Optimistically Depressed

Rumination time! 

I tried out Ruthy's Rumination many months ago and have recorded others since but haven't released them because I'm not ready for that level of vulnerability. And now here we are, one that made the cut!

I want to thank the people who made suggestions for what I could talk about. I hope that if you listen to this you find what I had to say on your topic to be helpful or interesting.

I took this podcast as an opportunity to express my thoughts on cutting out relationships, no matter how important you think they are, as well as taking a deep look at who you are by going into the darkness you have created inside yourself out of fear, and then finished off the episode with what hope means to me. 

I hope you enjoy this week's episode and I hope you are taking care of yourself.

Ok, it's been something like four weeks since we've had to stay home, right? Perhaps some of us still need more time to grieve, but others may be noticing a crossroads. What next? Shall I plunge into self-destruction? Sink into mediocrity? Honestly, I couldn't blame you for doing either. How many of us have been through such an experience? It's difficult to decide how to behave and each of our circumstances at home are different.

However, there are some of you who are either knowingly or unknowingly looking at some options. You can decide how you will behave during this experience. 

The conversation Alexa brings to the table is one to consider. This is a woman whose fire inspires and challenges you to consider new ways of thinking and therefore new ways of living. So, if you are looking for that spark of innovation, look no further and enjoy.

Freedom. Ah, doesn't that sounds especially sweet right now?

We may be feeling a little caged right now since we can't go out and visit our friends, but the most effective cage in our lives is our mind. Now, I don't expect that statement to be particularly shocking. Our culture is becoming more sensitive to mental health and the influence our minds have over our lives so we mostly have this basic understanding. That is a great start, but where to go from there? Ok, our mind is holding us back. But how? What does that look like? And what do we do about it?

Have a listen to my conversation with the brilliant Abigail. Her fresh insights offer a new way to break through the limits we place on ourselves. 

–

The youngest of four, Abigail was born in the UK to artist parents. With the backdrop of rugged Dartmoor and a home full of creativity, art came naturally and she grew up drawing, spending thousands of hours mastering realism.

https://abigaillower.com

I think we’re starting to get to a point where we’re really starting to understand this pandemic isn’t going away soon. I know we “knew” that, but we didn’t really know that. That make sense? It’s like the five stages of grief. We’re starting to move through them and mourn our old lives while wondering what out new ones will look like. It’s kinda scary.

Sean and I talk about how we’re feeling and manage to get some laughs in. Things feel so heavy lately it seems. It’s nice to have an honest talk about it while remembering how nice it is to joke around. I hope all of you enjoy it, too.

This thing is just getting started, but hang on. Let’s try not to lose hope. It’s times like these where some of the best stuff comes through the human spirit.

I hope all of you are doing well. If you are struggling, my heart goes out to you. If you have lost someone to this horrible virus, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. I have been thinking about those who are hurting from this. I can't imagine the pain. The best thing I know to do about that right now is staying home and creating what I can from here and then sending it out to you.

We changed things up a little this time and Marc interviewed me! We talked about what I've been up to and some of the things I have been doing to try to cope while being isolated with my husband and three young kids. There were a couple challenges, which I know is the case with pretty much everyone. Some included the fact that I couldn't exercise because of some issues I have been having with my lungs (but I just got cleared to start exercising from home again yesterday which has me thrilled!). The inconvenience of not being able to exercise had me looking for other ways to cope and I found a few. One of them includes using the Calm app, which has a free seven day trial so you can see if you like it (I made a mistake in the episode and said I thought it was a 30 day free trial - sorry!). Here's a link to Calm: https://www.calm.com/

Have a listen! I hope you find it helpful and it makes you feel a little less alone in this time. Stay inside and stay healthy!

It's so great to have a friend that you can talk to about anything, including the stuff that we generally hate talking about, ie: confrontational stuff. Candyce is one of those people that can look at a problem and not only find a solution, but break it down in a way that is non-threatening and provides a solution before there is even a problem. Talk about the perfect recipe for a happy community.

Candyce and I discuss the ways to build happy, healthy and proactive relationships and how to avoid the self-sabotage that comes along with the feeling that things are too good to be true.

Listen in on this, the spoon theory and much more in this latest episode.

We all have a part of our pasts that we can feel the victim of, and the truth is that when we’re children, we are the victim. But what about when we become adults? Do we carry the victim status along with ourselves or do we grab the pen which has been writing our life story so far and take over?

Christy Ann has quite literally grabbed that pen and started writing through her own struggles and thought patterns with fictional stories. Her witty and thoughtful tales show a reflection of herself in different quantities, and the quality of her stories resonate in your bones.

We cover some of her tales in our episode together and also discuss the feeling of being an idiot and how to prove that feeling wrong.

–

CHRISTY ANN CONLIN is the author of three critically acclaimed books, Heave and The Memento, and most recently, Watermark, a short story collection. Heave was a national bestseller, a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the Thomas H. Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and was a Globe and Mail Top 100 Book. Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals including Best Canadian Stories, Brick, Geist, Room, Numéro Cinq and Review. Her work has also been longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the American Short Fiction Prize. Her radio broadcast work includes co-creating and hosting CBC Fear Itself, a national summer radio series, along with documentaries for CBC The Doc Project and CBC Outfront. Christy Ann was born and raised in seaside Nova Scotia, where she still resides along with her big quirky sandwich generation family and assorted livestock. Christy Ann is also a passionate mental health advocate and motivational speaker.

We’ve heard from this guy before, but I had to interview him again. Lee Fraser is one of those minds that many try to mimic, and why? Because when he sets his mind on something, he gets it done.

This past weekend, I got to participate in a weekend Lee is well known for hosting: the Creatives Weekend. Over the span of either three or four days, creatives participate in workshops, socializing, creative feats and outdoor exploration. There’s something for everyone.

I got to speak at this event as well as do a live podcast with the man himself. Lee gives us another peak into what drives him as well as the emotions and mental obstacles that come along with rejection or things just not going as planned. His main motto? It’s simple. F*ck it.

Have a listen as this inspirational guy gives us a lesson and a laugh, and check out his own podcast, Living Life Intently.

One of the mental disorders that has a lot of confusion around it is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Many people get a little freaked out at the idea, but they don't need to be.

Wren Kelly openly discusses her symptoms with BPD and what they feel like. She describes what she does to counteract her symptoms and the mental discipline needed to do so.

Get ready for an open and honest discussion about the illness that Hollywood loves to take advantage of and why it doesn't necessarily need to be that scary.

Inspiration graces us in many forms and in this case, it comes in the form of my friend Verity. I am thrilled to have her back on Optimistically Depressed.

As a professional hypnotherapist, she has shared with me several helpful insights for managing my thoughts.

This time Verity returns to talk about anxiety, being properly aware of danger and the mindset needed to climb mountains. Among her many talents, Verity is quite the mountaineer and will be climbing to the Everest base camp this May! Tune in to listen to how that came about and how she is preparing herself for the feat.