The Psychology of your 20s
Episodes
194. Are our attention spans getting shorter?
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So many of us are struggling to stay focused and concentrate in an environment of constant distraction and temptation and it's causing a lot of us to ...
193. The truth about avoidant attachment ft. Thais Gibson
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Attachment theory is often misunderstood but when we have the correct knowledge and information it can transform how we relate to others. In today's e...
192. Feeling behind in your 20s
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have a lot of opportunities to feel behind in our 20s, especially when it comes to our careers, our finances and our relationships. In todays episo...
191. My favourite psychology studies of ALL TIME
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have found some pretty amazing ways to observe human behaviour and from it, discovered some especially interesting things about how we operate, who...
190. Fall in love with your own company
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding the joy in your own company is one of the most healing, rewarding and fulfilling things we can do. It's also really difficult in an age of FOM...
189. 5 ways to stop comparing yourself to others
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social comparison is the thief of joy - it will make us question everything that we have, doubt our own abilities, steal our sense of gratitude and pe...
188. Why are we so indecisive?
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our inability to make decisions is wasting our time, keeping us acting from a place of fear and stuck in a life we don't want! It's also not entirely ...
187. The psychology of the 'friendzone'
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
About 2/3rds of couples start off as friends according to recent research. But developing feelings for a friend isn't always a happily ever after situ...
186. The psychology of sleep
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep is one of our most vital functions but how many of us actually know that much about it, the links to our physical functioning, mental health, re...
185. Living with your parents in your 20s
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More and more 20 something year olds are choosing to live with their parents; we are moving out later and a lot of us are boomeranging (coming back ho...
184. How to get your spark back
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We lose our spark and love for life for many reasons: burnout, mental ill health, people pleasing, a breakup. When we do it can feel like life gets ve...
183. Disliking your friends partner
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You're not going to get along with everyone and one of those people you don't get along with might end up dating someone you love i.e your friend. Dis...
182. Social media is ruining my mental health
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social media is impacting our mental health in ways we are not ready or willing to acknowledge, and it's time we talk about it. In today's episode we ...
181. The psychology of father wounds
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Father wounds arise from a disorganised or complicated relationship with our father figure - either due to them being physically or emotionally absent...
180. "Your 20s are NOT your best years" ft. Dr Meg Jay
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by clinical psychologist and author of 'The Defining Decade' to talk about all the frustrations, stressors, misconceptio...
179. Why can't I cry?
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes all we want to do is a have a big, old fashioned sob and when we can't it leads us feeling emotionally pent up, defective and frustrated. Th...
178. 5 steps for building self discipline
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Self discipline is the key ingredient to unlocking everything you want in life. But despite that many of us treat it like its optional and believe the...
177. Understanding our fear of intimacy
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Love is scary. There are so many opportunities to be hurt, to be let down, to have thing turn out in a way we never wanted them to. But it's also one ...
176. A conversation with my Mum
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This International Women's Day as part of iHeart's Women Take the Mic Initiative, I'm bringing on my Mum for a vulnerable chat about our relationship ...
175. Living alone in your 20s
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are discussing the ups and downs of living alone in your 20s: from the freedom and independence, to the loneliness and social isolation, ...
174. Retroactive jealousy
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling jealous over our partners past can feel highly irrational, but its still a feeling many of us have and contributes to a lot of obsessive and u...
173. Your guide to panic attacks
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Panic attacks are awful, they sneak up on us in the worst moments and make us feel overwhelmed by an invisible fear. In today's episode we are going t...
172. I'm scared of getting older
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's my birthday. Let's talk about my fear of growing older. Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thepsychology...
171. Changing careers in your 20s ft. The Career Contessa
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our 20s are one of the best times for us to change careers. Perhaps you're feeling burntout, bored, unmotivated, craving something bigger, something w...
170. The psychology of acne
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Acne has just as many emotional and mental symptoms as it does physical. Having acne in our 20s is a significant source of insecurity, frustration and...
169. The mental load in relationships
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sustaining a relationship has a lot more to do with the division of domestic, emotional and physical labour. A massive component is the mental load - ...
