I don't do New Year's resolutions. Instead, each year I focus my intention on one word. 2021 was all about balance. 2022 is going to be all about priorities. On this episode, I talk about making the self more of a priority in our lives as a New Year's goal rather than a resolution. I share with you what I believe self-care really means (and it's not all bubble baths and scented candles).

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Love. We love talking about love. It's what we write books and make music about. But what about being in love when you have a mental illness? What's it like when all you know is the kind of "love" where people abandon you because your illness is "too much to handle" for them?

In this episode, I talk about what it's like to find love with mental illness, to learn about the love you deserve, love with the outside world, and how self-love is the best kind of love there is.

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In order to change, we have to shatter the glass.

In this week's episode, as we get ready to near the turn of 2022, I'm doing a little reflecting on what 2021 has brought. So. Much. Change. But not just change in terms of where I live or the things I've done, but I'm talking about change within myself. But in order for any of us to really change, we have to be willing to shatter. Let's dive. 

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Happiness. Isn't that the ultimate thing we are all trying to achieve? For the longest time, I assumed that the opposite of depression was to find happiness. The truth was that I was in fact, seeking a life of vitality. I wanted to live a full life.

In this episode, I'm talking about the misconception of depression and happiness, and how we have the ability to have the fullest, most beautiful life. But it starts by learning to find it within the mundane and monotonous days that are our typical lives.

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Well here's a thing. I am bipolar. Or is it that I have bipolar?

After taking a hiatus, I'm back! But it's not without explanation. In this episode, I'm sharing with all of you my recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I discuss the grieving, the healing, the stigma, and the change that happens in your life when you ask for help.

Thanks for joining me, thanks for staying with me, and thanks for giving me a reason to keep coming back.

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We're always trying to find the perfect balance in our lives. A routine, a rhythm, a flow that manages every aspect of our lives ever so perfectly. Our jobs, our marriage, our children, our finances, our creativity, our fill-in-the-blank. But that's not life. Life is not a perfect balance because we are imperfect human beings.

Today I'm talking about stripping everything away and asking ourselves some really important questions. Today, I'm talking about balance, about what makes us inhale and exhale, and what would happen if we stepped back from certain aspects of our lives entirely.

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Reviews are cool too!

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Do you trust yourself? Like really trust yourself? On this episode, I’m doing things a little differently. I’m going to share with you about my experience with therapy and friendship as I navigated through learning what it meant to stop seeking validation from others expectations and really learned to start trusting myself.

I’m also going to share with you a song I wrote and recorded in the spare bedroom of my mother’s house. It’s vulnerable, and oh so pertinent to learning to trust yourself as you go after what it is you really want in life. And what I want, is for you to love yourself more than you ever have before to live the best life you could possibly live.

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Trigger Warning: The episode discusses mental health topics of depression and suicide. If you don’t feel comfortable or safe to listen, check out one of the other episodes or grab a safe, loving person to listen to this with you.

Jesse Cody is my new friend who brought me into his tribe of do-gooders as he likes to call them. He’s about to take on a 1,300 mile hike where he’ll be partnering with The Youth Mental Health Project to help bring awareness and raise funds for their incredible and important program.

Together, Jesse and I have an open, and honest conversation about narcissism, struggling with mental health, and attempting to take his own life. As two suicide survivors, we both had a lot to say about the freedom we found in sharing our stories and openly telling the ones we love about our experience. But we also share how we learned to use our pain to evolve, change, and grow into advocates for mental health.

Jesse Cody is the wilderness explorer behind the mantra “Hike the Good Hike,”  Over the last 6 years, Jesse has been developing Hike the Good Hike’s mission to use hiking to help bring attention and funding to organizations working to support people struggling with mental health.

Learn more about Jesse at hikethegoodhike.com and follow him on all social media platforms @hikethegoodhike.

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To learn more about my latest novel, In Body I Trust, visit laurendow.com

Resistance shows up throughout our lives wearing many disguises. But what I realized on my own personal journey, is that when we resist, we are only turning our backs on ourselves. On this week's episode of Lauren Dow Talks, I'm opening up about how resistance has hindered the progress of my second book as I learned to navigate the one very important message for myself behind the resistance: fear of letting go of my past.

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When I've got a feel, I'm going to share it. Because I'm human, you're human, and we're all humans together. Life is hard, and hard things happen, but why is it we always try to conquer mountains instead of giving ourselves permission to try out a little molehill instead? This week on Lauren Dow Talks, I'm talking about doing hard things. The overwhelming feeling of anxiety when life just gets too hard, but don't worry. As Glennon Doyle says, we can do hard things. Below are the links I've referenced in the episode: List of Mental Health Resources: laurendow.com/resources Read My Recovery Story Here.

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Follow the journey on Instagram @laurendowwrites.

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To learn more about my latest novel, In Body I Trust, visit laurendow.com/in-body-i-trust