Having Influence Over Your Moods

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Dr. Laura Podcast

Episode: Having Influence Over Your Moods

Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Dr. Laura Schlessinger

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Overview

In this episode, Dr. Laura explores the idea that individuals have more power over their moods than they may realize. Sharing listener mail, her personal anecdotes, and practical advice, Dr. Laura emphasizes everyday strategies for lifting one’s spirits, counters misconceptions about depression, and champions proactive self-care over passivity. The tone is direct, humorous, and occasionally self-deprecating, aiming to motivate listeners while demystifying moods and emotions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Synchronicity of Moods and Listener Engagement

• Coincidental inspiration: Dr. Laura describes an uncanny alignment: she considers discussing a caller about loneliness, then receives an email on that exact issue (01:01).
  • “I'm creeped out. Now how did Carson do that? Or how did I do that?... Creepyhood increases…Like the entropy, it's always increasing.” (Dr. Laura, 01:01–01:32)
• Listener email – Self-regulation in action: Nicole, a longtime listener, shares feeling low and tempted to overeat but turns instead to Dr. Laura’s advice, goes for a walk, and feels transformed by the end of it (01:32–02:51).

2. Moods are Normal and Universal

• Everyone gets moods: Dr. Laura normalizes having a range of emotions and moods as a feature of being human—not a defect (03:10).
  • “You're going to have all kinds of feelings during the day every day. And that's just a reasonable part of being alive and being a human being.” (Dr. Laura, 03:10)
• Not always clinical depression: Most mood dips are not signs of a clinical disorder and don’t warrant immediate medical intervention; introspection and simple changes can help (03:25–03:50).

3. Strategies for Influencing Your Moods

• Self-awareness: Dr. Laura encourages listeners to notice when and why their moods shift (03:38–04:05).

• Proactive action: She details her own approach—singing in the car when anxious before a doctor’s appointment (04:08–05:10).

• Physical activity: Going for a walk emerges as the most emphasized, easily accessible remedy (09:16).

  • “I tell you, that is probably the primary way to feel better. A walk.” (Dr. Laura, 10:09)

• Distraction: Suggestions include calling a friend, watching a movie, doing art, or heading outside for a change of scenery (09:30–11:27).

  • “Go to lunch with a friend, call a friend and say, let's go eat. Let's go walk on the beach…Stuff like that, you have control.” (Dr. Laura, 10:42)

• Channel ‘control’ inward: For those who see themselves as ‘controlling,’ Dr. Laura flips the script:

  • “Instead of using it on other people, try being controlling to yourself. Control those moods…” (Dr. Laura, 09:57)

4. When to Seek Help

• Clinical depression: If moods are “overwhelmingly chronic and it's a profound clinical disorder,” seek professional help (11:34).
• Most people, however, just need to recognize their capacity for action.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's easy to feel crappy. It's easy worry about something fearful, about something bored with something. Bored gets mistaken for something else. If you're bored, do something else. But a lot of times, boredom is taken for depression when it's just boredom.” (Dr. Laura, 11:36–12:00)
• “I have three levels of walk. The third one I call the death march...by the time I get to the top, trust me, I have no memory of a mood. I'm just so happy I got to the top.” (Dr. Laura, 10:18)
• On the creative outlet:
  • “My art rooms...I go into my art room and I start making things. I love that. And time goes way too fast...there are times I'm late for things because I look at my watch and I go, shit, I thought I was just in here for an hour.” (Dr. Laura, 11:03)
• On using her own advice:
  • “Who knew? Okay, was that you or the birds?” (Dr. Laura, joking after a commercial, 00:56)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:01–01:32: Dr. Laura discusses the “creepy” synchronicity of calls and emails on the same topic
• 01:32–02:51: Listener Nicole’s email; real-life application of Dr. Laura’s advice
• 03:10–03:50: On the universality of moods and initial suggestions for self-examination
• 04:08–05:10: Dr. Laura’s personal anecdote: singing away worry before a doctor’s appointment
• 09:16–11:27: Strategies for affecting your mood: walking, calling friends, engaging in hobbies
• 11:34–12:00: Differentiating between boredom and depression; practical encouragement

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Flow and Tone

Dr. Laura’s delivery is conversational, authoritative, and sometimes playful. She shares bits of her own life alongside listener stories, using humor (“death march walk,” “push grandma down the stairs at some point. No.”) to make serious points more accessible. The overall feel is supportive, motivational, and practical—urging listeners to recognize their agency in shaping how they feel day to day.