168. Do you really need closure?
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The end of a relationship or a friendship can leave us with a lot of unanswered questions, especially when the split is sudden, out of the blue, and t...
167. 5 steps to build a life you love
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A considerable question for those of us in our 20s is how do we create a good life? What does it mean to design a life we love and how exactly do we d...
166. Fantasy bonding - is it love or delusion?
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we become more attached to the idea of someone and their potential, than the reality of who they actually are. We begin to project our wants...
165. The psychology of anger
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anger is one of our most primal emotions and yet we have no idea how to manage it. We suppress it, allowing it to rule our lives; we hide from it, we ...
164. Dating and mental health in our 20s
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two of the most noteworthy elements of our 20s are dating and our experiences with mental health. They also interact - our mental health will influenc...
163. Travel burnout
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Being able to travel and explore the world in our 20s is such a unique privilege, but sometimes we can overdo a good thing and hit a point of complete...
162. Why do I feel guilty all the time?
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We experience chronic guilt towards a lot of things: guilt for resting, guilt for not resting, guilt for prioritising ourselves, guilt for being a bad...
161. The psychology of health anxiety
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode we are going to discuss the psychology behind our health anxiety, something we don't speak about enough in our 20s. Health anxiety ...
160. Are you ready to date again ft. The Real Talk Therapist
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Getting into a new relationship can bring up a lot of past trauma from previous relationships, and cause a lot of self sabotage or anxiety, resulting ...
159. Embracing the courage to be disliked
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us find ourselves obsessively focused on the opinions and judgements of others, letting their opinion of us influence our sense of self worth ...
158. Should you quit drinking in your 20s?
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alcohol is a drug, highly addictive, has proven to do damage to our minds and our bodies and yet makes up a huge part of our 20s, especially how we so...
157. Your year for taking risks!
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to 2024! With each new year on the podcast, we set a new theme or intention for the next 12 months. This year our theme is RISK, embracing our...
156. Dating with an anxious attachment style ft. Thais Gibson
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dating with an anxious attachment style comes with a number of challenges: struggling to feel secure, requiring constant reassurance, mistrust, a fear...
155. Unlocking your next life chapter ft. Dr Lisa Marie Bobby
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling stuck and dissatisfied with where you are in your life is never a place we want to be in. Perhaps you are contemplating a major life change - ...
154. Why does healthy love feel boring? ft. Sarah Yudkin
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we experience healthy love for the first time after years of unsettling, unhealthy, toxic relationships, one of the first reactions we can have i...
153. Dealing with difficult family members ft. Alexis Fernandez
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the holiday season approaches so does the expectation to start seeing family, including difficult family members who you would rather avoid. In tod...
152. Impulse shopping and retail therapy ft. Al from Two Broke Chicks
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Impulse shopping in an experience we've all had, the feeling of buying something you know you don't really need, but you want it desperately in the mo...
151. Stop getting attached too quickly ft. Lyss Boss
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the feeling of going on a few dates with someone and, suddenly, you're unable to stop checking your phone for messages, wondering when the...
150. Sex is mental, not just physical ft. Gina Gutierrez
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Often when we think about sex, we only think about the physical. We only think about the other person's enjoyment or what sex should look like rathe...
149. Confidence will change your life ft. Tiff Baira
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Confidence truly is the secret to a better life: better friendships, better self esteem, better dates, better romance, better career success. Today, w...
148. Understanding ADHD in our 20s ft. Ellie Middelton
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2021, Ellie Middelton received a diagnosis of ADHD and autism at the age of 23. It was one of the best things that happened to her. Today, she join...
147. The psychology of the eldest daughter
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever feel like you need to be perfect, that you are responsible for the emotions of others, you’re the organiser in the friendship group, hig...
146. Roommates and sharehouses in our 20s
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Living in sharehouses in our 20s are like their own weird, social experiment. We put together a group of people with different upbringings, personalit...
