Our inability to make decisions is wasting our time, keeping us acting from a place of fear and stuck in a life we don't want! It's also not entirely our fault and often stems from unconscious mechanisms, neuroticism and fears that we haven't recognised. In today's episode we break down: Why you struggle to make decisions The consequences of our chronic indecisiveness Perfection and indecision Choice overload A fear of failure How to overcome your indecisiveness using the 80/20 rule The 'trusted...
Apr 19, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast About 2/3rds of couples start off as friends according to recent research. But developing feelings for a friend isn't always a happily ever after situation. In today's episode we break down why it is that we fall in love with our friends, the principles of attraction such as the similarity liking effect and mere exposure effect, whether to say anything or keep it to yourself, managing the pain of rejection or social loss and your best tips for protecting the friendship and your own heart. Listen...
Apr 16, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sleep is one of our most vital functions but how many of us actually know that much about it, the links to our physical functioning, mental health, relationships and overall wellbeing. What about some of the strange experiments they've conducted to investigate dreams or how long we can go without sleep? In today's episode we take a deep dive into the psychology of sleep, including: Why we need sleep? What actually is REM sleep? The Russian Sleep Experiment Sleep debt Sleep as a form of self sabo...
Apr 12, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast More and more 20 something year olds are choosing to live with their parents; we are moving out later and a lot of us are boomeranging (coming back home after moving out). In today's episode we explore the emotional and psychological impacts of living with your parents in your 20s, why more of us are living at home because of financial anxiety or housing insecurity, how to handle conflict with your parents whilst you're still living under their roof and 6 tips for a successful living at home sit...
Apr 09, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast We lose our spark and love for life for many reasons: burnout, mental ill health, people pleasing, a breakup. When we do it can feel like life gets very boring, it loses colour, we lose interest and we can become cynical towards all of the small joys and brilliance of being alive and being human. In this episode we break down six tips for getting your spark back: The power of rest Choosing to live light versus live heavy Reconnecting with your inner child + play Seeking inspiration in the mundan...
Apr 05, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast You're not going to get along with everyone and one of those people you don't get along with might end up dating someone you love i.e your friend. Disliking your friends partner often stems from one of three reasons: your dating preferences don't match, you're experiencing platonic jealousy, you're genuinely worried about this other person being bad for your friend, exploitative or abusive. We talk about all three of these outcomes in today's episode along with what to do in response: do you sta...
Apr 02, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Social media is impacting our mental health in ways we are not ready or willing to acknowledge, and it's time we talk about it. In today's episode we discuss all the psychology of social media and how it is embedded in our social lives, our relationships, our beliefs, our daily routines, our news and our self worth. We break down how social media was designed to be addictive, how it captures more of our time than we think, the differences between people who have been on social media for over 10 ...
Mar 29, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Father wounds arise from a disorganised or complicated relationship with our father figure - either due to them being physically or emotionally absent, harsh and critical, unfeeling or abusive and can result in a number of dysfunctional behaviours and emotional patterns as we grow older. In this episode we are breaking down the psychology of father wounds and discussing: The origins of father wounds and the role of generational trauma Mother wounds versus father wounds Attachment theory and fath...
Mar 26, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we are joined by clinical psychologist and author of 'The Defining Decade' to talk about all the frustrations, stressors, misconceptions and hard moments of our 20s and why it's only going to get BETTER from here. We talk about: Shifting from a 'what if' to a 'what is' or 'what else' mindset Why we fear uncertainity Milestone anxiety Sliding versus deciding Catastrophic thinking Insecure and anxious attachment styles vs. insecure and anxious moments And so much more Listen now to...
Mar 22, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes all we want to do is a have a big, old fashioned sob and when we can't it leads us feeling emotionally pent up, defective and frustrated. There's an explanation for why we go through periods where we are unable to cry. In today's episode we discuss: The evolutionary function of crying Crying as an attachment behaviour The difference between basal, reflex and emotional tears The 4 major reasons we struggle with crying How to heal your connection with your emotions How we process emotion...
