Male Mental Health Podcast

“Don't Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.”

-Don Miguel Ruiz

"John Cacioppo, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Chicago actually measured the electrical output of the cerebral cortex to demonstrate that, across a variety of situations, negative information leads to a swift and outsize surge in activity. One hurt lingers longer than one compliment. Nevertheless, the ability to rapidly detect bad news and weight it so heavily, Cacioppo says, evolved for a very positive reason—to keep us out of harm's way.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201311/the-power-no

This episode we spoke with a dear friend of mine Brian. The conversation covers his struggles with mental health, being admitted into a Behavioral Health Unit, and what he does to stay the course!

Alan watts, a writer and 20th century philosopher once wrote:

“Why don’t you really know what you want? There are two reasons that you don’t really know what you want. Number one: you already have it. Number two: you don’t know yourself, because you never can. The Godhead is never an object of its own knowledge, just as a knife doesn’t cut itself, fire doesn’t burn itself, light doesn’t illuminate itself.”

To summarize… it's not your job to understand, know, and control everything. The sooner you accept and surrender to this… you are truly free.

Of the 15% of American adults who are both single and looking for a committed relationship or casual dates – most say they are dissatisfied with their dating lives and that it has been difficult to find people to date

67% percent of those American adults report dating is “Not going well” and 75% of that same population found it somewhat/very difficult to find people to date in the last year.
-Pew Research Center

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-say-dating-has-gotten-harder-for-most-people-in-the-last-10-years/https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/02/06/the-virtues-and-downsides-of-online-dating/
https://www.mind-your-reality.com/everyone-is-your-mirror.html

I’ve had very little exposure to hallucinogens or psychedelics.  I’ve never had any interest in tripping balls or anything of the sort. I was terrified before my first season. I cried, hugged my brother (who is my sponsor), and expected to meet god. My anxiety was through the roof. So to that… My experience with Ketamine has been incredible.  Remember that Ketamine is a tranquilizer, so the first thing you feel is very… well… tranquil and relaxed.

A study conducted by The Medical University of Vienna with a population of male suicide survivors found that, “some (men) reported that the adherence to masculine norms meant that sometimes the feelings associated with being vulnerable were more anxiety-provoking than the thought of being dead.” They felt that the feeling Emasculated was worse than death!

WORSE THAN DEATH.

Citations:
https://www.menshealth.com/uk/mental-strength/a25773236/stop-pretending-that-being-a-man-is-simple/

Forgiveness is incredible for every aspect of your life from physical to mental health, your career to your love life, interpersonal to inner peace. Remember, forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself. It DOES NOT require that you are willing to be disrespected. Rather, it's a deep introspection into yourself and a patience and empathy for others. You are saying… I know I've been wronged… but I am not a victim.

Link to articles quoted:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition

Gratitude is related inversely to depression, and positively to life satisfaction. This is not to say that “depressed people” should simply be more grateful, as depression is a very complicated disease and a struggle for millions of people. Instead, perhaps gratitude practices need to be a part of the therapy and treatment for people who struggle with depression.”

“What is Gratitude and why is it so important” 
-positivephycology.com

OTHER PEOPLE ARE F****** EXHAUSTING. Your grandmother, your college buddy, your wife, your coworker, your kids, your father, etc… they are all exhausting. Interacting with other people is draining. It doesn’t matter how much you love the other person, or how much patience you have for them, you need time apart. TIME APART IS THIS IS A GOOD THING.