The Psychology of Depression and Anxiety - Dr. Scott Eilers

Use my link https://go.superpower.com/DRSCOTT to save $20 off your first test with Superpower. Thanks to Superpower for sponsoring this video!If you care deeply about other people, the state of the world can become almost unbearable. When you're a highly sensitive or empathetic person, there's an endless supply of suffering, injustice, and problems demanding your attention. Eventually, caring about everything can leave you too overwhelmed to do anything.In this video, I explain an approach I call psychological minimalism: intentionally narrowing what you invest your time, energy, and attention in so you can care more effectively about the things that matter most. I'll share the principles and practical strategies I use to manage emotional overwhelm, set boundaries, reduce information overload, and protect my mental health.You don't have to stop caring about the world. But you may need to stop trying to carry all of it.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thanks to Monarch for partnering with me! Start your free trial and get 50% off your first year of total money clarity using my link https://monarchmoney.yt.link/lkYeuRv or code drscott50 for 50% Off Monarch Core tier.Every time you avoid something because it makes you anxious, you may be teaching your brain to become even more afraid of it. Avoidance provides immediate relief, but over time, it can make your comfort zone smaller and smaller until everyday activities feel overwhelming.In this video, I explain why anxiety and avoidance reinforce each other, share some of my own experiences with severe anxiety, and introduce a practical approach called hierarchical exposure therapy. We'll explore how to identify your discomfort zone, gradually face situations you've been avoiding, and build confidence through experience rather than trying to think your way out of fear.You don't have to become fearless to get your life back. You just have to start giving your brain opportunities t

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

What if the reason you struggle to feel loved isn't that you're incapable of love, but that you've learned to protect yourself from it? Childhood emotional neglect, depression, and past relationships can create patterns that make intimacy feel threatening, even when you're with someone who genuinely cares about you.In this conversation, I sit down with relationship and attachment expert @Dr.SarahHensley to explore anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and how childhood experiences shape our adult relationships. We also discuss why emotional suppression can contribute to depression, why successful people can struggle with intimacy, and whether attachment styles can actually change.If you've spent your life keeping people at a distance, we discuss how to begin building emotional safety, processing difficult feelings, and developing healthier relationships without abandoning the parts of yourself that learned to survive.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅ : https://zocdoc.com/drscotteilers#sponsoredLiving with chronic depression is nothing like feeling sad because something bad happened. It's waking up feeling like someone you love has died when nothing is wrong, being exhausted no matter how much you sleep, and feeling completely disconnected from a world everyone else seems able to participate in.In this video, I'm sharing 10 experiences that people with chronic depression understand but others often don't, including anhedonia, overwhelming physical exhaustion, emotional isolation, and the strange experience of wanting to want something without actually wanting anything.If you've struggled to explain what depression really feels like, I hope this helps you feel a little less alone. And if there's something I missed, share it in the comments so we can make this a place where people who live with depression can feel understood.
If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Head to https://hiya.yt.link/nBFztrz to get your kids started with Hiya today at 50% off! or You can now get your first order 50% off via this link https://hiya.yt.link/nBFztrz!Have you ever looked at the world and felt like something is fundamentally wrong with it—and wondered why everyone else seems able to just carry on? I've had that feeling for most of my life. The world has often felt simultaneously overwhelming, disappointing, cold, and broken, and for a long time I thought being unable to ignore that meant something was wrong with me.In this video, I share an idea from The Light Between the Leaves that has helped me live with that awareness: the difference between the world and your world. You have very little control over the world. But your body, your relationships, your people, and the spaces you inhabit make up a much smaller world where you actually have some influence.You don't have to fix everything that's broken. Take care of yourself. Take care of your people. Take care of your space. Sometimes making your little corner of this place better is enough.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thank you to Dose for sponsoring this video - get 35% off your first order at https://dose.yt.link/crUjIU3 with my code DR35!Are you so afraid of dying that it's keeping you from actually living? Death anxiety, also known as thanatophobia, can make everyday life feel terrifying. Whether you're afraid of dying unexpectedly, losing someone you love, or simply struggling with the uncertainty of what happens after death, those fears can become so overwhelming that they start controlling your life.In this video, I share my own childhood experience with death anxiety, explain why the fear of death can become so consuming, and explore the different ways it manifests. I'll also walk through practical strategies for managing death anxiety, including finding meaning, accepting uncertainty, exposure therapy, mindfulness, and learning to redirect your attention.You can't eliminate the possibility of death. But you can learn to live without letting that possibility take away the life you have.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Build your Stress Fitness with Pulsetto FIT X. Go to https://pulsetto.tech/pages/drscott or use my code DRSCOTT for an exclusive limited time offer. 30-day money-back guarantee.#PulsettoPartnerHealth anxiety can trap you in a brutal feedback loop: you notice something strange in your body, become anxious about it, the anxiety creates more physical symptoms, and those symptoms convince you something is seriously wrong. The fear is understandable—having a body actually is unpredictable—but that doesn't mean the fear has to control your life.In this video, I explain illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder, why reassurance and negative tests often don't make health anxiety disappear, and how anxiety itself can create many of the physical sensations you're afraid of. Then we'll look at practical strategies including CBT, accepting uncertainty, mindfulness, exposure, reducing body checking, and changing how you respond to anxious thoughts.The goal isn't becoming 100% certain that you're healthy. Nobody gets that certainty. It's learning how to live your life without needing it.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thank you to Quince for sponsoring this video! Upgrade your wardrobe, home, and more with high-end essentials from Quince! Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers https://quince.yt.link/ZQmOMMH and get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. #QuincePartnerEveryday Liquid Multivitamin: https://quince.yt.link/iGqHqib100% Organic Cotton Oxford Shirt: https://quince.yt.link/pWRD68kHave you ever looked at the world and felt like something is fundamentally wrong with it—and wondered why everyone else seems able to just carry on? I've had that feeling for most of my life. The world has often felt simultaneously overwhelming, disappointing, cold, and broken, and for a long time I thought being unable to ignore that meant something was wrong with me.In this video, I share an idea from The Light Between the Leaves that has helped me live with that awareness: the difference between the world and your world. You have very little control over the world. But your body, your relationships, your people, and the spaces you inhabit make up a much smaller world where you actually have some influence.You don't have to fix everything that's broken. Take care of yourself. Take care of your people. Take care of your space. Sometimes making your little corner of this place better is enough.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

