Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist. I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on

this show, I'll help you face life's challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic

ear, and zero judgment. This week, we're going to discuss how to feel bad. After hearing

the intro to this episode, you might be thinking, but I already know how to feel bad, Dr. Johnson.

I came here to figure out how to feel good. Hear me out. I recently saw time magazines cover

of Naomi Osaka, and her quote was, it's okay to not be okay. I was inspired. I tell my

patients all the time, it's normal to feel bad sometimes, and what it's really about

is how we treat ourselves when we are not feeling our best. When it comes to our mental

health, many of us take the approach of, I'm sad, and now I'm going to be angry with myself,

or judge myself, for feeling this way. This approach is completely ineffective, exacerbates

your mood state, and inhibits your ability to address the core issue and heal. It's like

waking up with a cold and deciding to break your own arm in response. I want you to listen

to me very carefully when I say this. It is entirely normal to feel bad sometimes. You're

not weak, or silly, or deserving of pain because of it. It is simply a consequence of living

that we must all learn to radically accept. I was once talking to someone who plays

roller derby, and they told me about how they had to learn how to fall. If you know how

to fall, you can do it in a way that reduces the impact and likelihood of serious injury. You

can apply this concept to your mental health. Let's talk about a few ways you can do that.

Tip number one, change your mindset. Your mentality about experiencing unwanted emotions

is key here. It's important to address yourself with compassion when you are in the state.

Instead of screaming at yourself, what is wrong with me? Say instead with care, what do I need?

If you have this approach, then it helps to eliminate the anger and judgment that I mentioned

...