The Psychology of your 20s - 359. How to TRULY detach

Episode Date: November 29, 2025

We can be so fixed on a job, a person, an outcome that we fuse our identity to it – and, crucially, forget that we’re okay without it. In today’s bonus episode, we unpack detach...ment: why we cling so tightly to people and outcomes, what over-attachment does to our mind and mood, and how to loosen the grip in a way that feels calm, kind, and clear.We explore: •        Why we become attached to certain people or outcomes•        The impact of becoming overly attached on our behaviours, thoughts and emotions•        The Buddhist concept of ‘non-attachment’•        How detaching from the outcome can keep us grounded•        The value of the Stoic mindset Listen now! ORDER MY BOOK Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com  The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn.
Starting point is 00:00:30 the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. I'm on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange, modern world. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%.
Starting point is 00:00:59 That's TWO% on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:01:37 On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.
Starting point is 00:01:58 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones.
Starting point is 00:02:23 It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian. Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.
Starting point is 00:02:43 Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello everybody. I'm Jemisbe, and welcome back to the psychology of your 20s, the podcast where we talk through the biggest changes, moments and transitions of our 20s and what they mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, welcome back to the show. Welcome back to the podcast, new listeners, old listeners, wherever you are in the world. It is so great to have you here back for another episode as we of course break down the psychology of our 20s. So today we've got another one of our little bonus episodes. These are like shorter, more bite-sized doses of our usual content, something to like accompany your lunch break or your little morning walk. in these shorter chats, we just mainly aim to tackle certain terms, theories, concepts that you may hear in the self-help or psychology space in a more focused, compact kind of way. And in today's episode, we are going to be looking at this concept of detachment, specifically how we can truly detach from an outcome, from a person who is controlling our emotions, from a relationship, from a relationship.
Starting point is 00:04:13 relationship, a situation, a job application, really anything. Our attachment to these things is deeply emotional. It shows we care a lot, but sometimes our emotional investment can actually cause us to suffer more in imagination than in reality and get too caught up in the what-ifs than the what is actually happening. Detachment is the psychological and emotional kind of antidote to this that asks us to perhaps be more stoic, to understand that what we think about something won't always change what will actually happen. And just to let life be something that happens to us naturally, that flows around us, rather than us trying to push through it or force certain things to happen or struggle against people who aren't going to change their mind, who may not treat us any
Starting point is 00:05:08 differently or situations that maybe aren't going to improve just by us trying to think about them more. It is an incredibly important skill. That being said, it's also quite difficult to learn. So let's talk about it. Firstly, what's the difference between attachment and attachment? It might sound simple, but attachment is, I always think about it as like having a bird in the palm of your hand and holding onto it really tightly with a closed fist hoping that it will stay. And that not being a comfortable experience for anybody or anything. Detachment is the ability to hold what you want or what you have with an open hand. Sure, the bird may fly away, but that probably means it wasn't meant to be there in the first place,
Starting point is 00:05:56 didn't want to be in there in the first place. And a new bird, a better bird, a bird that does want to be there is going to fly and land on your hand. that's kind of the metaphor I always think about. It's basically when you stop trying to bend reality into your preferred shape and you just decide to participate in whatever is actually happening without gripping, without bargaining, without trying to force things into place when they don't fit, detached from a specific outcome, detached from a specific person and their behaviors.
Starting point is 00:06:29 You are very much in this mindset of what I can control and what I can't control and you notice the difference and you appreciate the difference. In the literature on detachment, psychologists sometimes basically describe it as a form of cognitive distancing or emotional distancing, being able to turn down the emotional volume of a situation or your own emotions just enough just to be able to think clearly and just to act in line with your values and your vision. It's not that you are going to numb yourself to any outcome. it's not that you're going to shut down.