See if you could pay as little as $0 for therapy using my link: https://growtherapy.yt.link/kYStfSz!What happens when you don’t want to die anymore—but you still don’t really want to live? After one of the worst periods of my life, I got myself out of crisis by slowing everything down. But that left me with a different problem: I had no idea what I actually cared about or what would make life feel worth participating in.In this video, I share three places I eventually found things that mattered to me: in the interests I abandoned before depression, in experiences I had dismissed while severely struggling, and through other people who introduced me to things I never would have discovered alone.If the crisis has passed but you've been left feeling empty, directionless, or unsure what you're supposed to live for now, you aren't necessarily starting from nothing. Some of what you're looking for may already be scattered throughout your life.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Taking care of your health just got easier, thanks to my sponsor Zocdoc, start here at: https://zocdoc.com/drscotteilersYour brain probably doesn’t work the way you think it does—and misunderstanding it can make your mental health worse. We try to force ourselves to stop thinking, choose happiness, numb painful emotions, or simply wait until we feel better. Unfortunately, brains are far more counterintuitive than that.In this video, I break down four harsh truths about how your brain actually works: your perception of reality is shaped by old beliefs, you can’t directly command your brain, mental health requires ongoing maintenance, and you can’t selectively numb painful emotions without also dulling the good ones.Understanding your brain won’t suddenly make it cooperate. But it can help you stop accidentally working against it.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thanks to Monarch for partnering with me! Start your free trial and get 50% off your first year of total money clarity using my link https://monarchmoney.yt.link/esovhAP or code drscott50 for 50% Off Monarch Core tier.Sometimes the hardest part of your life isn’t what’s actually happening—it’s what your brain does with what’s happening. Cognitive distortions are thinking patterns that can take real problems, uncertainty, or discomfort and add an entirely new layer of emotional distress on top of them.In this video, I break down four of the most common patterns I see: black-and-white thinking, personalization, emotional reasoning, and catastrophizing. More importantly, I’ll give you a practical strategy for challenging each one without pretending your problems aren’t real or forcing yourself into “positive thinking.”The goal isn’t to convince yourself everything is fine. It’s to stop paying an emotional price for problems that exist primarily inside your own thought patterns.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Get 10% off your Pulsetto FIT here: https://pulsetto.tech/pages/drscott or use my coupon code DRSCOTT. It’s completely risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it and see how your body responds.If you used to feel everything and now you mostly feel numb, there may be a reason. Sometimes emotional numbness isn't an inability to feel—it's the result of learning how to turn down painful emotions so effectively that you accidentally turn down the good ones too.In this video, I break down three less-obvious ways we can block our own emotions: constantly expecting the worst, living in a chronic fight-or-flight state, and carrying unresolved grief or trauma. These strategies may have helped you survive something once, but they can eventually leave your entire emotional range feeling smaller.If you've built a life you think you should be able to enjoy but can't seem to actually feel it, the answer may not be figuring out how to create happiness. It may be understanding what's preventing you from feeling what's already there.