Getting Old Quickly

In Episode 170, Billy Donnelly introduces you to Lennnie. Who is Lennnie you might ask, if you don't already know? Lennnie is an animated blob that does its best to inject positivity and hope into your world as you navigate everything life throws at you. This week, he shares how he came across Lennnie as one of the good things social media has put forth recently and talks about how Lennnie's perspective often hits at the right moment when he needs it most.

In Episode 169, Billy Donnelly talks about how most people now view and use social media. After coming across this article by Kate Lindsay, something struck a chord, prompting this discussion about the various social media platforms now being employed for performance rather than connection.

In Episode 168, Billy Donnelly feels incredibly well prepared as his therapist goes on maternity leave. He discusses feeling no anxiety about her absence and actually feels really confident that he'll be able to handle anything that comes his way in the coming months with the tools that have been put in place over the years. He also shares a story about presenting his therapist with a gift for her family to celebrate the new baby and how personally it felt for him to be able to do that.

In Episode 167, Billy Donnelly discusses some recent bouts he had with an overwhelming amount of anxiety. He talks about what they felt like, in addition to what he believes triggered them. And he also shares that no matter how much work we put into moving forward from certain events in our lives, they still have the capacity to show up and affect us at the most random times.

In Episode 166, Billy Donnelly admits to feeling pretty good as of late. In addition to some new medication, which is likely contributing, he also talks about some of the tools he's been wielding in order to push back on his negative thoughts (as discussed in Episode 147: Challenge Them Negative Thoughts). He explains how learning the source and function of such thoughts has made it easier for him to recognize them for what they are when they surface and treat them with a grain of salt accordingly. In addition, he also shares a few positive moments that happened to him recently that he's found he is now better able to be present with, creating opportunities to turn them into positive memories that can then be used to challenge negative thoughts that might have told him otherwise. Furthermore, he celebrates his progress and champions the work he's been putting in rather than undercutting or downplaying it, as he might have in the past.

In Episode 165, Billy Donnelly mourns the loss of a member of the Drewpies family named Wendy. He shares his regret of never having had the pleasure to meet her and wishes she could have been able to attend one of the group's gatherings after having all been there during COVID for one another. He recalls some of her specific memorable quirks from the group and reflects on how her love and support -- especially for her local music scene -- touched so many lives. He also expresses a lot of anger at how she died and how it was likely preventable. However, the American healthcare system failed her.

If inclined, please make a donation to the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition in her name and honor.

In Episode 164, Billy Donnelly finds himself in a holding pattern. After beginning a new program intended to boost his self-esteem, he intended to come to the show with some of the new things he had learned as he got started. However, he could not get as deep into it as he would have liked to bring a decent understanding of it to this week's show. Therefore, everything is status quo as he introduces exactly what he's doing and how it was brought to his attention but with a wait-and-see approach for things to come.

In Episode 163, Billy Donnelly comes to terms with the fact that the idea of constantly being happy is impossible, and yet it is still an unattainable pursuit that human beings embark on constantly. He discusses the chemical reactions in our brains that result from moments of happiness and how they then become like a drug that we want more of. However, that sets us up with a hunger that can't be satisfied, no matter what thing we get that we're told will make us feel happy. He shares that he used to feel as if there was something wrong with him for not being able to be happy all the time, especially as others presented themselves as happy non-stop. But he has learned over time that people show you only what they want to see, and while he may have been feeling bad about himself assuming they were living awesome lives, that wasn't the case; they were just hiding their unhappiness better.

In Episode 162, Billy Donnelly shares his experience with taking his daughter to her first-ever concert: Paramore. He talks about the ability to tap into a small corner of his daughter's life as she becomes her own person by sharing such a memory with her and what it was like to take in a show once again -- but through the eyes of someone whose never done it before.

In Episode 161, Billy Donnelly reveals that his high school recently held its 25-year reunion for his graduating class. In the process, he explains all the reasons why he didn't go to this one nor to any of the previous reunions held for the Class of 1998. He once again revisits his dislike for his high school experience, and even though he holds some fantastical ideas about what possibly attending would accomplish or prove, he realizes just how much more harm circling back to those memories could create.