It can be so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we need to acquire things before we can be happy and fulfilled. This could be money, status, relationships, the way we look, the list goes on. In this episode, Jason breaks down his own personal battle with trauma, addiction, and constantly seeking things to fix what he thought was wrong with him. It wasn't until he decided to look within that he realised everything he ever thought he needed was already inside of him.

This is a personal favourite of mine, probably because I related so much to his story, and if you've ever found yourself trapped by this way of thinking I have no doubt you'll get something from this episode.

You can connect with Jason here: https://www.wideworldcoaching.com/

Luke Walsh breaks answers the question - what is anxiety, and how can we manage anxiety? Luke Walsh did a great job in this episode of explaining why we should choose to listen to the anxious voice in our head - more often than not it's trying to tell us something we really need to know. We also discussed how lifestyle impacts anxiety, and how to deal with social anxiety.

Luke is a qualified pschotherapist & hypnotherapist operating out of Manchester, England. He takes a fireside approach to his therapy sessions, helping his clients to unpack issues they might be facing around anxiety, depression, mid-life career changes and the effects of childhood trauma to name a few.

You can connect with luke via his website here: https://www.lukewalshtherapy.com/

And via instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lukewalshtherapy/

A psychotherapist answers the question - what is CBT? Cognitive behavioural therapy can be used to treat anxiety, depression, PTSD and more, and Sarah Rees explains in this episode exactly how. She explains how CBT works, and we have a discussion about the benefits of being more compassionate to ourselves too.

You can visit Sarah's website here: https://sarahdrees.co.uk/
And connect with here on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/sarahdrees.co.uk/

Dry January is fully in swing now for a lot of us and whilst some of us might've failed at the first hurdle (myself included) I thought it would be fitting to get Will Armstrong on to discuss his sober journey. 5 years ago Will was trapped in a cycle of constant escapism through alcohol and drugs, and since knocking it on the head every aspect of his life has improved, including his crippling anxiety. We discussed his story, techniques he used to go sober, and we had an open chat about why alcohol is so deeply embedded in our culture. If you're trying to cut down on the booze I promise you this episode will really hit home!

You can connect with Will here: https://www.instagram.com/teetotaltrainer/

It's no secret that a lot of us spend time conjuring up stories in our mind based on worrying about the future. That's why I invited Will onto the podcast to not only share his experience with worry, but shed some light around how we can turn down the volume of the voice in our minds that seems to always be so concerned about how the future will play out.

We discussed practical ways of tackling worry and the importance of avoiding distraction in our lives, ensuring we make time and space to address what's happening in our brains.

You can connect with will via instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/theworrying_warrior/

Aaron joined me this week to talk about how we typically take a reactive approach when it comes to mental health vs a preventative approach. We covered mindset, the relationship between exercising and mental health, the dangers of a one size fits all approach and some interesting ideas about reframing too.

You can connect with Aaron here via instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronr_87/

Tribox instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tribox_/

After suffering from an alcohol and cocaine addiction after leaving the army, Dan received help from SSAFA, the armed forces charity, who provided him with financial support to get his life back on track. Dan has now spent over 18 months walking the entire UK coastline to raise money for SSAFA, and today he walks us through both the mental journey he's faced since leaving the army and the physical one he's facing around the coast.

To donate to Dan's cause, you can click here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/danwalksuk

You can connect with Dan here: https://www.instagram.com/danwalksuk/

Keeping anxiety a secret and bottling it up only gave it more power over me. Talking with those closest to me felt like a huge weight off my shoulders; whilst it might seem daunting it played a big role in working through it.

Feel free to get involved in Movember with a donation here: https://movember.com/m/mikewells12?mc=1

From using alcohol and drugs to mask his pain to starting a mental health support group for men, James' story is both inspiring and relatable. We had an open chat about men's mental health, what we can do to challenge the stigma, and also how he looks after his mental health now.

James is a men's mental health advocate and founder of walk and talk for men, a support group for men that has now expanded up and down the country. After recovering from hitting rock bottom following the loss of his mother and nephew, James now spends his time on making the conversation around mental health louder.

You can connect with James here: https://www.instagram.com/mace_the_basketcase/

Here's a 4-step approach I use that helped me to work through anxiety when it well and truly had a grip on my life, preventing me from going into work and at times socialising too. This won't cure anxiety overnight, but in my experience consistently applying this technique worked wonders for me!