145. The psychology of pretty privilege and beauty standards
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Attractiveness and beauty is something we all inevitably find ourselves considering. We question whether we would be happier if we lost weight, would ...
144. It's okay for your friendships to change
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our 20s there are four things we worry about more than anything else: love, money, the future, and our friendships. As we grow and change, the rela...
143. Why do we replay conversations?
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever had the experience of leaving a conversation and feeling like something you said was off, you sounded weird, you were awkward, worrying ...
142. The curse of being an overachiever
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we discuss the curse of being an overachiever. Society celebrates us for our successes, for our ability to work hard, push ours...
141. How to get over someone you can't stop thinking about
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the feeling of wanting desperately to move on from someone - an ex, a past love, situationship, someone we know we shouldn't be with - but...
140. The psychology of envy
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Envy is ingrained into our human psyche, each and every one of us has, at times, compared ourselves to someone who has more, or possesses a quality or...
139. How to have better first dates!
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dating in our 20s can feel like a minefield, a lot of people don't know what they want, what they like, we get ghosted, we get stood up, and then ther...
138. We need a new approach to anxiety ft. Dr David Rosmarin
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr David Rosmarin is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Centre for Anxiety. Today he joins us on the podcast to d...
137. I'm putting too much pressure on myself
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're having a candid chat about how I'm going. How I'm really going! We discuss imposter syndrome, why I've been putting way too much pressure ...
136. The psychology of procrastination
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Putting off a task to the last minute might feel good in the moment, but it often leads to a lot of long term consequences and stress. In today's epis...
135. Emotional eating
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our relationship with food is so much more psychological then it appears to be, and the evidence for that can be seen with emotional eating. Sometimes...
134. The psychology behind the "ick"
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You're dating someone new and suddenly, they show up to a date wearing crocs, or wear goggles to the beach and you get the ick. You immediately lose a...
133. Feeling lost after university and career anxiety
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The post graduation blues can leave us feeling incredibly anxious, aimless and stuck, battling with the question of 'what next'? We are faced with a n...
132. The psychology of Taylor Swift
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Swift is possibly the most famous person in the world right now, beloved by millions, streamed by billions, her eras tour may have even saved t...
131. Why does life feel boring?
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have all had that experience of feeling bored with our everyday life, whereby we look around and our daily experiences have lost some of the colour...
130. Relationship anxiety and being 'forever single' in your 20s ft. Katy Bellotte
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we bring on the wonderful, Katy Bellotte, to discuss everything love, dating and relationship in our 20s. We discuss what it feels ...
129. The psychology of oversharing
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know the feeling of oversharing at a party or work function and feeling the sting of embarrassment and shame the next day. So why do we feel th...
128. When it's time to walk away from a relationship
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hardest dilemmas we have to face is when it's time to walk away from someone you still love because you know the relationship isn’t right...
127. Can we be too self aware?
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is a question I have been asking myself a lot recently as someone who is VERY invested in the self-help space. Have we reached a point where we a...
126. How to heal a fear of abandonment
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us battle with a deep-rooted fear and anxiety that those we love will leave us. Maybe we have been hurt in a past relationship, or witnessed a...
125. The psychology of dating apps ft. Bumble
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The new reality of dating in your 20s is that the majority of us who are single are on the dating apps. Tinder, Hinge and Bumble have completely chan...
124. Moving to a new city in our 20s
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of us in our 20s feel the urge to upend everything and move to a new city - maybe for work, for a partner or just for the pure adventure of a ne...
123. A life update - healthy love, moving overseas, dealing with online criticism
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a while since my last life update so I thought we would take a bit of a breather and sit down for a nice chatty episode, just for you all th...
122. The pressure to be exceptional in our 20s
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Increasingly, those of us in our 20s are facing an exceeding pressure to be exceptional and have a million accomplishments and accolades under our bel...
121. Befriending your social anxiety
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each of us deals with feelings of embarrassment, awkwardness and feeling social self conscious every now and then. But social anxiety can cause us a l...
120. Understanding your ego
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we discuss the psychology of your ego and what its trying to tell us! Ego can feel nasty and entitled but it comes from a place...
