Shrinking Heads

About Shrinking Heads

Welcome to "Shrinking Heads," the podcast where we take our mental health seriously, but not ourselves! Join your hosts—certified therapists by day, self-proclaimed comedians by night—as we dive into the wild jungle of emotions, therapy tales, and the occasional existential crisis. We will be shrinking down big ideas, tackling the tough stuff with a side of humor, and showing you how to turn your mental jungle into a walk in the park! Tune in for expert advice, laugh-out-loud moments, and the secret ingredient for a well-balanced brain: a good dose of ridiculousness.

Publisher

Shrinking Heads

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

6 Jan 2025

Latest episode

27 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Sept 2026

   Shrinking Heads - Season 2 - Episode 15 - Don't Stroke Out When You're Stressed Out

   Life is stressful. Work is stressful. Relationships are stressful. The group chat is stressful. And somewhere along the way, “I’m fine” became code for “I am one minor inconvenience away from becoming completely feral.” In this episode of Shrinking Heads, we head back into the jungle of mental health to explore stress—what it does to our brains and bodies, why some stress is actually useful, and what happens when our nervous system forgets to clock out. We unpack the difference between acute and chronic stress, how the fight-flight-freeze response works, and why prolonged stress can affect everything from sleep and concentration to mood, relationships, and physical health. Along the trail, we explore: What actually happens in your body when you're stressed Why the fight-flight-freeze response exists and why it sometimes activates when we'd really prefer it didn't The difference between everyday stress, chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout How chronic stress can affect both mental and physical health Why ignoring stress doesn't magically make you less stressed How sleep, movement, connection, boundaries, breathing, and other coping strategies can help regulate the nervous system Why eliminating all stress isn't realistic—or even necessarily desirable How to recognize when your usual coping skills aren't cutting it anymore Because stress management isn't about becoming a permanently calm woodland creature who meditates through every crisis. It's about recognizing what your body is doing, understanding why it's doing it, and developing enough tools that every inconvenience doesn't feel like a tiger emerging from the underbrush. So unclench your jaw, drop your shoulders, and come wander through the jungle with us as we talk about stress management, chronic stress, cortisol, the nervous system, fight or flight, burnout, emotional regulation, coping skills, anxiety, resilience, and mental health. And because the title is catchy but strokes are not: sudden facial drooping, arm weakness or numbness, difficulty speaking, severe sudden headache, or other possible stroke symptoms require emergency medical attention—not a podcast. #Stress #StressManagement #ChronicStress #MentalHealth #MentalHealthPodcast #Burnout #Anxiety #NervousSystem #FightOrFlight #EmotionalRegulation #CopingSkills #StressRelief #MentalHealthAwareness #Resilience #SelfCare #Therapy #MentalHealthMatters #ShrinkingHeads #Podcast

2. 

   30 Aug 2026

   Shrinking Heads - Season 2 - Episode 14 - Are We Losing Our Ability to Be Uncomfortable? The Jungle of Distress Tolerance

   This week, Elizabeth is solo in the mental health jungle, asking a bigger question about distress tolerance: When did we get so bad at being uncomfortable? From same-day delivery and instant entertainment to avoiding conflict, curating social media feeds, and expecting immediate solutions to uncomfortable emotions, we live in a world increasingly designed to remove friction. Convenience is great—but what happens when we start treating discomfort itself as something that has gone wrong? In this episode of Shrinking Heads, Elizabeth explores how our collective relationship with distress may have changed and what happens when frustration, boredom, disappointment, uncertainty, disagreement, and difficult emotions become things we expect to immediately escape. We’re hacking through the vines to explore: What distress tolerance actually is and why we need it How instant gratification and convenience may affect our tolerance for frustration How avoidance can reinforce our belief that difficult emotions are intolerable Whether our increasing use of mental health language sometimes unintentionally pathologizes normal human discomfort How social media, algorithms, and curated environments can make it easier to avoid ideas—and people—we disagree with Why boundaries and emotional safety shouldn't mean eliminating every uncomfortable interaction What happens to relationships and communities when conflict becomes something to escape rather than navigate How we can rebuild our capacity to experience discomfort without immediately needing to fix it, flee it, or make it someone else's responsibility Because not every uncomfortable feeling is a crisis, not every disagreement is harmful, and not every difficult experience needs to be avoided. Sometimes discomfort is simply part of being human—and learning that we can survive it may be one of the most important mental health skills we have. Elizabeth Has Ventured Into Another Jungle!Elizabeth recently sat down with Mistress Audry Lu Black, host of the Placemarker 4 Perversion podcast.  The episode drops September 15. If you're interested in conversations where mental health, relationships, sexuality, and the topics people don't always say out loud intersect, make sure to check it out here https://rss.com/podcasts/placemarker4perversion/ (https://rss.com/podcasts/placemarker4perversion/) or on your favorite podcast streaming source. #DistressTolerance #EmotionalRegulation #MentalHealth #MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotionalWellness #Anxiety #Resilience #Impulsivity #SelfAwareness #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealthMatters #ShrinkingHeads #Podcast #Placemarker4perversion

3. 

   9 Aug 2026

   Shrinking Heads - Season 2 - Episode 13 - The Jungle of Difficult Conversations: Communication, Conflict & Courage

   Every relationship has them—the conversations we'd rather avoid. Whether it's setting boundaries, giving difficult feedback, addressing conflict, or simply saying, "I'm not okay," hard conversations can feel like hacking your way through the jungle of mental health with nothing but a dull machete. In this episode of Shrinking Heads, we explore why difficult conversations feel so...well, difficult. From fear of rejection and people-pleasing to conflict avoidance and emotional reactivity, we unpack the mental roadblocks that keep us silent—and the communication skills that help us move forward. Together, we explore questions like: Why do we avoid difficult conversations? How can you communicate honestly without escalating conflict? How do you prepare for a conversation when the stakes feel high? What if the conversation doesn't go the way you hoped? Whether you're talking to a partner, friend, family member, coworker, or boss, this episode offers practical strategies to help you navigate uncomfortable conversations with greater confidence, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Tune in for a candid discussion about communication skills, conflict resolution, assertiveness, healthy boundaries, emotional regulation, relationship health, difficult conversations, and navigating the mental health jungle one conversation at a time. #MentalHealth #CommunicationSkills #DifficultConversations #ConflictResolution #HealthyBoundaries #EmotionalIntelligence #Relationships #AssertiveCommunication #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfAwareness #Therapy #Counseling #PersonalGrowth #ShrinkingHeads #EmotionalWellness #Psychology #RelationshipAdvice #ConflictManagement #Podcast

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 10 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

7

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32