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thank you to Quince for sponsoring this video! Upgrade your wardrobe, home, and more with high-end essentials from Quince! Go to https://quince.yt.link/UVgz9sT for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. #QuincePartnerEveryday Liquid Multivitamin: https://quince.yt.link/fLlyttAPlant-Based Sleep Gummies: https://quince.yt.link/kgdV97GPerformance Pre-Workout: https://quince.yt.link/JhEZlsIRecovery Zero Sugar Hydration: https://quince.yt.link/L2HF056Daily Superfood Greens: https://quince.yt.link/wzS2uAWOne of my most reliable tools against depression is reconnecting with nature. When depression makes you feel isolated, worthless, or disconnected from the world around you, interacting with something living can create a sense of belonging that can be difficult to find anywhere else.I share nine practical ways to reconnect with the natural world, from simply opening a window or taking a walk to growing something, caring for an animal, creating nature-based art, and even sleeping outside. None of these works every time—but nature has helped pull me through more depressive episodes than I can count.You are not separate from nature. You are nature. Sometimes caring for the living world around you—and remembering that you're part of it—can help you begin caring about yourself again.
If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thanks to Grow Therapy for sponsoring this video! Head to https://growtherapy.yt.link/hshEjBV to find your dream therapist today!Anhedonia can make you feel like a background character in your own life—still going through the motions, but unable to feel joy, pleasure, or meaning. In this video, I share seven strategies I personally use when depression leaves me feeling emotionally numb.I’ll walk through checking the lock, scaffolding positive experiences, finding “loopholes,” investing in future joy, apathyception, creating novelty, and what I do when none of those strategies work.If you’re stuck in that numb, repetitive “NPC mode” right now, I want you to remember that your current emotional state can make itself feel permanent—even when it isn’t.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thanks to Monarch for partnering with me! Start your free trial and get 50% off your first year of total money clarity using my link https://monarchmoney.yt.link/3td8zqw or code drscott50 for 50% Off Monarch Core tier.What is analytical suicidal ideation—and why does life sometimes stop feeling worth the effort? In this video, I explain a pattern I've repeatedly seen in myself and in the people I've worked with: not wanting to die because of overwhelming emotional pain, but because life simply no longer feels worth the cost of continuing. I share the behavioral and cognitive changes that have helped me escape these periods and rebuild a life that actually feels worth living.I discuss how sleep, nutrition, movement, finances, relationships, purpose, novelty, gratitude, and realistic expectations all contribute to your emotional "balance sheet." When too much energy is going out and not enough meaning, joy, or connection is coming back in, it's understandable to wonder how long you can keep going.If you've ever felt exhausted by life rather than overwhelmed by it, I hope this gives you a new way to understand what you're experiencing—and a practical place to start changing it. You are not doomed to feel this way forever.
If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Taking care of your health just got easier, thanks to my sponsor Zocdoc, start here at: https://zocdoc.com/drscotteilersThe antidote to depression isn’t happiness—it’s contentment. I explain why chasing happiness can actually make depression worse, especially when anhedonia makes positive emotions inaccessible or when short-term relief leads to unhealthy decisions.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.I break down the “hedonic treadmill,” why good things eventually become our new normal, and why constantly needing more can leave us less satisfied with what we already have. Contentment gives me something more stable to build on because it doesn’t require me to feel good in order to recognize that parts of my life are good.I also share five ways I’ve learned to practice contentment, including challenging emotional reasoning, accepting some discontentment, and resisting the belief that one more achievement or purchase will finally make me feel whole. The goal isn’t to convince yourself everything is wonderful—it’s learning when good enough really is enough.