Starting point is 00:07:05 It's not that you're going to stop caring. It's still about caring. It's just about being able to operate without the outcome or that other person or whatever it is, the event, being your center and being the thing that you obsessively think about. It's basically saying, don't let the things you can't control be the only thing that you focus on. when we're attached, what we're actually attached to is not always the outcome or the person or the situation or whatever it is. It's often what that thing represents and what promises us meaning. You're attached to this idea of getting this job because maybe that will prove to you
Starting point is 00:07:50 that you are hardworking, that you are good enough, that you are set up for the future. You are attached to receiving attention from this person, not because you may be able to even like them, but because you think that their attention would give you some very serious sign that you are lovable. Or, you know, if they don't give you attention, well, then that's going to prove that you aren't. We get attached because as humans, our brains crave a feeling of safety and they crave a feeling of knowing. And when we have certainty over situations, that is the cheapest shortcut to feeling okay and to feeling safe in life. It's also not something that life has promised us. We are not going to be certain about many, many things. But our brain likes to convince us that
Starting point is 00:08:44 if we can think about it a little more, if we can manipulate the situation, a little bit more, if we can want it enough, well, then hopefully we can be in control. And hopefully that will give us a sense of meaning, a sense of predictability, a sense of certainty. And this is where our ego and the idea of self-concept comes into this as well. We don't just want that person. We don't just want that job. We want what it means and what it will say about us, that we are lovable, that we are chosen, that we are competent, that you have a bright future, that life will be happy. And if we don't get the certainty we want, if we are, if we don't get the outcome we want, then none of that is none of that feels correct. So the goal and the outcome that we get attached to deeply that is
Starting point is 00:09:34 significant to us is so significant to us because it is fused with self-worth and self-belief. And so it takes on a much deeper level of control and weight than if it didn't mean those things to us. And just to note, attachment isn't inherently bad. It's actually quite a healthy organizing force that can really help us prioritize what and who matters and helps us allocate our attention and resources towards goals and coordinate our lives and gives us a sense of meaning. The issue really just comes when we are overly attached. And instead of helping us organize our lives and giving life a sense of purpose and importance and meaning and giving us goals, it actually has the opposite effect. Firstly, when we are overly attached to a specific thing,
Starting point is 00:10:24 our thoughts actually become a lot more narrow and they begin to race and it gives us a feeling that is very similar to anxiety or to rumination. It can get really obsessive, right? We all know that. Our thoughts might become more rigid and selective and you basically start forming a singular preferred interpretation of events and the only information that you let in is information that seems relevant or proves what you want to happen. Anything that doesn't do that, that doesn't point directly towards our target, gets ignored. Even if it is super important, even if it's something like a significant red flag in somebody's behavior, even if it is a thing about that apartment that is actually super inconvenient,
Starting point is 00:11:14 something about that job that may actually not be great, because our thoughts are narrow, because they are more rigid and less curious because we are too attached to a specific outcome, sometimes we just ignore things that would otherwise definitely make us desire a different outcome. Secondly, our mood definitely becomes attached to a specific outcome. If we feel recognized by that guy, we feel amazing. But if they don't reply to us, we just feel terrible and worthless and low. If we get the job, we feel incredible. We feel purposeful.
Starting point is 00:11:51 But if we don't hear back, we throw in the towel altogether. We swear that we're never going to bother trying to get a new job in that industry again. We question all these things about ourselves. And essentially, it's like the emotional systems in our brain become handcuffed to something that is outside of our control. And when that dips, when that plateaus, when that rises, our emotions are going to follow along with it. And we just feel completely unmoored in that way. Because we are no longer, you know, the driver. We are no longer in the driver's seat. We are completely in the passenger seat to whatever these, you know, circumstances choose to bring us.
Starting point is 00:12:35 The thing is as well, you know, the more we do care and the more attached we are, which again, is normal, the more we do try to push, force, fight, hold tight, the more we try to make a situation work that just isn't going to. And what that does is actually, I often think, reduces the chances of something working out. Sure, this relationship with this person might work out and might go well, but only if you give it breathing room. but in our desire for predictability and control, we try and speed up timelines.
Starting point is 00:13:13 We try and, I don't know, we just, we become more obsessive and we do things that we know are actually counter to our overall goal. But because we are so attached, it just feels like this attachment has nowhere to go unless we take action on its behalf. And we end up ruining things. We end up putting too much pressure on things. we end up burning out, we end up feeling so exhausted that we withdraw or that we move on or that we feel like we can't be around somebody or in a situation, not necessarily even because
Starting point is 00:13:47 of what they've done, but because of how we are approaching the situation. You know, I have this theory. It's not so much a psychological theory. It's definitely more of a philosophical, spiritual theory. But I always say if you are overly attached to something, to a relationship and outcome, whatever, such that you imagine in detail exactly how things are going to work out. You're already picturing the wedding. You're already picturing the new outfits, you're going to wear to your new job.
Starting point is 00:14:13 I often think that's actually kind of has like a counteractive effect where it makes it less likely to happen. It's like in some universe, i.e. in your mind, this situation has already occurred. And so, you know, the universe isn't, or God or whatever, isn't going to repeat that same event. because it doesn't want to, you know, it wants to be creative. If you've already created the situation, it cannot possibly happen again in real time because, you know, yeah, the universe of the God, whatever it is, like it likes to be cheeky and likes to be, likes to keep us on our toes and likes to give us something different.
