Bonus: The psychological role of habits with James Clear
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.
