Ashley J. Smith, PhD

We hear from two local psychologists about how to combat holiday-related stress.

Mindful self-compassion is one of those super-skills when it comes to mental health and well-being. The benefits of building MSC are wide spread and quite substantial. If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, overwhelm, stress, pain - basically, if you're human - this training is worth considering. Drs. Neff and Germer are the gurus in this area, and their online training is worth every minute. I did it earlier this year and found it tremendously beneficial, as a therapist and as a person. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu//mindful_self_compassion_core_sk

I love translating academic science into practical, actionable tips to make lives better. Here's out latest resource from Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. https://www.peakmindpsychology.com/quiz

I talked with Chrissie Hodges of OCD Gamechangers about the important work we're doing at Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. We also talked about what acceptance is and why it's so important, grief, COVID, why finding the silver lining isn't always helpful, a fun practice for expanding your tolerance for uncertainty and awkwardness, and, believe it or not, Super Mario.

If you or a loved one struggles with OCD, you'll want to catch this conversation tonight at 7 pm CST. I'm talking with OCD Advocate Extraordinaire, Chrissie Hodges, founder of OCD Gamechangers.

We're so excited to debut our inaugural Virtual Voices for Mental Health: An Online Day of Action this OCD Awareness Week! Have you registered yet? Registration... closes Sunday, October 11th Virtual Voices for Mental Health: An Online Day of Action includes an evening of live programming and a day of advocacy activities that you can do from your phone or computer: On Monday, October 12th, we will rally together for an evening of live virtual programming that will prepare you to be an effective advocate for key mental health legislation. Programming will begin at 7pm ET. On Tuesday, October 13th, we will invite you to take action by contacting your elected representatives via email and making your voice heard. Our system will give you all the information you need to connect with your representatives, and templates will be provided. This event is open to people with OCD and related disorders, their families, friends, clinicians, and all other members of the mental health community. We welcome seasoned advocates and first-timers alike! Registration closes Sunday, October 11th at noon Eastern Time! https://iocdf.org/virtual-voices-for-mental-health-an-onli/

Who is your life role model? . As in, who is living the life you wish YOU were? . Want to know a secret? The biggest difference between you and them is that they live life by a different set a rules...and you can, too!... . Life Design - especially when combined with psychology - offers a paradigm shifting framework for approaching life. With life design, you can create a life tailor made for you. . Interested in learning more? Join @April Seifert, co-founder of Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength, and me Wednesday afternoon for a live half-day virtual workshop unlike any you've done before. . Get your ticket here; https://uxstrat.com/online/tickets . . . . #uxstrat #lifedesign # #psychology #personaldevelopment #wellbeing #mindfulness #designyourlife #liveinalignment #psychologicalstrength #peakmind #youonlyhaveonelife #youaretheasset #liveyourvalues #mindset See more

I am beyond excited for an upcoming Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength workshop @April Seifert and I will be doing at UX STRAT Online! . The workshop is called Design Your Life Using Human Centered Design and Psychology. . It's going to be unlike any virtual workshop you've done so far! We'll guide you through our You. Your Mind. Your Life. psychological strength and life design process using a super cool interactive digital platform. You'll leave the workshop ...with a better sense of who you are, how your mind works (and how it gets in the way), and a clear direction for change in your life. . Join us Wednesday September 30. Get your ticket here: https://uxstrat.com/online/ See more

Our biggest goal with the Building Psychological Strength podcast is to bring you the information, tools, and techniques to build resilience, psychological flex...ibility, and grit to rise to life's challenges. BUT, we know not everyone has time for our long-form episodes that come out on Wednesdays. To meet the needs of our more busy community members, we're launching Monday Mindset Minute! These are 60-90 second episodes that each offer one challenge or one technique to try out for the week. Small things can add up to a BIG IMPACT when applied consistently. Check us out by searching for "Building Psychological Strength" on your favorite podcast app (we're everywhere!), or click the link in the comments to subscribe on iTunes.

I always love joining April on her podcast!

If you're feeling overwhelmed or worried as the school year ramps up (not to mention election season), we've put together a free resource for you. Get 3 short (3-6 minute), effective exercises to help you regain balance and control in the moments when you need it. Please share this with others who might need it. When you're there for everyone else, we're here for you. www.peakmindpsychology.com/support

April Seifert, PhD, and I recorded an episode to share tips for dealing with the back-to-school-during-a-pandemic stress so many people are facing. Check it out!

Self-care is more than bubble baths and manicures, but unfortunately, most self-care content we see out there is missing important components. Arguably, they’re... missing THE MOST IMPORTANT components. Today on the podcast, we’re diving into something we call The Self-Care Pyramid. Specifically, it’s the 3 key levels of self-care that you really need to have in order to support yourself as the asset that you are. Sadly, most self-care content only addresses one of these levels, and it’s typically the least important one. During this episode, we dive into: The 3 key levels of self-care and the distinct role each plays in supporting you at your best The role that life design plays in creating your unique self-care routine. The impact of basic necessities like sleep...and what happens when we don’t meet our basic needs (here is a link to the book ‘Why We Sleep’) Tips for creating a self-care routine. (Here is a link to The Self Journal, April’s go-to self-care tool) Tune in to the complete episode by clicking the link in my bio or by searching "Building Psychological Strength" podcast in iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast platform. www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog/0183 #motivation #personalgrowth #lifelonglearning #success #mentalhealth #therapy #love #psychologist #mentalhealthawareness #mindfulness #life #wellness #selfcare #selflove #therapist #wellbeing #meditation #healing #positivity #entrepreneur #psychologicalstrength #selfawareness #mind #coach #counseling #coaching #happiness #mindset #peakmind #psychology

I had the pleasure of sitting down with April Seifert to talk about boundaries.

In this episode of the podcast, we’re diving into the ways in which our minds generate thoughts. Times when those thoughts are helpful, and times when they aren...’t. Finally, we talk about a set of tools and techniques you can begin using RIGHT NOW to start separating yourself from the thoughts that are unhelpful. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an aspect of your life that isn’t impacted by the processes we’re digging into in this episode. For that reason, I hope you’ll give this episode a listen and implement some of the techniques we describe. Your thoughts are separate from you, and you do not have to obey them, but it takes psychological strength. www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog/0181 Tune in to the complete episode by clicking the link in my bio or by searching "Building Psychological Strength" podcast in iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or any of your favorite podcast platform.

The events of 2020 have really highlighted how important - how critical - it is to have psychological strength. We need resiliency, flexibility, courage, and control, and those are things that can be developed. . I've said for years that I think everyone would benefit from learning the skills of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Throw in some positive psychology and mindfulness, and you've got a robust set of tools to help you thrive through life's ups and downs. . Today, ...I am proud to share a new digital program that I created with April Seifert, PhD at Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. We included the best of what we know as psychologists and as individuals with the goal of making the tools and information from psychology and life design widely available. I invite you to check it out! www.peakmindpsychology.com/ascend