If your body feels restless, tense, or overstimulated, see how CozyThrowzzz™ uses warmth and gentle pressure to help you feel supported while you move through the moment.https://cozyzzz.com/pages/cozyzzz-dr-scott(I've put together a little sensory guide you can download from the link above as well).What if feeling good actually makes you feel worse? I explain positive affect intolerance—why joy, comfort, love, accomplishment, or excitement can trigger anxiety, suspicion, anger, or the feeling that something bad is about to happen.I break down how depression, trauma, inconsistent relationships, ADHD, autism, and cyclical mood disorders can teach your brain not to trust positive emotions. I also explain why pushing good feelings away can become an automatic form of self-protection.Finally, I share several ways I’ve worked on this myself, including gradual exposure to positive emotions, challenging the beliefs that make comfort feel unsafe, and learning to let good experiences last a little longer. The goal isn’t to force yourself to be happy—it’s to stop feeling like happiness itself is dangerous.
If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

hanks to Monarch for partnering with me! Start your free trial and get 50% off your first year of total money clarity using my link https://monarchmoney.yt.link/lN5YDJ4 or code drscott50 for 50% Off Monarch Core tier.What happens when depression lifts—but you feel years behind everyone else? In this video, I share one of the hardest seasons of my life: recovering after a decade of severe depression while realizing I had missed many of the life skills other people seemed to learn naturally. I'll walk through the three lessons that helped me rebuild without burning myself out.We talk about why patience is essential in recovery, why asking for help can dramatically shorten the learning curve, and why finding joy matters just as much as rebuilding your life. If you're finally starting to feel better but don't know how to move forward, I hope these lessons help you find your footing.Depression can delay your development—but it doesn't define your future. Recovery isn't about catching up to everyone else. It's about building a life that works for you.

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thanks to Grow Therapy for sponsoring this video! Head to https://growtherapy.yt.link/fdPWV2y to find your dream therapist today!Why does depression seem impossible to escape? In this video, I take a different approach by using humor and reverse psychology to explore five habits that quietly keep depression alive. From abandoning the things that once brought joy to comparing your real life with impossible standards, these patterns can trap you in a cycle that's difficult to recognize—but possible to change.We'll talk about why self-care actually creates self-worth, why trying to recover completely alone often backfires, how chasing only short-term pleasure keeps you emotionally stuck, and why comparison robs you of hope. I'll also share how these same traps have shown up in my own life.Recovery doesn't require perfection. It starts by noticing the patterns that keep you stuck—and choosing a different direction.
If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.

Thank you to Quince for sponsoring this video! Explore all of Quince's vitamins and supplements at https://quince.yt.link/80eEkLy to get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. #QuincePartnerEveryday Zero Sugar Hydration: https://quince.yt.link/aFXKOlgCertified Organic Daily Stress Support: https://quince.yt.link/cOpad44Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater: https://quince.yt.link/4H2PtXWCan panic attacks become less frightening? In this conversation with Dr. Bonnie Zucker, we explore what panic attacks really are, why fear of your own body can keep panic going, and the evidence-based strategies that help people recover. From health anxiety and hypervigilance to exercise, exposure therapy, and learning to trust your body's sensations again, this discussion is full of practical tools for lasting change.We also discuss why becoming too aware of your body can actually increase anxiety, why reassurance often backfires, and how understanding panic changes the way you respond to it. Dr. Zucker shares insights from decades of treating panic disorder and discusses her new book, Freedom from Panic.Panic attacks are terrifying—but they are treatable. The more you understand what's happening in your mind and body, the less power panic has over your life.If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeper

Next Steps:
📩 Get Practical tools for navigating life with depression and anxiety, delivered weekly.

About me:

I know what it is to feel hopelessly stuck and worthless to the world in general. I also know what it is to live without those feelings. I’m both a Clinical Psychology specializing in treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, and a human who has spent more than a decade managing sever depression and anxiety.

• Mental Health Coaching with me
• Therapy with me (for people in Iowa)
• Find me on YouTube

Resources

🪣 Get my free 5-day guide to reclaiming your time and energy despite mental health struggles.

😴 Dramatically improve your sleep in 2 steps with my new Sleep Workbook.

📖 My 1st book: For When Everything is Burning

Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a replacement for receiving treatment. It is purely educational in nature. My relationship with you is that of presenter and audience, not therapist and client.

But I do care.