Getting Old Quickly

In Episode 140, Billy Donnelly offers up Happy Holidays wishes for you and hopes that you can set boundaries if you need them for things/people that are overwhelming you, stressing you out, causing you unnecessary anxiety, or just being overall toxic toward you. 

In Episode 139, Billy Donnelly stares down the barrel of possibly not going to therapy anymore and finds it a terrifying prospect. After a comment by his therapist, he really examines the scary idea of not having the support system he's built for himself on a weekly basis or not being able to access it again if he leaves it behind. He also ponders when the time might be for him to lose the safety net of therapy and trust in himself to handle things better in life based on the things he's taken away from and learned through therapy over the years. 

In Episode 138, a recent tiff about AI art has Billy Donnelly once again reiterating why your feelings are important. As a result, he discusses the need to advocate for yourself and speak up about your feelings when they are negatively impacted or affected deeply. He talks about how most people don't purposely mean to hurt our feelings, but, when they do, rather than assuming any meaning behind it or that things will magically change on their own, we need to inform people of how we felt about it, so they know and can take that into account in the future. You will not be making things worse; if anything, in the long run, you'll be making things better for yourself. 

In Episode 137, Billy Donnelly talks about the experience he had getting his first tattoo over the Thanksgiving weekend. He discusses how nervous and excited he was heading in (for more background on his reasoning for getting inked, listen to Episode 136: The Taste of Ink). However, he also goes through his feelings throughout the process, the point of calm and relief he found along the way, and the emotional moment when he knew he had picked the right tattoo shop and artist for how safe they made him feel. In addition, he has something very specific he wants to say about how people seem to be using "mental illness" as a catch-all to excuse or explain away people's bad behavior  (i.e. mass shooters, Kanye West, etc.).

In Episode 136, Billy Donnelly talks about his mindset heading into his first tattoo -- which took place over the Thanksgiving weekend. He discusses the worry and anxiety (and lack of funds) that for so long stopped him from following through on getting inked, and how that also translates to larger parts of his life where it's been easy to find a reason not to do something than just going ahead and making it happen. He also talks about how this is a bit of a test to prove to himself that he can do the things he wants and not automatically assume it'll turn out in failure, loss, or catastrophe. 

In Episode 135, Billy Donnelly is just having a day: just one where you sleep in late, are entirely unmotivated to do anything, wind up accomplishing nothing and watch the day pretty much pass you by. However, he discusses why it's okay to be in those days when you find yourself lacking energy or effort, and how it took him a while to get to that place. He talks about the pressures that society can put on you to have to do more and be more, constantly striving to get further toward "goals" and the negative stigma ("lazy") that accompanies other people's judgments of not constantly pressing forward. However, he talks about the importance of giving yourself a rest or a pause, per se, allowing you to pick things back up that aren't really a major priority later down the road refreshed and ready as opposed to forcing the issue when you're not in the space for it. He also discusses the death of Jason David Frank and the importance of asking for help when you're not in a good place mentally. 

In Episode 134, Billy Donnelly tries to come to terms with the fact that he may have some people-pleasing tendencies, and he's not happy about it. He discusses how easy it is to feel bad if someone has hurt feelings or is upset after an interaction with him, even though he knows their reaction and response are more about them than him. As a result, he dives into the importance to him that others aren't mad at him and his wanting to control those situations by squashing any negative feelings quickly and making things better -- hence, the people-pleasing behaviors. He also touches upon how such fear is entangled with his other issues of wanting to be liked and seeking outside validation, as they all to a certain degree deal with acceptance.

In Episode 133, Billy Donnelly heads to the dispensary for the first time ever. After some recent flare-ups of his GI condition, he figured he'd explore cannabis as a potential treatment to alleviate some of his worse days. So, on his recent trip to D.C., visiting a dispensary made the list of things that had to be done. As a result, he discusses what that experience was like -- not knowing anything about the process, in the midst of a bunch of weird rules for how it can be "sold" in the area -- in addition to his background with marijuana not really being his scene. He also offers a quick assessment of how he's seen it affect him in the short time he's been partaking and speaks about the movement he has made over the years on its usage, both medicinally and recreationally. 

In Episode 132, Billy Donnelly talks about a recent road trip to Washington D.C. and a new set of worries and concerns in taking such a long car ride after the incident of Episode 130 - The Emergency Poncho. However, after getting there without a problem, one would later arise during a drive to a dispensary, which was being made in an effort to possibly find something to help alleviate some of the GI issues that have been flaring up as of late. Billy lays out the details of the situation -- which occurred while in the car with his wife -- and just the low feelings of shame and embarrassment he suffered as a result. However, on a positive note, he talks about how much it meant for him to have such an understanding and supportive partner there to lift him up in his time of need and help him feel less alone when he already was feeling bad enough. 

In Episode 131, Billy Donnelly is all about learning and growing. First, he dives into why he'd share such an embarrassing story as he did in Episode 130 - The Emergency Poncho. He talks about his belief that sharing our experiences -- even those which have affected us negatively -- can help others feel less alone as they deal with similar situations or circumstances. In addition, he talks about the level of comfort it can give oneself knowing that your issue is not unique and that others have gone through it, too. He discusses how normalizing certain things and removing the stigmas attached to them are huge helps in reducing shame, embarrassment, and the idea that there's something wrong with you. Furthermore, he explores people's resistance to learning and growing. He understands that it's not an easy or convenient process. However, he stresses that, if anyone is worth the difficulty that comes with it, it'd be you. He talks about not freezing yourself in time but trying to be more empathetic and understanding of others but also yourself, and that sometimes in order to get to the other side, you've have to go throw the not-fun stuff first.