The Next Big Idea Daily The Mental Health Tricks That Actually Work (From Someone Who's Tried Everything)
26 snips
Apr 29, 2026 
Meredith Arthur, writer and video producer who created the Beautiful Voyager community and wrote Get Out of My Head. She breaks anxiety into hormonal waves and offers bite-sized practices like speaking affirmations aloud, using journaling as discovery, spotting cognitive distortions, and simple body-doubling techniques to quiet overthinking.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Find A Breathing Technique That Actually Works
- Do experiment with different breathing techniques until you find one that calms you instead of increasing panic.
- Jenny Lawson describes diaphragmatic belly breathing that starts with 2s inhale and 3s exhale and can be lengthened as you calm down.
Use A Ridiculous Smile To Shift Mood Fast
- Try intentionally smiling to shift mood; exaggeration can trigger laughter and break depressive thought loops.
- Jenny Lawson uses an enormous grin while driving to make herself laugh and make other drivers give her space.
Create A Crisis Safety Plan Ahead Of Time
- Do safety planning when you're well: save crisis hotline numbers and label them in your phone for future-you.
- Jenny Lawson recommends finding specialized hotlines, checking reviews, and using text options or calling for a worried-about-someone scenario.