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Takeaways

• Everyday blues, feeling overwhelmed, or lonely are normal.
• Most people have more influence over their mood than they think—action and engagement are keys.
• Physical activity, distraction, and creative outlets are highly effective simple tools.
• If you’re habitually “controlling,” try directing that energy at your own moods, not others.
• When negative moods are chronic and severe, don’t hesitate to seek professional support.

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For immediate advice, Dr. Laura encourages listeners to call 1-800-375-2872 or visit DrLaura.com.

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Transcript

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Thank you for listening to my morning monologue brought to you by Golden Crest Metals, a new sponsor I want to welcome to my program find out how gold and silver can protect what you have worked so hard to build. Learn [e-mail] Protect Remember, you can hear my radio program daily on Sirius XM triumph and and connect with me 24 7drlora.com getting ready to do the program and I'm thinking what am I going to talk about to open? Because I always like to have something to yap at you about and it just came into my head I should talk about that lonely call because I think that's something more people could benefit from. I didn't say anything to Dan or Bea or Carson or Lily. I just got ready to turn on the mic. All of a sudden I hear the call. So I'm creeped out. Now how did Carson do that? Or how did I do that? Or how did Carson and I do that? It's freaky. Then I look at the email of the day. Creepyhood increases. Like the entropy, it's always increasing. I'll read you the email of the day, which I just read seconds before all of this started happening. It's from Nicole. I'm a long time listener, my husband's girlfriend and my kid's mom. Today I spent much of the day feeling overwhelmed and a bit depressed. Oh gosh. And a tiny bit sorry for myself. I was about to venture into the kitchen and eat a whole bag of cookies when all of a sudden your voice Popped into my head. Get up, get off the couch, go for a walk, breathe in the fresh air, listen to music, listen to a podcast. So I chose one of your recent episodes on Sirius and just keep walking. So I did. Toward the end of my walk, my head was clear, my heart was less heavy. I felt ready to take on the week ahead. I must have been smiling when I got home because my husband said, wow, that walk must have been a good one. Thank you for being the voice inside my head so many times throughout my life. Then she said something sweet to me and I'll keep it to myself. But what? Whoa. That's the triumvirate. I want to talk about a call. He plays the call. I get an email which addresses the same thing. So let me talk about it a little more while I'm creeped out. I really am a little creeped out. Coincidences like that, I mean, it's three, two, three. You're going to have all kinds of feelings during the day every day. And that's just a reasonable part of being alive and being a human being. That's number one. Number two, You have more control over your mood than you think. Should I go to a therapist and get medicine? Not necessarily examine. When do I feel like this? Well, I feel like this. As the caller said, when I'm alone. Well, duh. When you're alone, you feel alone. Yes. Can we remedy that? Most likely, unless somebody has a profound clinical depression. But most of us do not have a profound clinical depression. Most of us have moods. God knows I have moods and I say my moods out loud. I have a crazy mood right now. I have this mood. I have a that mood. It's my mood. It happens. What's it about? Who knows? Chemistry in the brain. What you ate for breakfast, is your tummy feeling okay? There are a million reasons. You have a mood. You're anticipating something that's a little nerve wracking. You're worried about something. The other day I had my full physical and I was a little concerned. I wanted to find out the information about my thyroid because years back I had a doctor who said, ah, your thyroid hormone is going up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down. I think something terrible is happening. So I got rid of him as a doctor, went to another doctor who said, no, that's normal. Especially at your age, it's normal. Two out of the three ways they test your thyroid are totally normal. One is a little bizarre. So we'll just watch it year after year, not to worry. So I was a little concerned before I went. And I sang on the way to the doctors. I just sang in the car to myself. I don't know how bad I am. So I was enjoying it.

