Ever catch yourself dismissing compliments or minimizing your wins? Someone tells you that you did an amazing job, and instead of feeling proud, you immediately think, "Well, anyone could have done that" or "They're just being nice." You book the audition, land the promotion, or have a genuinely good day—and your brain finds a way to explain it away.

In this episode, we're breaking down Disqualifying the Positive—the sneaky mental pattern that makes you reject good things before they can even land.

This cognitive distortion is like having a filter that only lets negative information through while dismissing anything positive. You end up with a completely skewed view of reality where you have tons of evidence that you're "not good enough," but somehow zero evidence that you are—even though that evidence exists. You're just not letting it count.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What Disqualifying the Positive is and how it distorts your reality
• How this pattern shows up in relationships, creative work, daily life, and self-perception
• Why your brain does this (hint: it's a protection mechanism that made sense once but doesn't serve you anymore)
• The mind-body connection: how your nervous system treats positive moments as danger
• The childhood roots—conditional love, dismissed accomplishments, and comparison culture
• Practical techniques to notice when you're doing it (the "Yeah, But" Test, the 3-Second Rule, and more)
• How to challenge the pattern and start letting good things actually land
• What to do when it feels hard or uncomfortable
• How to build long-term awareness so your future self can receive joy, love, and success

If you've ever felt like nothing good ever happens to you—not because it doesn't, but because you're not letting it register—this episode will help you start to shift that pattern.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Have you ever had an amazing day—got compliments, nailed a project, connected with friends—but all you can think about on the drive home is that one awkward thing you said? Or walked out of an electric audition only to spiral about whether you picked the right song?

Welcome to mental filtering: the cognitive distortion that zooms in on the negative and filters out everything else. In this episode, we're diving into why our brains love to replay what went wrong on a loop, how this pattern shows up in our relationships, creative work, jobs, and daily life—and most importantly, what we can actually do about it.

In this episode, we cover:

• What mental filtering is and how to recognize it in real time
• How this thinking pattern manifests in your body (hint: it's not just in your head)
• The connection between childhood trauma, rejection, and hypervigilance
• Practical tools to challenge the filter and see the full picture
• Real-world application for relationships, auditions, work, and everyday moments
• Why progress matters more than perfection

This isn't about toxic positivity or "good vibes only"—it's about being accurate, not just positive. It's about telling yourself the whole truth, not just the filtered version your brain wants you to believe.

If you're a creative, someone navigating mental health, or just tired of your brain hijacking your good days, this episode is for you.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Does your brain turn minor inconveniences into total life ruination? Welcome to catastrophizing, bestie.

This week we're diving into that special cognitive distortion where your mind becomes a disaster movie director. From creatives convinced one critique means career death, to daters planning breakup speeches after awkward pauses, to therapy beginners sure their therapist thinks they're hopeless - we're calling out those exact spirals with love and humor.

Learn why your cave-person brain thinks everything is dangerous, how catastrophizing shows up differently for different people, and 5 practical ways to shift from disaster thinking to peace for your future self.

Perfect for anyone starting their mental health journey, creatives navigating vulnerability, or daters trying not to lose their minds in the modern dating world.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Struggling with perfectionism and catastrophic thinking? In this 30-minute episode, host Justin G. Nelson breaks down all-or-nothing thinking—the cognitive distortion that keeps you stuck in anxiety loops. You'll learn what black-and-white thinking really is and why your brain defaults to extremes, how this pattern shows up in creativity, dating, and healing from trauma, why one mistake feels like total failure (and how to stop the spiral), plus practical methods to retrain your brain for nuance and gray area thinking. Perfect for creatives battling perfectionism, anxious overthinkers, people-pleasers, anyone in therapy working on cognitive distortions, and daters who spiral after one awkward text. Subscribe to Adjusting Your Anxiety with Justin G. Nelson for weekly episodes on rewiring anxious thought patterns!

#AnxietyPodcast #MentalHealth #CognitiveDistortions #Perfectionism #SelfHelp #TherapyPodcast #AnxietyRelief

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

In this powerful season 2 finale, we explore how to transform your relationship with fear from enemy to ally. Dive deep into addressing imposter syndrome, letting go of perfectionism as a safety strategy, and discovering how fear keeps you trapped in trends when your gifts are meant to be free. Learn to embrace the curiosity that comes with fear and apply a fearless mindset by living from the perspective of your highest self. Perfect for creatives, everyday people, and anyone on a healing journey who's ready to stop letting fear run the show and start dancing with it instead.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://adjustingpod.substack.com

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Discover how your five senses can become powerful tools for mental health healing and trauma recovery. In this episode, you'll learn practical ways to use essential oils, aromatherapy, sound baths, and sensory practices to regulate your nervous system and support your healing journey. We explore how trauma affects your senses and nervous system, which essential oils actually work for anxiety, focus, and mood including lavender, peppermint, bergamot, and frankincense, plus sound healing practices you can do at home without expensive equipment. I'll teach you how to create sensory anchors for confidence, calm, and creativity, conduct daily sensory check-ins and "sensory audits" of your environment, and share the fascinating connection between senses and intimate relationships inspired by insights from Sex, Love & Goop. You'll walk away with five concrete ways to integrate sensory healing for long-term transformation that fits into your real life. Perfect for creatives, parents, couples, entrepreneurs, and anyone on a holistic healing journey who wants to combine Eastern medicine wisdom, aromatherapy, homeopathic practices, and spiritual healing approaches for lasting nervous system regulation and mental health support.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://adjustingpod.substack.com

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter? Your physical space might be affecting your mental health more than you realize. In this episode, we explore the powerful connection between our environment and emotional well-being, diving into Marie Kondo's life-changing concepts through a mental health lens.

Whether you're a creative drowning in supplies, a parent managing constant chaos, new to therapy, or sharing space with others, you'll discover:

• Why clutter creates cognitive overload and anxiety
• The difference between emotional hoarding and practical accumulation
• How Marie Kondo's "spark joy" principle builds emotional regulation
• Practical strategies for creating healing-ready spaces
• 5 ways organizing now creates space for your future self

Perfect for anyone starting their healing journey, working on mental health, or wanting to understand how their environment impacts their emotional state. Includes actionable takeaways you can implement this week.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://adjustingpod.substack.com

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

In this vulnerable and honest conversation, we're diving deep into the connection between sexual energy, creativity, and mental health. Whether you're choosing to abstain, focus on yourself, or simply trying to understand why your creative output feels tied to your sexual energy, this episode is for you.

We explore how sexual and creative energy share the same brain pathways, where you might feel this energy in your body, and practical tools for redirecting sexual energy into creative expression and mental wellness. I share personal insights about how understanding this connection transformed my anxiety management and creative practice.

What we cover:

• The science behind sexual-creative energy pathways and mental health
• How sexual wellness impacts anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation
• Where sexual energy shows up in your body during creative moments
• Practical breathwork, movement, and journaling techniques for energy redirection
• Setting boundaries that support your mental health
• When to seek professional support for trauma or mental health challenges
• Building a sustainable practice for long-term creative and mental wellness

Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual energy, mental health conditions including anxiety and depression, and briefly mentions trauma. Professional mental health support is encouraged throughout.

Perfect for creatives, those practicing abstinence, anyone exploring sexual wellness, and individuals interested in the intersection of sexuality and mental health.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://adjustingpod.substack.com

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.