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stop playing-it-safe all the time and start living courageously
Overcoming fear of failure
Drop your standards! Let go of your perfectionistic tendencies! If I were paid a dollar every time I heard this message, I would have a large bank account by now. When you’re pursuing a top performance – from athletic to intellectual to artistic ones – it’s...
Exploring the intersection of perfectionism, procrastination, and performance
Perfectionism isn’t a personality quirk. It’s a pattern of reinforced behaviors that can seep into every aspect of your life. You may set certain standards for yourself, certain rules about how things are supposed to be or how you are supposed to behave; while you may...
5 Ways to Harnessing the power of values-based exposures
Today’s episode takes off with discussing fears of driving. This is the starting point to examine a key process within acceptance commitment therapy: values-based exposures. In this episode, you will learn the principles to approach your fears, worries, and anxieties...
How to perform your best when it matters most
Ever catch yourself engaging in incessant mind chatter in a high-stakes situation? The kind that fills your head with self-doubt, comparisons, and anticipations of failure? You're not alone. We all do it. But what if there was a way to overcome these self-limiting...
Willingness
H ave you ever done a willingness workout? What comes to your mind when reading the word "willingness?" Some of my clients have heard words like "open up, sit with, make room for it… "...
Breaking free from worry loops
Picture this scenario: you encounter an ambiguous and uncertain situation, and then, of course, you quickly try to solve it. You anticipate all types of scenarios and try to prepare for each one of them, without realizing you are worrying and consumed with anxiety....
Embracing self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-exploration
We all experience anxiety in some form, in some way, and in some shape. Because anxiety, fears, and worries can be so uncomfortable, we quickly play-it-safe. And when you’re prone to deeply caring for what you do - as high-achievers, strivers, and perfectionists -...
How to navigate rejection sensitivity and playing-it-safe behaviors
Do you find yourself anxiously anticipating rejection in everyday situations? The fear of being rejected or judged leads to a hyper-awareness of others' facial expressions, opinions, or anticipation of rejection. It’s like you’re expecting others will reject you and...
When self-compassion gets tough: navigating common barriers
Self-compassion is the willingness to respond to your pain and suffering in the same way a good friend of yours might–with warmth, patience, and understanding. That sounds easy, right? But you know it isn’t. For many, self-criticism is a classic playing-it-safe move....
What’s the mindset of a skillful striver?
It was a true pleasure to discover the work and passion of Sonya Looney, a professional athlete, mountain bike champion, podcast host, health and mental performance coach. Her enthusiasm, laughter, and insights are contagious! There are many golden nuggets in this...
How to act on your values when feeling anxious
Key Takeaways This is part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Matthew McKay, Ph.D. In part 1, we discussed the foundations of how Dr. McKay thinks of process-based therapy. Today, we discuss, in particular, different mechanisms of actions: What is attentional training How...
What maintains a psychological struggle?
If anxiety is a part of our day to day life, if we hold on to the framework that to be human is to be anxious, how did anxiety ever become a problem? How do you go from worrying about not being good enough to chronic states of worry? How do you go from feeling...
