Getting Old Quickly

In Episode 30, Billy Donnelly details a number of contributing factors in his life that is leading him to feel burnt out as of late. He discusses the come down he's feeling from having worked so intensely on the Presidential campaign and what it feels like when the stop hits so abruptly. In addition, he talks about the mental exhaustion that still exists on a daily basis with the less-than-ideal state of the country and the world and how constant exposure to that feeds the burnout. He also brings up another recent PTSD episode he experienced as a result of a past trauma. He describes how tired he is of feeling so small when forced to confront all these emotions that stems from it, as the steps he's taken to try to block them out fail. And finally, he talks about the burnout from how people have responded to the pandemic and the lack of sacrifices that others refuse to make in order for things to be heading in a better direction at this point. He also begs for people to take into account the burnout healthcare workers are struggling with as things only get worse due to the lack of seriousness with which we have treated this entire situation from the start. 

In Episode 29, Billy Donnelly talks about the incredible relief he's experienced the past several days as a result of the 2020 Presidential Election results. He details the feelings he's had about everything that's transpired over the last 4 years and discusses his emotions now that Americans chose a new path for the country moving forward. However, he also talks about the idea of considering the feelings of others who have been less than considerate in that same time span, and why respect needs to be a two-way street. In addition, he expands upon the positive experience he had volunteering for the campaign over the last few months and the fulfillment and satisfaction he found in being a part of something bigger than himself. 

In Episode 28, Billy Donnelly looks back at a fateful weekend in June 2007 that involved a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet his future wife's best friends to discuss guilt and carrying the burden of your sins from the past. He discusses his role in the crumbling of their friendship and the blame he placed on himself over the years for being at the heart of it... or so he thought. After a recent conversation, he received more perspective on what really happened during that visit and a ton of missing context for things surrounding it that led him to now be free from what he believed had happened. As a result, he talks a lot about absolution and the ability to forgive yourself from your own past mistakes. But furthermore, this bit of reflection allows him to travel even deeper down the rabbit hole of his struggles with validation and how it factors into some of his behaviors and actions with a figure involved in the entire situation as they've reconnected and become involved in his family's life again. The introspection has led to realization, discovery and acknowledgement. 

In Episode 27, Billy Donnelly wants to talk about the importance of learning to accept your blame. As he points out, it is very easy for us to constantly point the finger at others for our imperfect lives or things not going our way. However, he stresses the need to reflect on our roles in things panning out that way in the choices that we have made along that path. In addition, he also talks about consequences of our actions and understanding that we have a hand in how things often shake out, and that while we find it easier to paint ourselves as the victim in an effort not to diminish our own view of ourselves, it doesn't help us grow or learn or develop the tools to correct the very things we need to address. 

In Episode 26, Billy Donnelly takes a trip down memory lane to talk about Jerry, his best friend from college. During this episode, Billy shares stories of their friendship in school and the good times they shared with one another, but he also discusses where the cracks in their friendship began to show and ultimately how their friendship fell apart. By reflecting on those memories, he shares regrets about how things were handled, the lessons he's taken away from what happened and the potential ramifications that resulted over time from this fallout.

In Episode 25, Billy Donnelly is very clear that the struggle is real. It never goes away; it's a constant battle for us on a daily basis to cope and manage. However, he offers some positivity and reassurance that we are not in this alone, and there are resources available to us to aid us in our fight. He emphasizes that this is not the area in your life where you need to go it alone or try proving that you can handle things by yourself. We all need to be ready, willing and able to ask for that necessary help to lessen our struggles and accept it. He likens life to a never-ending boxing match (or MMA, if you prefer). Every day is just another round - some harder than others, some more hurtful than others - and rather than giving up, we just have to keep on going, keep on battling. He also goes through some of the reasons people use as excuses for not seeking help and challenges those who refuse to get assistance to truly ask why they won't in their quests to feel better. 

In Episode 24, Billy Donnelly explores the ideas of Karma and "what goes around comes around." He discusses the premise that we are taught throughout our lives that we need to be rewarded for our good behavior and deeds, be it organized religion or Santa Claus, rather than just because it's the right thing to do. However, as a firm believer in justice, he also believes we need to hold people accountable for their errors and mistakes by making them pay a price in order to learn from their actions and not repeat them. For if there is no deterrent, there is no reason for change and/or growth. 

In Episode 23, Billy Donnelly gets into his feelings of being overwhelmed by the events and state of the world right now. With 2020 showing no mercy whatsoever, he discusses his struggles with anxiety as things seemingly get worse and worse, and we're left with no time at all to process our experiences as yet another bad new thing gets thrown at us. He talks about the feelings of isolation and loneliness that surface when trying to make sense of a nonsensical world, especially with the larger spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories in these times. And he touches upon the need for hope (or faith, for some) as one of the main things to help you get through those days that feel absolutely crushing and full of despair. 

In Episode 22, Billy Donnelly discusses the normalcy of feeling sadness and explores the importance of allowing yourself to process these emotions rather than ignoring them and/or pretending they are not present. Often people try to unsuccessfully force happiness within themselves when they feel down or depressed, and Billy stresses the need to be in the moment with these feelings in order to try finding a way forward. He talks about the idea that "everybody hurts" (thanks, R.E.M.) and that it's the ability to acknowledge these so-called "negative feelings" that makes us human.

In Episode 21, Billy Donnelly veers a little off-course in order to talk about cults and their recent spread, namely how they operate and why people are consistently lured into them. He uses examples such as NXIVM, QAnon and even the 9/11 and Sandy Hook truthers, factoring in how conspiracy theories are also moved through these cult-like mindsets, to show how otherwise intelligent people abandon logic and reason in order to fully buy in to the cause. He looks at some of the warning signs that cults exhibit and what we can do personally to identify and walk away from their recruitments.