Just as we can exercise our arms or legs to build physical strength, we can exercise our brains like we do any other muscle. Therapist Amy Morin joins Forrest to help us learn how to regulate our thoughts, manage our emotions, and become more psychologically flexible. These key skills are particularly important for building a healthy relationship. Forrest and Amy explore how couples can work together to identify their issues, deal with effort imbalances, and avoid common mistakes (like having, get this, not enough conflict). About our Guest: Amy Morin is a licensed clinical social worker, bestselling author, and the host of the Mentally Stronger podcast.Her most recent book is 13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don't Do, out on December 26th.You can watch this episode on YouTube.Key Topics:0:00: Introduction1:35: Amy’s personal background, and how she got to the idea of mental strengths7:30: Self-compassion vs. self-pity11:05: Not giving away your power14:50: Diagnosing root problems in relationships18:25: When one frustration brings up all your other frustrations22:25: The inevitability of conflict, and the vulnerability in expressing remorse27:35: Setting the ground rules for a therapeutic conversation31:05: When it feels like your partner isn’t invested in making changes34:50: Learning to deconstruct reactive thoughts and misguided perceptions38:30: Taking your thoughts with a grain of salt, and asking ‘what else might be true?’41:20: Scorekeeping vs. negotiating, and finding ways to meet our own needs45:40: Giving our partner what we actually want for ourselves49:00: Balancing desires for closeness and distance51:15: Not being a martyr or ‘controlling through giving’55:30: Boundaries between partners, and how our backgrounds influence our preferences1:00:35: Developing psychological flexibility1:03:40: RecapSupport the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Sponsors:Start speaking a new language in just 3 weeks with Babbel! Get 55% off at Babbel.com/BEING.Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need, and deliver the type of experience you want. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.Factor delivers fresh, never-frozen, fully prepared meals right to your door. Head to factormeals.com/beingwell50 and use code beingwell50 to get 50% off. Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription.Finally get that project off the ground with Squarespace! Head to squarespace.com/beingwell for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use coupon code BEINGWELL to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Connect with the show:Subscribe on iTunesFollow Forrest on YouTubeFollow us on InstagramFollow Forrest on InstagramFollow Rick on FacebookFollow Forrest on FacebookVisit Forrest's website