Acceptable Madness

This episode is about stress. Stress is a normal part of everyday life and learning to cope with it is an essential skill that everyone needs to learn. That said, it’s still a piece of crap. You couple stress with mental illness, and it can feel like a ticking time bomb. From feelings of anger and exhaustion, to just a general defeated state that lingers for longer than anyone would like, it’s time to talk about how I try (and sometimes fail) to deal with my stress. Did I mention that this episode is about stress?

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

So, this probably isn’t the question you expected me to ask, but it’s one that I asked myself recently. After weeks of low motivation, irritability, and difficulty finding happiness in the things that used to keep me moving forward, it occurred to me that… I’M DEPRESSED. It’s something that I’m clearly aware of, but sometimes I just forget, and I end up giving myself a hard time for struggling to be happy and finding my motivation. In this episode, I’m going to talk about that “sudden realization,” if you can call it that, and how hopefully that’ll make it easier for me to work through this depressive episode.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

I know that it was in eighth grade that my depression really started. Before that, I was a happy-go-lucky kid who thought he was happy and great all the time. I still remember being that kid who, any time he could, he would run around hoping that one day he’d “lose enough weight to fly.” That kid still exists, and I’m constantly searching for more and more of the missing pieces of him that have buried themselves deep within me, but he’ll never come back completely. In this episode, I’ll tell you what specific event made me realize he was gone.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

When something negative affects your life, there is no straightforward way to cope with it. No matter how you cope with the situation, it’s difficult because the situation itself is difficult, too. What I’ve learned about myself over the recent weeks is that I have a tendency to escape from reality when something unfortunate happens in my life. I do it through a variety of ways, such as YouTube, TV, video games, and endless social media usage, but that leaves an unanswered question: does escaping from reality help cope with a difficult situation?

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

I have recently been affected by something very close to me, and as I cope with the challenge of it, I’ve witnessed the many different ways that those around me have responded to the news. This episode is about the responses that those close to me, including myself, have had. From food and compassion, to stoicism and crying, sadness takes many faces, and each has its own feeling, story, and love behind it.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

Getting in touch with your emotions is hard work. Do you want to know how I know that? Well, this is the 109th episode of this podcast and I still suck at it. I may be beginning to understand why I do some of the things that I do, but that doesn’t mean I can always practice what I preach at the level that I wish I could. Saying how you feel is one of the most difficult things you can do. It takes empathy, vulnerability, honesty with yourself and those that you’re being honest to, and it takes swallowing your pride. Worse yet, is sometimes it takes admitting you were wrong, and that always sucks. In this episode, I talk about the constant battle that I fight with myself to be honest and sincere with those around me.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

I’ll never claim to be a perfect person. It’s just not possible to be perfect, and I don’t strive for it. What I can say is that over the course of my life, I’ve become a significantly happier and confident depressed person with a lot more hope for the future, but that hasn’t always been the case. I’m currently engaged to the love of my life, but I’ve had a few failed relationships before I got here, and in this episode, I swallow my pride and dive into how I contributed to their downfall because of my mental illness.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

For me, depression is that creeping feeling that makes me want to give up all hope. It tells me that I’m terrible, that I’m bad at everything, and that nobody will ever truly love me because I am imperfect and unpleasant. It even tells me that I’d be better off dead than seeing tomorrow. Depression makes me feel unwanted, but it also feels unique – almost like I’m the only person in the world who suffers from it. I know I’m not, but the question I have is: is my depression unique to me, or is it the same depression that everyone else feels?

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

I could tell you what everyone else in the world is telling you about the holidays. I could say that going to see your family is terrible because we are in the midst of a pandemic, and that it’s irresponsible to put you and your family in danger. I could also say that you should go see your family because you only live once and seeing them is more important than following the precautions assigned to you because of a pandemic. There are many things that I could tell you, but what I’m going to settle for is telling you how these decisions can affect your mental health, because I know they’ve affected mine.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/

I’ve talked about routine before, and I always talk about how great it is. Having some sense of what you’re going to do can be really good for mental health, whether it’s from having a good sleep schedule, working out, or taking time out of your week to think about you. I promise that I’ll talk about routine in the future, too! But you know what screwed up routine and all it stood for? COVID-19. I know, I’m just as surprised as you that COVID ruined something else. Now, staying home when possible, wearing your mask, and using social distancing is incredibly important for both you and everyone else’s physical health, but when does the routine of “staying home” become a problem? That’s what I’m here to talk about this week. Thanks for listening.

I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people.

If you’re interested in other content by me, follow me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcceptableMadness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acceptablemadness/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiT4JjAzziR-EODaBDPaJg

Also, I wrote a book! https://www.amazon.com/Trying-Myself-Scott-Christopher-McKinney/dp/1735125105/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HJRD1Q2OGBG6&dchild=1&keywords=trying+not+to+kill+myself&qid=1595216485&sprefix=trying+not+to+kill+m%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Acceptable Madness is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://acceptablemadness.wordpress.com/