[Disneyland Visitor]

You won't believe everything I just saw. I went to Disneyland first. I went to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live and I danced with Goofy at night. I saw this parade. Everything was glowing. Sorcerer Mickey was there and Lightning McQueen. Oh, and guess what? Bluey and Bingo are coming for real life.

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Make memories that last a lifetime. During the 70th celebration, Paint the Night Parade. Returning January 30th to World of Color Happiness. And with Bluey and Bingo coming soon, happiness is everywhere at the Disneyland Resort.

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But the point of this lady's email here is that she heard me say in her head, get up, get off the couch. Go for a walk. Do it now. So she did, and by the time she came back, her head was clear, her heart was less heavy, and she felt ready to take on the week ahead. So we can control some of the chemical fuzzies going on upstairs in our heads. We can if we choose not to. Because either we don't know we can or we're just too damn lazy. Then you're going to have terrible moods. That may continue. But I get those moods. I get a time where I'm sitting there and I go, humph, humph. I'm going to sit in a corner and eat worms. That never really appeals to me. So that never happens. It's normal. All of that stuff is normal. When it's overwhelmingly chronic and it's a profound clinical disorder, then you probably need some treatment. And there have been times on the air when I recommended. But most of the time, no. Why don't we try you taking control? I get so many calls. Oh, I'm so controlling. Well, instead of using it on other people, try being controlling to yourself. Control those moods by calling somebody and seeing how they're doing, watching a movie for at least two hours. You'll be distracted. Take a walk. I tell you, that is probably the primary way to feel better. A walk. A lot of people say exercise, okay? You go in there, pump iron, then you're exhausted. Forget that. Just take a walk. I have three levels of walk. The third one I call the death march, because I spend. I think it's a half a mile. I think it's a half a mile uphill at about 40 degrees. By the time I get to the top, trust me, I have no memory of a mood. I'm just so happy I got to the top. I'm still breathing and walking and Lily is, ah, that's it. Well, then we have another quarter of a mile to the house and that's flat away and a little decline. So I love that part. But I don't feel crummy anymore. Go to lunch with a friend, call a friend and say, let's go eat. Let's go walk on the beach. Which, where I live, you can do easily Stuff like that, you have control. One of my other biggies is my. My art rooms, as I call, as I call them, two little rooms that were connected to be a tiny little apartment for a grandmother. That's part of my house. That was the grandma room with a long flight of stairs down. So I don't know what they were planning. Push grandma down the stairs at some point. No. And I go into my art room and I start making things. I love that. And the time goes way too fast because there are times I'm late for things because I look at my watch and I go, shit, I thought I was just in here for an hour. And you know, it's like, okay, gotta get out of here. So you have more influence over your mood. But it's easy to feel crappy. It's easy worry about something fearful, about something bored with something bored gets mistaken for something else. If you're bored, do something else. But a lot of times boredom is taken for depression when it's just boredom. So those are some things for you to think about. So if something creepy has happened to you today, I don't know, I'd love to hear it. But either which way. I'm here to help you with whatever mood you're in. So the number for me to help you with whatever mood you're in is 1-800-375-2872. If you like this podcast, be sure to rate it on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen to my podcast. Of course, I'd love if you gave me five stars. And be sure to share this podcast with a friend on Facebook or your preferred social media platform.

[Disneyland Visitor]

You won't believe everything I just saw. I went to Disneyland first. I went to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live. And I danced with Goofy at night. I saw this parade. Everything was glowing. Sorcerer Mickey was there and Lightning McQueen. Oh, and guess what? Bluey and Bingo are coming for real life.

[Disneyland Resort Announcer]

Make memories that last a lifetime during the 70th celebration. From Paint the Night parade, returning January 30th to World of Color Happiness. And with Bluey and Bingo coming soon, happiness is everywhere at the Disneyland resort.