Starting point is 00:14:49 So actually, the more you think about things and the more you try and imagine picture, develop this story in your head, the less likely it's going to occur. In fact, probably it's highly unlikely it's not going to occur the way you think it is. because of this principle and, you know, there's really no evidence for that other than my anecdotal evidence. But every time I found that I've clinged, or clung, sorry, I should say too tightly to something such that I've imagined all these hypotheticals, they have never come true. And it's always then ended up happening in a way that is completely surprising. And I don't know, maybe that's just the explanation that my brain has kind of gone to, to maybe teach me to stop overthinking it as much.
Starting point is 00:15:29 I think as well, just on a broader sense, it just overly obsessing about a specific outcome, it basically reduces how open we are to other outcomes and to newness, how open we are to the unexpected, to the beautiful parts of life that really genuinely surprise us. And the acceptance and having space for those things is really what detachment is about. Instead of being rigid, wanting certainty, wanting an outcome that you think is best for yourself, we are more curious, we allow the events around us, the world around us to deliver the outcome that is probably better. We are more confident in ourselves. We trust ourselves regardless of what happens. And we're just simply more able, like better able to enjoy and witness things in our
Starting point is 00:16:16 lives and experiences because we're not obsessing over them or getting attached before they occur such that we feel their loss much more profoundly. So we can talk about this till the cows come in, what do we actually do to get to a level of healthy detachment so that we can observe, be invested, but not, you know, emotionally tied to this situation so that we can really just have some more freedom in our lives, some more peace. We're going to talk about all of that and more after this short break. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%, I break down the science.
Starting point is 00:17:01 of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships. and you will come out on the other side
Starting point is 00:17:32 a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-P-Sent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either.
Starting point is 00:18:04 say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of The Girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care, so they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no.
Starting point is 00:18:28 I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?
Starting point is 00:18:52 Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.
Starting point is 00:19:04 Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.
Starting point is 00:19:27 We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people. black people in American history.
Starting point is 00:19:41 Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't
Starting point is 00:20:10 realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person join me Keer Gaines is we have real conversations about healing growth father pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway.
Starting point is 00:20:44 Open your free I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years-long court battle
Starting point is 00:21:04 to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Sond's, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for. Sunlight's the greatest disinfected. They would uncover a disturbing pattern.
Starting point is 00:21:23 Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Gregalespian and Michael Marantini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Americopa County.
Starting point is 00:21:41 as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges. This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So a lot of key principles around the art of detachment actually are heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy, particularly by Buddhist and Taoist principles of non-attachment. non-attachment is this attitude of flexibility and balance towards life experiences where we can interact with our thoughts, our feelings and events without clinging so desperately to desired positive outcomes or fearing negative ones. What this concept is based on is this idea that the
Starting point is 00:22:28 nature of our experiences and our mental representations are actually constructed. They're not permanent so they can't hurt us unless we let them because we can always just allow them to move on and we can always just let them go. I know that sounds very silly and like a very simple explanation, but people for thousands and thousands of years have been adopting this way of approaching life. The simplest way to maybe get into this mindset, the simplest reset is before you try to fix anything, just giving yourself a literal physical space to see things clearly. The fastest way is by, you know, physically distancing yourself, getting out of a room, getting out of a conversation, getting out into the world, so your attention isn't trapped into this tiny loop of whatever it is you're obsessing over. You need to be in a different environment or situation from the one that is causing you stress.
Starting point is 00:23:24 When we feel overly attached to something, I really just think we can't see the woods from the trees. We become so overly focused on specific, tiny, minuscule details that we lose the perspective on the rest of our lives. We lose the ability to understand the larger overall situation. We lose the ability to, you know, realize that other people are alive at the same time as us and to just put our problems into perspective. This version of detachment is just the simplest form. Go outside, move your body, do some kind of intense exercise, let your senses reset, Put time and space between the stimulus and your response. Also, a part of this is just to start really paying attention to the ordinary world.
