Joy Lab Podcast
Welcome to the Joy Lab Podcast! We're your hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, and we blend soulful insights with practical strategies to help you navigate mental health challenges like chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. In each episode, we dive deep into the art and science of joy, exploring how to build resilience and flourish, even in the face of life's overwhelming moments. You'll probably resonate and benefit most from joining us if any of the below resonate: * You feel caught in cycles of worry or anxiety. * You feel STRESSED and sick of the symptoms that go along with it (feeling tired, achy/tight in your body, tension headaches, and lots of irritation or nervousness). * You feel overwhelmed by the news of the world around you and it's impacting your mood and focus. * The grind of day-to-day life doesn't feel meaningful to you and you want something more. * Your mind feels ridiculously busy, full, and foggy. You may even be waking up in the middle of the night (3am, anyone?), with your mind racing over stuff you can't shake. * You feel depressed too often or even just stuck in a "meh" or "bleh" kind of state. You also really want to get out of that low mood rut, feel happy again, and live your life more fully. Did you sense a heaviness in your chest or belly that was like... "yeah, I'm feeling that." If so, then join us every Wednesday for a new episode. As hosts of this pod and fellow humans, we've had those thoughts and felt those feelings too. We know the struggle. We also know the relief and what it's like to go beyond just a baseline of feeling "not so bad" and into a more joyful and flourishing state. Maybe best of all, we know how to help others do that too. We've been in the mental health field and doing this work for a combined 50+ years. You can also trust that what we talk about and explore are solid mental health tools and practices grounded by modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), positive psychology, and the science of mindfulness. We'll also adventure beyond what can be measured to explore wisdom from our deepest selves or "soul." But, there's a warning there... even when we're working with that deeper stuff, this is not some woo-woo, new age kind of psychobabble. It's the practical, whole-person approach to mental health that is necessary for our complex human lives. It will challenge you to address all the bits of your being, even those uncertain/uncomfortable sides, to help you cultivate joy right now—no procrastinating for the "perfect" moment. So, if you’re ready to redefine your relationship with mental health and unlock the joy that’s already within you, simply choose an episode that speaks to you and press play. Each episode is your personal guide to building true resilience, embracing self-care that truly nourishes you, and reigniting a deep sense of connection. You’ll walk away with practical insights to help you navigate life’s challenges with more confidence—because joy isn’t something you have to chase, it’s something within you that's waiting for you to rediscover. The Joy Lab Podcast and Program are powered by Pathways North. ________ This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at helpline@nami.org. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Episodes
Join us (Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek) for a conversation about awe and authenticity. This is also the beginning of a month-long focus here at the podcast on how to uncover your authentic self. In this first episode, we'll highlight three big obstacles to authenticity. The first is the creation and impacts of a 'false self,' often developed during adolescence and driven by the need to satisfy external pressures. The second...
Join Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek for a conversation about our motivations for curiosity. We'll start with Albert Einstein's idea that mystery is central to true art and science, and the importance of remaining curious and open to the unknown... which, yes, is easier said than done. To make things a bit easier here, we can engage in a little check in strategy by asking ourselves, "Am I curious to learn or confirm?" When ou...
Join Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek and identify four fast-acting strategies to end worry and anxiety spirals. They'll discuss the mammalian diver's reflex, engaging in physical activities, shocking the senses with intense flavors, and using aromatherapy. If you haven't already, follow this episode up with the previous episode to learn more about "just enough" worrying and strategies to reduce worrying overall.
Are you a world-class worrier? If so, it's not a curse or a permanent state... In this episode, we explore the reasons behind worrying, from evolutionary survival mechanisms to personal past experiences and modeling from adults. We'll dig into the importance of recognizing your own worry patterns and strategies to help reduce how often you worry and how big those worries get. And then next episode, we'll share quick tactics to inte...
Consider this: Stress will likely surge higher when you are uncertain about an outcome compared to when you're faced with a certainly bad outcome. Sounds wild, right?! Think about the scenarios though... Would you rather be told you're going to lose your job next month or have your boss tell you that there's a 50-50 chance you'll lose it during the next month? In those 50-50 scenarios, we can get stuck in a cycling stress response ...
Hope might seem hard to come by lately. It's certainly not the vibe being communicated to us in the media anyway. If you resonate and feel like your hope tank is a bit dry, then listen in to this episode. We'll get a bit more clear on hope, understanding it as more than just "wishful thinking," but instead as a dynamic biological and cognitive process that is hard-wired into us for survival. This practical aspect of hope reminds us...
