Emotionally Fit with Dr. Emily Anhalt

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.

Doctors go to the doctor, yoga teachers take yoga classes, and yes, therapists go to therapy. In this Taboo Tuesday, best-selling author of the book “Maybe you Should Talk To Someone” and psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb joins Dr. Emily to discuss all things therapy, from why people often wait too long to start, why the stigma around therapy is tough to break, even for therapists, and why our friends don’t necessarily make the best substitutes for help and support from a professional. Listen now to find out how to avoid having your own emotional heart attack.

Anything that can be used to enhance life—think video games, food, alcohol, drugs, sex, etc.—can also be used to escape life. In today’s Emotional Push-Up, Dr. Emily is joined by Alaine Newland to talk about how to recognize the line between celebrating and coping and why it’s best not to conflate the two.