Mar 19, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Self discipline is the key ingredient to unlocking everything you want in life. But despite that many of us treat it like its optional and believe the narrative that self discipline requires perfection, requires sacrifice and is too hard. Actually, self discipline is anything but, it is actually the road of least resistance. In this episode we break down 5 tips for building self discipline in any area of life: Understanding your motivation Leveraging social accountability and desirability bias T...
Mar 15, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Love is scary. There are so many opportunities to be hurt, to be let down, to have thing turn out in a way we never wanted them to. But it's also one of the best things in live and brings incredible joy and fulfilment. Why is it that some of us avoid the experience all together. In today's episode we are going to discuss the fear of intimacy in all its forms. We will discuss: Signs you have a fear of intimacy (serial dating, situationships, emotional avoidance) Childhood and early relationship w...
Mar 12, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This International Women's Day as part of iHeart's Women Take the Mic Initiative, I'm bringing on my Mum for a vulnerable chat about our relationship as mother and daughter, what she's learned from being a mother, what she would do differently, life lessons and her success in a male dominated field. We discuss everything from motherhood, child-parent dynamics, feminism and career advice. It's a beautiful conversation, one that I'll hold dearly for a long time and we hope you enjoy, listen now! F...
Mar 08, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we are discussing the ups and downs of living alone in your 20s: from the freedom and independence, to the loneliness and social isolation, financial anxiety and stress, but the authenticity and emotional maturity that comes with it. We talk about: Why being alone doesn't make you lonely Sliders versus deciders - why you should wait before moving in with a partner Cognitive distortions and overspending Lifestyle creep Habits for building social connection and community How to successfu...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Feeling jealous over our partners past can feel highly irrational, but its still a feeling many of us have and contributes to a lot of obsessive and unhealthy behaviours like stalking their exes, asking intrusive questions, starting arguments in hopes of getting the reassurance we need. In today's episode, we talk about the psychology of retroactive jealousy, including its origins and how to move past your jealous feelings. We will talk about: How past relationships and trauma create jealousy Ov...
Mar 01, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Panic attacks are awful, they sneak up on us in the worst moments and make us feel overwhelmed by an invisible fear. In today's episode we are going to talk through the psychology of panic attacks including: Why they occur? Panic disorders vs. panic attacks The flight, fight, freeze or fawn response The car alarm analogy The function of anxiety and panic Anxiety avoidance vs. acceptance 7 evidence based tips for managing panic attacks We also have a 7 minute meditation at the end of the episode ...
Feb 27, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's my birthday. Let's talk about my fear of growing older. Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thepsychologyofyour20s See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 22, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our 20s are one of the best times for us to change careers. Perhaps you're feeling burntout, bored, unmotivated, craving something bigger, something with purpose or better hours, a change from the life and job you currently have. In this episode we break down how we can change careers in our 20s, some of the challenges, how to manage the financial insecurity, the signs your old job is not right for you and discovering your true mission and purpose and life (even if it doesn't always revolve arou...
Feb 20, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Acne has just as many emotional and mental symptoms as it does physical. Having acne in our 20s is a significant source of insecurity, frustration and hopelessness, impacting how we go about making new friends, dating, career opportunities and so much more. In this episode we break down the psychology of acne, investigating the myths about the causes of acne, the subsequent stigma towards acne, the mental consequences we are observing more and more, the impact of social media and facetune, along...
Feb 16, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sustaining a relationship has a lot more to do with the division of domestic, emotional and physical labour. A massive component is the mental load - the additional energy that goes into organising, scheduling and managing the daily tasks, chores and things that need to be done whilst also accounting for your partners needs. It's not a secret that women carry a lot more of the mental load than their male counterparts and in this episode we break down exactly why that is, how an unfair division o...
