Emotionally Fit with Dr. Emily Anhalt

In this Taboo Tuesday discussion, author, illustrator, and mental health advocate, Jordan Sondler, joins Dr. Emily to talk about what it was like going public about therapy and working on her mental health in her book, "Feel It Out: The Guide to Getting in Touch with Your Goals, Your Relationships, and Yourself." Sondler says that what started as an illustrated book for single people on how to survive a break-up turned into a book for every single person that covers many of life’s challenges from strengthening self-awareness to how to adopt a dog.

So much of what we do in life is in service of avoiding discomfort. We avoid tough conversations. We avoid challenging the status quo when we know we could do better. We turn to drugs and alcohol to avoid facing other uncomfortable realities. But unfortunately the things we do to avoid discomfort often end up leading to more discomfort than the original thing we were trying to avoid in the first place. In this Emotional Push-Up, Dr. Emily talks to Chris Messina, credited with creating the hashtag, about why the most effective path to emotional growth is to become more comfortable being uncomfortable.

Envy and jealousy are natural feelings that we all experience - sometimes we worry deep down that there isn't enough happiness and success to go around. Comedian Alexis Gay joins Dr. Emily in this Emotional Push-up to talk about the concept of compersion, i.e. taking joy in others’ happiness and success. So take a deep breath and come flex this important emotional muscle with us!