119. How to make the most of your 20s pt.2
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Love, dating and friendships can feel like a black box in our 20s when we're trying to make the most out of our formative years. None of us have the a...
118. How to make the most of your 20s pt.1
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do we actually make the most of our 20s? Career anxiety, feeling stuck, taking risks and managing our money (do we spend or save) are all big conc...
117. The psychology of trauma ft. Dr MC McDonald
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trauma seems like a bit of a black box at times, something that we all experience as part of our life journey as humans but surrounded by a lot of mis...
116. Is it love, or are you just attached?
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Love and attachment feel very similar, and it's very easy to confuse the two especially in the early stages of dating when we are overwhelmed by infat...
115. Let's talk about depression in our 20s
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I want to talk about depression. And not just from a psychological and scientific perspective but also from a personal perspective, s...
114. Healing your inner teen
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone is talking about healing our inner child, but what about our inner teenager? We experience certain things in adolescence that we don't experi...
113. Forgiving yourself for past mistakes
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All of us are going to mess up. In our 20s and every decade thereafter. But its what we choose to do with those mistakes that's important. In this epi...
112. Your ex moved on - now what?
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s something we all inevitably experience in our dating lives, the pain of a break-up, saying goodbye to someone we loved and then, one day, the r...
111. The healing power of nature
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're discussing the secret and the science behind the healing powers of nature. Our generation has become increasingly detached from the ou...
110. The psychology of hyperindependence
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Independence is highly regarded as an admirable personality trait - we are obsessed with people who are self made, who solo travel, pay their own bill...
109. Why are we so hard on ourselves?
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So often in life, we are our own worst enemies. The meanest and loudest voice in our head is our own. So why are we so hard on ourselves? In this epis...
108. The psychology of gaslighting
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The term 'gaslighting' has grown in popularity in recent years and become part of our shared psychobabble, giving our generation the language to descr...
107. How to get out of a rut
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we discuss why we fall into a so called 'rut' and how to pull ourselves out of it and rekindle our sense of self! Our 20s repre...
106. Overcoming trauma and complex PTSD ft. Amy B Chesler
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TW: Domestic violence, sexual abuse. In her early 20s, Amy suffered an unimaginable loss. Her mother was murdered at the hands of her brother. But wha...
105. The stigma of being single
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being single has never been more common, with more people being single than ever before in history. And yet, we still experience a great degree of soc...
104. The psychology of overthinking and indecision
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Overthinking can sometimes feel like an endless mental maze that we're trapped in. This tendency to overthink can also lead to chronic indecisiveness ...
103. How to be completely unique
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The desire to be unique and individual is one that we all feel, especially in our 20s as we begin to establish our 'adult' identity and make efforts t...
102. Queer identity in our 20s ft. Claud Bailey
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we sit down for an intimate conversation with the incredible Claud Bailey, a queer film director and queer youth advocate based in Sydney, A...
101. The psychology of ghosting
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're discussing the increasing prevalence of ghosting in modern dating. The use of dating apps has created a sense of choice overload, whilst s...
100. What I've learned from 2 years of podcasting
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
HAPPY 100th EPISODE! In this week's episode, we are celebrating two very special milestones - 100 episodes of The Psychology of your 20s and the 2 yea...
99. The myth of the 5-year plan
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our 20s we can often feel like we have to have a plan for our lives or a 5 year vision for where we want to be. This can cause us to be boxed in an...
98. The psychology of self sabotage
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes our biggest enemy isn't others, it's ourselves. Self sabotage is a complicated psychological experience whereby we unconsciously undermine o...
97. The long distance dilemma
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long distance in any relationship can be hard, so why do we choose to do it? In our 20s our relationships take on an increased level of seriousness, b...
96. I feel ugly
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Recently I've been feeling, as the episode title says, ugly. My relationship with my body and sense of 'attractiveness' has always been complicated an...
95. Dating with intention in our 20s
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dating in our 20s can feel like an uphill battle, and many of us are seeking an alternative to casual relationships and meaningless flings or hookups....