Feb 13, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast The end of a relationship or a friendship can leave us with a lot of unanswered questions, especially when the split is sudden, out of the blue, and the other person is unresponsive. In other instances, we don't quite know what went wrong and are looking for answers. In today's episode we talk about the elusive myth that is closure: whether we need it, how to get it, and why we should not rely on others to provide us with permission to move on. We also discuss the closure cycle and the reasons w...
Feb 08, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A considerable question for those of us in our 20s is how do we create a good life? What does it mean to design a life we love and how exactly do we do that? In today's episode we break down five ways we can do this, including: Deconstructing your old life for your new one + the Odyssey Plan Prototyping your new life + the 15 minute rule Addition through subtraction Pursue daily joy Positive future planning + dopamine scheduling Listen now! Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcas...
Feb 05, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes we become more attached to the idea of someone and their potential, than the reality of who they actually are. We begin to project our wants and desires on to them and ignore the red flags, the disappointments, the truth. This is what we call fantasy bonding and it prevents us from seeing someone for who they truly are, causes us to be lead along and invest in the wrong people. In this episode, we break down the psychology of fantasy bonding, including: The origins of fantasy bonding i...
Feb 02, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anger is one of our most primal emotions and yet we have no idea how to manage it. We suppress it, allowing it to rule our lives; we hide from it, we let it explode onto people who don't deserve our rage. In this episode we break down the psychology of anger and why anger is often a secondary emotion, masking our true fear, anxiety and insecurity. We explore how to manage our anger, use it for fuel and motivation, why the anger we experience as children often leads to our inability to full expre...
Jan 30, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two of the most noteworthy elements of our 20s are dating and our experiences with mental health. They also interact - our mental health will influence how we date, how we deal with rejection, how we meet new people, and subsequently, our dating experiences can have a profound impact on our mental health. In this episode we dissect everything about this interaction and how we can take care of our mental and emotional wellbeing, avoid codependency whilst also finding the love we deserve. We also ...
Jan 26, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Being able to travel and explore the world in our 20s is such a unique privilege, but sometimes we can overdo a good thing and hit a point of complete emotional, mental and physical exhaustion, causing us to want to go home early, abandon our trip or enjoy our travels a lot less. In this episode we break down the psychology behind travel burnout, why it occurs, what it says about our human need to belong, creature comforts and my tips for overcoming the fatigue and exhaustion and getting the mos...
Jan 23, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We experience chronic guilt towards a lot of things: guilt for resting, guilt for not resting, guilt for prioritising ourselves, guilt for being a bad friend, a bad partner, a bad student, for not deserving your opportunities. In today's episode we break down the guilt complex by exploring: The childhood guilt wound People pleasing The fawn response Perfectionism Negative self esteem We also discuss how we can overcome our chronic guilt by deciding to live for ourselves and putting energy into o...
Jan 19, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode we are going to discuss the psychology behind our health anxiety, something we don't speak about enough in our 20s. Health anxiety leaves us feeling incredibly hypervigilant to symptoms or feelings in our body that could indicate a life threatening illness or impending death, even if they are just a projection or derived from stress. This comes from our need to feel in control of our bodies and a lot of primal, evolutionary origins. It can also leave us struggling with feeling...
Jan 16, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Getting into a new relationship can bring up a lot of past trauma from previous relationships, and cause a lot of self sabotage or anxiety, resulting in behaviours such as: Emotional unavailability Knit picking behaviour Starting unnecessary fights Stone walling Pushing people away Ignoring red flags In this episode we answer the question "do you need to completely heal before entering into a new relationship?". We are joined by the incredible, Tasha Bailey, otherwise known as the Real Talk Ther...
Jan 12, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many of us find ourselves obsessively focused on the opinions and judgements of others, letting their opinion of us influence our sense of self worth and confidence. However, true power and success comes when we embrace the courage to be disliked and recognise that the negative words of others come from their own insecurity, rather than as a reflection of us. In this episode we break down this concept, alongside the role of reputation, conformity, the chameleon effect and how we can embrace our ...
Jan 09, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