Starting point is 00:24:08 The sounds, temperature, people walking their dogs, look at other people just living their lives. And that will allow you to realize that this might feel incredibly serious and life-defying for you, but it doesn't take up the whole universe. And one day it won't be at your epicenter anymore as well. we often feel like if we focus on the issue or the goal just a little bit longer, if we work just a little bit harder, if we analyze their response just once more, you know, we will have control. We will be able to, you know, problem solve this situation,
Starting point is 00:24:44 but this never happens. This is a classic thought spiral. There are limitless things and ways to see this situation, limitless things to think about, limitless possibilities. You thinking about them more is just adding fuel to the fire and just further convincing your brain in your mind that one more second to think about it, one more second of rumination, one more moment to attach even further is somehow going to get you an answer or is somehow going to give you certainty. By gaining literal distance,
Starting point is 00:25:18 you are widening your frame of reference so that you are allowed to choose how to respond rather than just having to react, and you are able to really identify this problem or this situation for what it actually is rather than what your mind is making it out to be. So the next move is to refill yourself so that your worth isn't hanging on one reply, one meeting, one person, one thing going right. As we saw earlier, one of the key aspects of being overly attached to something or someone is that our sense of self-worth often begins to be contingent on that thing happening.
Starting point is 00:25:57 So it's really crucial that we start to re-center this back onto ourselves, re-anchor ourselves back into us. Just really practice the opposite of humility and the opposite of being attached or devoted to something or someone else. Stroke your own ego. Celebrate how freaking amazing you are. reinforce that you'll be fine without this thing. For the next day or two, flood your schedule with proof that you exist well beyond this
Starting point is 00:26:29 goal or this person or whatever it is you have in mind. Go out for dinner. Create something. Buy yourself like a really hot new outfit. Get a haircut. Do anything that makes you feel novel, makes you feel confident, makes you feel in your energy, in your power. Make as many plans as possible that don't include the person, the thing.
Starting point is 00:26:50 the event, the situation, the place that you're attaching to. If you're dating, make sure you're also dating your friends, exploring your city, having evening plans, building out the world beyond this thing that has taken your focus, making sure that there are all these other things that you're excited by and investigating and curious and, you know, just motivated to see so that your whole world isn't just whatever it is you're obsessing over. Detaching, you know, it isn't about not caring. It's about ensuring that your world and your life is big enough that no singular thing could come in and suffocate everything else out. You can be engaged in the parts of your life or in the people in your life that you do feel attached to.
Starting point is 00:27:43 You just can't be fused. You just can't have an emotional over-reliance on something going right or somebody liking you or a situation working in your favor to determine whether you're going to be happy for that day. The next thing or the next tool is to really ask yourself, does this fit? Or am I sanding the edges of myself or of my life to make it fit? Now, I think we have a little bit of a gut reaction when I mention this or when I talk about this. When something fits, you know that it fits. Like there is ease there. It's like the perfect pair of jeans.
Starting point is 00:28:24 Like imagine your most perfect comfortable pair of jeans. It's no friction, no tension. They're always going to be amazing. When you try on a bad pair of jeans, it's pretty noticeable. And you can convince yourself that you'll change for the jeans, that the jeans will stretch, whatever, they never do. And you end up throwing them out, you end up donating them, you end up having to sell them anyways.
Starting point is 00:28:43 Like, you know, and you know about certain relationships, you know about certain situations. as well. When something fits, plans get made. Replies don't need decoding. Your life doesn't necessarily feel like you're spinning plates just to stay afloat. You feel steady without constantly needing to be fixing things or tending to the situation, feeling burnt out, feeling awfully, terribly stressed. You know, when it isn't a fit, like you do feel that. There's lots of persuading, lots of justifying, lots of what if we just try this or this or this kind of energy and it's a very desperate feeling which we don't like we don't like feeling that to give you another metaphor like think of it as like
Starting point is 00:29:26 a jigsaw piece the wrong decision something that we're overly attached to that isn't right is like trying to force the wrong jigsaw puzzle piece into a picture that's already been made you have one piece left and you're so tired you're so exhausted you think that this last piece is going to be, this last couple of pieces is going to be right and it just, it's not working. You press harder, you cut off a corner, and you can just visually see it doesn't fit. And you will always know that it's wrong. And the whole picture becomes warped around it. It just doesn't look okay.
