Anxiety & Depression How to Detox Your Thoughts With Psychologist Andrea Bonior By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Updated on April 06, 2021 Print Verywell / Julie Bang Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Meet Andrea Bonior Andrea Bonior a licensed clinical psychologist behind the popular "Baggage Check" mental health advice column for The Washington Post, now appearing as "Ask Dr. Andrea." She is the author of several books, including Detox Your Thoughts, a book filled with helpful, actionable tips for dealing with unhelpful ways of thinking. In addition to serving on the adjunct faculty of Georgetown University, Dr. Bonior maintains a private practice where she specializes in the treatment of anxiety and relationship issues. Why Andrea Bonior Is Mentally Strong Andrea is very adept at taking complex scientific principles and breaking them down into helpful tips. She offers helpful strategies for dealing with anxious, negative, and unhelpful thoughts as well as the habits that stem from them. What You'll Hear on the Show How to give unhelpful thoughts less power Visualization techniques that can help you let unhelpful thoughts go How to limit how much time you spend worrying about something How to recognize when your thoughts are distorted How your emotions affect the way you think How to improve your sleep Strategies that can prevent you from looking at your phone while you’re in bed How to increase the chances that you’ll succeed Why you can’t depend on willpower (and what you can depend on instead) Scientific strategies for quitting a bad habit Why you should own how you’re feeling Effective coping strategies for dealing with uncomfortable emotions How to identify unhealthy patterns in your life What You'll Learn About Detoxing Your Thoughts and Mental Strength If you want to change your behavior, you can’t depend on willpower alone. Your choice of environment plays a major role in your ability to develop mental strength. Increase your chances of success by changing your environment. Remove the temptations from your life so you can put your energy to healthier habits. Surround yourself with other mentally strong people. Actively create an environment that helps you become your strongest self. Quotes From Andrea Andrea Bonior The data really shows us that depression and anxiety are not caused by the presence of negative thoughts. They're caused by those thoughts becoming sticky because we give them power. — Andrea Bonior "We have to have our environment adapted to what we want to actually do. We have to create a system that works." "A lot of us don't realize over the course of the day how we've learned to use these habits that manage uncomfortable feelings because we run from the uncomfortable feeling." "People who suffer from depression really need to learn to recognize that depressed voice. We know... that depressed voice is just not an accurate representation of how things are." More About the Podcast The Verywell Mind Podcast is available across all streaming platforms. If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too. Links and Resources Visit Andrea's website Follow Andrea on Instagram Follow Andrea on Twitter Follow Andrea on Facebook Buy Andrea's book Detox Your Thoughts Learn how to change your negative self-talk By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.