"I can't handle change." Have you every had that thought? It's a sticky kind of thought. The good news is that it's not true. In this episode, we'll discuss the concept of self-limiting beliefs, particularly that notion 'I can't handle change.' We'll explore how such beliefs can be pervasive and detrimental, often rooted in early life experiences. Best of all, we'll offer some practical strategies for overcoming these beliefs.
You are capable of radical change. If you aren't convinced that you can create change in your life, take Aimee's story about how her hen became a rooster (seriously, just listen in and it'll make sense). Beyond that chicken talk, this episode is focused on our human potential for change and healing. We'll touch on neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and the motivational role of hope. We think you'll come away with a better understanding ...
Do you have a passion that drives you? Or maybe you're looking for one? Whatever the case, it's essential to understand the difference between obsessive and harmonious passions. Drawing on the research of Dr. Robert Vallerand, we'll talk about the impact these different types of passions have on our wellbeing. Harmonious passions enhance motivation, wellbeing, and a sense of purpose, while obsessive passions can lead to rigidity, n...
Ever feel like you're stuck in a fog—disconnected, unmotivated, and just… dull? You're not alone. In this episode, we explore emotional inertia—that heavy, stuck feeling that makes it hard to shake off negativity and truly engage with life. We’ll break down how our brains get trapped in these patterns, why rumination keeps us cycling through the same emotions, and why some of us struggle to feel joy at all. Most importantly, we’ll ...
Feel like you have too much to do and not enough time to do it all? That feeling is sometimes called "time poverty." We'll talk more about that and how our perception of time is often distorted by chronic stress. We'll even dig into that buzzy-term "adrenal fatigue" and the importance of finding the sweet spot of stress and busyness. Most of all, we'll cover some practical tips for shifting from autopilot to mindful awareness, help...
In this episode, we dive deep into the pesky world of rumination—the habit of replaying worries, regrets, or anxieties in your mind. Learn the science behind the default mode network (DMN) and understand how it sparks these thought loops. We'll share some personal anecdotes and provide practical strategies to manage rumination, from engaging in focused tasks and reframing your thoughts to simply ignoring those relentless midnight m...
We'll dive into some key differences between minor depression and low resilience in this episode. We discuss how low resilience can feel similar to minor depression, with symptoms such as exhaustion, lack of motivation, and brain fog. Practical strategies for boosting resilience and lifting your mood are shared, like identifying factors that deplete your resilience, engaging in tactile and enjoyable activities, moving your body, an...
Ever feel like your tank is empty or you can't recover after a setback? In this episode, we'll get into our Element of resilience, exploring what can deplete our resilience, how we can refill our tank, and how we can even grow the size of that tank to hold more of that resilience fuel.
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When you're feeling in a rut or in a bad mood, do you tend to focus on eliminating negative emotions or inviting more positive ones in? If you swing toward the negative, well then welcome to the club! This is a common approach. The problem is that it misses half the picture and doesn't support our resilience. We'll talk about the challenges of letting in positive experiences and the psychological effects that can hinder this, such ...
What do balance and perfectionism have in common? Nothing really, but interestingly, we often conflate the two. In this episode, we'll talk more about what balance (or equanimity) is and isn't while we debunk common myths about balance-- particularly as it relates to perfectionism. A key takeaway is that balance is not a static, end state but rather a dynamic process much like navigating a boat through ever-changing waves. We'll of...
Do you feel burned out? If so, you're not alone. This burnout visualization practice can help you identify the stressors that may be contributing to your burnout and also the sources of nourishment that already exist for you. During the meditation, you'll visualize and contrast a relaxed, obligation-free day with a busy workday. By observing bodily sensations and emotional responses without judgment, you can identify specific stres...
Do you feel burned out? Or, maybe it feels like depression. Which begs the question, what's the difference between the two? Burnout and depression have a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. We'll highlight the nuances between burnout and clinical depression and also touch on the extensive impact of burnout across various forms of labor, from professional roles to caregiving. Listen in for valuable strategies to comb...
Do you feel like your attention is fractured? Maybe you move through the day scattered, only to realize that you missed some good stuff along the way. In this episode, we'll talk about the practice of savoring, a simple skill that can help us regain control of our attention amidst the constant distractions of modern life.
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It's really easy to fall into a deprivation mindset. It's a common message we hear in our lives that can burrow deep into our body and mind, tricking us to believe that there's not enough to go around and we're not enough either. We'll dig into this destructive mindset and how we can weed it out with the help of savoring.
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