Jason starts us off this week with a Check-In about a candid camera situation gone wrong. A possible prank instigates Jason to set up a camera in his office at work just to see what is going on. What he ends up capturing is a couple of coworkers trash talking him in his own office. Jason is caught off guard and is now in the middle of processing the situation. Jason and Edward discuss insights into what this does to a person and Jason specifically.

In our Deep Dive This week we explore a subject that we’ve hinted about off and on over the last two seasons. As we grow and change, we often don’t think about the stages that we go through, nor the process we use to get there. From precontemplation through maintenance, and relapse we not only lay out each of the stages, but also talk about a specific change we are making or have made in each of our lives. We spend extra time on the Maintenance stage as it tends to be the stage that we get caught in, and we discuss some habits to try to get us through this stage.

This week’s Episode starts out with a tale of two wills. Edward finds himself in a situation when he and someone he works with start to co-escalate. Hindsight is 20/20 and, in this case, quite funny and educational. Jason also shares a story of a similar situation in which he found himself. Laughs are had and lessons are learned in this Check-In.

In our Deep Dive, this week Jason and Edward play a “game” with each other to illustrate what it looks like to engage in reality testing. We talk about reality testing as a tool to combat anxiety, trauma response, and even depression, but we rarely talk about how we go about doing it. If you’ve ever wondered how to use this tool, Jason and Edward use real world personal examples of issues they face in this game of what if.

We begin our episode this week with a general check in with Edward. Having started a new medication, Edward shares with us hour he has finally started to feel a lifting of the depression. As he’s starting to get back into the swing of his life, he talks about cleaning the house and the extra work that goes with the benefit of having kittens. He also shares with us two stories of occurrences that illustrate the definite change brought about by the addition of the Wellbutrin.

This week’s Deep Dive is brought to us by Edward. In a search for devices to assist him in getting things done. Edward has brought together a list of some of the motivational advice that he has used at work, and some that he is working on incorporating in his life. Some of this advice seems obvious, but some was new to him. Edward and Jason also discuss things that have worked for each of them to keep motivated and to move through their daily and weekly tasks.

Jason starts us off this week with some good news. He has bought a new to him car. Jason shares with us the trials and tribulations of the buying process. He and Edward tell stories about other car buying experiences, and Jason talks about his plans and hopes for the future along with the some of the cool features of his current car.

Our Deep Dive this week is all about the cost of growth. We don’t often think about what it takes to move forward nor what we must leave behind. This episode delves into the grieving process of true growth, as well as some of the struggles of redefining ourselves as who we truly are in comparison to who we have been. Jason and Edward share stories of different degrees of growth, from major existential changes, to changing habits in our lives. The conversation takes a journey through the different stages and how building knowledge of self and our true motivations can lead to a smoother transition.

This week’s Check-in starts within the world of online selling. Jason is replacing his washer and dryer. Because of this he tries to sell his washer. This leads to a situation that triggers an emotional response of betrayal from childhood. Jason identifies his childhood feelings of promises being broken and how they have evolved into the adult feelings of being taken advantage of.

In our Deep Dive this week we talk about the act of accepting where we are and who we are. It is all too often that we want to fight our feelings of inadequacy or imperfection. Jason and Edward speak of their own experiences with this practice. Through conversation new ideas come to light and new thoughts on how to incorporate the practice in their lives. Jason and Edward talk about how the acceptance of our selves and the space we are in can be very powerful.

Edward starts us off with a story of change in his life. Edward finds himself running the house he works at while his boss is on family leave. New responsibilities and a new schedule create some good and some challenging situations. Edward also talks about a new medication that he has added to his regimen and Jason and Edward talk about the perception differences between euphoria and typical. Our talk ends on the note of physical activity and setting up a routine. Jason gives Edward some ideas which Edward seems less than eager to try out.

This week’s Deep Dive explores the world and the value of self-awareness. We talk a lot about some of the challenges of being self-aware and striving towards identifying our triggers and working through them, but what are some of the costs for not choosing this way of life? The good, the bad, the ugly of both sides of the self-awareness coin. Is ignorance really bliss, or is there pain and struggle in that ignorance? We talk about our struggles and the struggles of those we have known either in our personal lives or as part of our work over the years.

In this week’s Check-In Edward talks about his blood pressure and the process around getting it to more acceptable levels. Jason questions if it really was the medication since it is barely changed, and Edward has been off the stimulants for more than a month. Edward mentions that the last time he had high blood pressure such as this was when he was anemic. Edward talks about the frustration of having found something that worked for him and the slow going as far as the blood pressure.

In this week’s Deep Dive, Jason and Edward talk about resiliency. What is it, why it’s important, how to build it in our lives, and how to tell if you are resilient or experiencing trauma or masking responses? Jason starts our conversation with a brief overview of what resilience is and why It’s so important in our lives. Jason and Edward Discuss ways to build resilience and the benefits, especially for people with traumatic pasts.

Edward shares with us a story about car troubles. The story has a happy ending but getting there is a bit drawn out. As part of the story Jason and Edward talk about their relationships and history with manifestation. Edward finishes up with a lesson he learned from the experience about people and feeling worthy.

This week’s Deep Dive is a discussion around the use of Cannabis in the treatment of PTSD, Anxiety, and possible other mental health disorders. We start off with a discussion between Edward and Jason prompted by an experience Edward had. Jason and Edward share their stories of experiences with the use of Cannabis in both physical and mental health. Edward Finishes up with some research being done and an interesting and unsuspected effect of THC in the use of PTSD and Anxiety specifically. We discuss how it works according to the researchers, why it can work for people, and some things to think about before using it as a medicine.

We start out this week’s episode with the last installment of Jason’s vacation story. Jason shares with us, not only his anxiety around vacations, but also some of the comical situations he and his wife find themselves in, while in the big city. Jason also speaks about ways he “unplugged” from his job to take this time, and the feeling of filling the well from a much-needed break.

Our Deep Dive this week is a conversation with Edward about a recent situation in which he found himself. Though he keeps the specifics vague there is a long history of Edward holding poor boundaries with a “former employer”. Edward talks about how he navigated the situation and found personal benefit, while at the same time avoiding old pitfalls. Jason and Edward talk about best practices when walking the knifes edge of a newer, healthier boundary in an old situation.

In this week’s Check-In Edward talks about his continuing journey with his ADHD medication. Edward’s high blood pressure has become a major concern, even after switching to a different medication. Edward and his medication provider have decided to temporarily discontinue the use of stimulants at this point, while working with his primary doctor to bring down his blood pressure. In the meantime, Edward relays to us his struggle from the sudden fall out of the medication. This leads us into a conversation between Jason and Edward about the potential dangers of such a change, Edward using his therapist more, and the break down/break through that Edward is dealing with now. We talk about therapists and our individual dealings with them as well as how lucky Edward feels about having found this therapist.

Our Deep Dive this week, is all about Now/Not Now thinking. This type of thinking tends to crop up in various cognitive disorders and is really pronounced with ADHD. Edward offers insight into his experience with this type of thought structure, and Jason talks about the struggles of friends and family who live with people in it. We discus ways to work around the idea of being so excited and present in the moment, and completely forgetting or being unaware of the situation after the moment has passed. This is easily seen in object permanence issues, when someone will put something down and completely forget they had it. Also when someone is so excited about a topic of conversation then completely not think of it again until it is brought up.