Starting point is 00:30:03 And I think relationships and goals act in the same way. If it only fits when you're shrinking, over explaining, carrying 80% of the load, you're forcing it. And there is another puzzle piece somewhere in that box. There is another puzzle piece that maybe somebody else needs to find and give to you that will fit better and you just have to wait. And I know that can be frustrating advice, but I can think of all these times where I just release the need to know and I released the need for a specific outcome and each time I was deeply rewarded. And it was much, much better than what I initially wanted. Two great examples of this are like my, the last place that I lived, like the first place I ever lived alone, this like my beautiful
Starting point is 00:30:49 little dingy one-bedroom house, that house was perfect for me. And before that house, I'd actually applied for another apartment. And it was like the first or second one that I'd seen. And I just got myself convinced that this was the right one. And I was so anxious and stressed about it. And the thing was is that that apartment would have been terrible to live in. It was like on the bottom floor, there was no light. There was no public transport. there was no parking, like, but my mind had just convinced me, like, that's the one. And I was clinging onto it, clinging onto it. And when I didn't get it, it was actually quite relieving, and I'm glad I didn't, because then I got the thing that was better for me. It's the same with
Starting point is 00:31:29 my last corporate job. I applied. I didn't hear anything for months. I detached. I basically told everyone like, oh, I'm not going to get it. I didn't get it. Like, I basically gave everybody else, like I told them what the outcome was without knowing. And, I genuinely think like a week later I got like a call about that job. And you know, these are just stories. Detaching doesn't necessarily increase the chance of an outcome happening. But I think it just lets you suffer less, enjoy life more and have a more positive open outlook to other things that are coming your way. My last tip is to just really try and adopt this stoic mentality we've been discussing throughout this episode. Focus as much as you can list in your notes up, in your jokes,
Starting point is 00:32:13 as much as you can, what you can control and what you cannot. That is detachment in the most grounded sense, recognizing that life is not going to arrange itself around your preferences, and knowing ahead of time that you're going to be okay with that anyways. You can want something and you can still refuse to make your well-being hostage to it. Bad things might happen, plans might change, you might not get what you really desired, you trust yourself enough to know that you're going to be okay. And we talk about self-trust so much on this podcast, but it is the opposite of anxiety. It is the opposite of anxious attachment. It is the opposite of panic. It's the opposite of rumination. It's just, I trust myself. I know that, yes, these things could happen. Yes,
Starting point is 00:33:01 things could not work out. I'll still be all right. I will still be able to be tested and come through this. And I think that that really is like the most positive way to think about anything that is out of your control is like, yeah, try me. Like I'm ready. My self-trust in myself is deep. I'm unshakable based on whatever is going on around me. And just think about how different your day feels when you have that mentality. The thing is, you're still going to show up, you're still going to ask what you want, you're still going to prepare, you're still going to have an open heart, nothing about the effort you put in changes, but the meaning you assign to the result softens. Yes, becomes an opportunity and no is just information that you use for next time.
Starting point is 00:33:50 Neither is a measure of your worth, which is so important. It's just a refusal to confuse your preferences and a certain outcome with, you know, happiness and with necessity. Like, you're going to be okay, no matter what. I know this episode has been more of a pep talk than maybe like specific tips, but I really do feel like this is an energy, this is a real mindset that you float into and once you're in, you really understand how much more peace comes with it. And it takes time. I'm definitely not the best at it.
Starting point is 00:34:27 But when I do actively try and force myself to just consider other outcomes, to just really relax into whatever's going to happen, will happen, whatever will be will be. I genuinely feel the tension shift out of my body, and I find my approach to things changes, and people notice that, and they respond back to me in a way that is honestly, surprisingly, more positive. So I hope that this is convincing. I hope this episode was helpful. I hope you can apply it in your own life, whether it is with a situation ship, a job,
Starting point is 00:34:59 an apartment, a friend, just the life in general. Yeah, I hope it goes far for you. I want to thank our research assistant Libby Colbert for her help on this special bonus episode. Make sure that you are following us on Instagram at That Psychology Podcast. Our December guest month starts in a couple of days and we have some amazing guests for you guys. So I'd love for you to be, I'd love for you to know when their episodes air. Make sure you're also subscribed, following whatever it is, whatever app you're listening on to the podcast as well so that you also get those notifications. and leave a comment in the description if you have made it this far.
Starting point is 00:35:38 What are you trying to detach from right now? What is this episode hopefully helping you move on from, tread more lightly with. I'd love to hear it. But until next time, stay safe. Be kind, be gentle to yourself. We will talk very, very soon. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Care Games.
Starting point is 00:36:03 This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations, that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armored? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to,
Starting point is 00:36:23 listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness,
Starting point is 00:36:40 fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's TWA% on the Iheart radio app,
Starting point is 00:36:57 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, They take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that, trust your girlfriends.
Starting point is 00:37:22 Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.
Starting point is 00:37:42 Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.
Starting point is 00:38:12 You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped.
Starting point is 00:38:31 Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iPhone. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.