The last two episodes of Our Modern Emotional Lives have covered how to feel better, and I welcome you to part three. In the last episode, I covered the quantity of our thoughts about the past, and I am now moving into discussing the quality of those thoughts.

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your past, especially parts of your past that bother you? You might feel as if you could feel better if only the past would loosen its grip on you. I am here to offer you an alternate way of thinking about that so that you have a path forward.

We have come to believe that we are supposed to be happy almost all of the time with just a sprinkling of unhappiness, and that pressure has led to a lot of unnecessary emotional suffering. Our lives are designed with contrast, and realizing that is so freeing and brings so much peace.

You have probably heard the age-old saying that to err is to be human, right? It's a fundamental truth, yet some of us put pressure on ourselves to never make mistakes and to be persistently perfect, and it costs us a lot when we do that.

Do you ever feel like you're finally getting the hang of being happy and feeling peaceful but then other people ruin it? I am really excited about this topic because it is the single biggest problem that most of us think we have: other people. It's such a big problem, in fact, that I think that if you put the tools that I share with you in this episode to use, this might just be one of the most transformative podcast episodes that you will ever hear.

Welcome back to Our Modern Emotional Lives where I, behavior change specialist and coach Sheila Tully, talk about mental and emotional health and how to rewire our brains so that we are happier and healthier. If you are someone who tends to do a lot of worrying, then this episode is for you because that is exactly what I am covering today – worrying and how to stop doing it.

My name is Sheila Tully, and welcome to the very first episode of Our Modern Emotional Lives. This podcast will be looking at mental and emotional well-being from my perspective as a behavior change specialist and coach. I teach practical applications of the latest in neuroscience research and cognitive behavioral science to help people change how they think and feel.