Where is My Mind?

They kayaked Ireland’s longest River Shannon, cycled 160km and climbed Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil, all over 8 days to raise funds for better mental health literacy for young people. 

The Rising 2024 is complete and this week Niall reminisces on the journey, everything he and the team learned along the way and what it means to complete it. Although there were challenges along the way, from injuries to capsizes, and moments where they had to dig deep, we have almost reached the €200k target which will go towards developing further programmes to help our young people. 

You can donate to The Rising here: https://www.alustforlife.com/therising 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How we listen to music has changed. With streaming, social media and 15 second TikTok’s it’s rare we listen to a full album anymore. Sometimes, though, a body of work comes along that stops you in your tracks. 

This week, Niall is joined by Gary Lightbody, lead singer and guitarist with Snow Patrol. The Irish band have just released their first album in 6 years, ‘The Forest Is The Path’, which may be their most vulnerable record to date. The band approached this album in a different way than they have before, with the first lyrics coming to Gary while emerging from a numbness following the death of his father. Niall and Gary get into the process of making the album, along with Gary’s relief to finally feel again after grief and putting it in writing. They also discuss their shared passion for mental health reform, with Gary’s particular focus on the suicide rates in Northern Ireland, and how music is what saved him when he went through his own dark night of the soul. 

This episode discusses some sensitive topics, please take care when listening.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

#newmusic #album #snowpatrol #psychology #anxiety #mindfulness #mentalhealth #therapy #musictherapy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve been following Niall on social media you’ll know he’s spent the last number of months training for another intense fundraiser to improve mental health supports for young people in Ireland. 

Niall and the team are back for the second year to take on the grueling challenge of The Rising. This year consists of a kayak of the Shannon, followed by a 160 km cycle from Limerick to Carrauntoohil, and culminating in a climb up Ireland's highest peak, Carrauntoohil, totaling 393km. In this episode we hear from the incredible souls in the team and their big ‘WHY’ for taking on something like this to better the future of children and young people’s mental health. Some of the team are parents, some are driven by their own and their families struggles with mental health, but they all want to create change from how things were in their past.

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anxiety can feel like something that is there to ruin our life, but the little alarm system going off inside us is actually incredibly important in giving us warning signals and keeping us alive. 

In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Dr. Richard Hogan, renowned psychotherapist and clinical director of Therapy Institute. Richard’s work as a family psychotherapist has given him a deep understanding of anxiety and the function it provides. From sleep to screens, environment to emotions, there are a number of potential root causes of your anxiety but understanding that it’s only trying to protect can be a big step in moving forward. Niall and Richard discuss the anxiety that is being emanated in the modern world and how what we’re feeling is most likely a very human response. They also look how children are growing up more anxious with a lack of resilience and a fear of growing up. 

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve talked a lot about connection and relationships recently on the podcast, but they are at the beating heart of our very being. 

In this episode Niall is joined by our very own Louize Carroll of The Therapy Room, to dive deeper into how relationships mould and mirror our psychology. Louize has a deep passion for understanding how we relate to each other and how that impacts our own inner world. She has created a 12 week programme that helps individuals heal wounds, master triggers and transform relationships. Niall and Louize get into the core of healthy attachments, looking at the three vital ingredients of self worth, communication and vulnerability and how our past experiences can make it difficult to break down the walls and achieve those. They also look at love in the modern world with the influence of reality TV, porn and the trend of trying to diagnose each others attachment styles, and how damaging this external noise can be. 

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We now have solid evidence that social connection is vital to our wellbeing and as crucial to our health as our diet and exercise. So is our modern divided world making us sick? 

In this week’s episode Niall is joined by David Robson, science journalist and author of ‘The Laws of Connection’. We are living in times of great tension that is only exacerbated by our reliance on social media. Unfortunately, this is pushing us further and further away from each other, creating a deficit in our most basic needs as social beings. In his new book, David Robson explains the psychological barriers that are preventing us from forming strong and meaningful connections, along with strategies to overcome our social awkwardness. Niall and David discuss how connection feels really lost in the world right now, along with how algorithms are driving us apart. They also discuss how powerful connection can be in changing the course of our lives and the ways we can push ourselves outside of our comfort zone to begin building a more connected existence. 

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes life throws us challenges that can seem impossible to overcome, but something innately in us somehow keeps us going. 

In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by Rachel Gotto, a hypnotherapist and mid-life crisis coach who has overcome immense tragedy in her life. Just two years after losing her brother to cancer, Rachel was shocked by the death of her husband while six months pregnant. Numb with grief, Rachel spent the next few years raising her daughter and trying to cope until she was struck with her own health issues that left her with two years to live. What follows is an incredible journey to understand her pain, coming back from the brink of death and turning it all around to help others process their trauma in life. Rachel shares her incredible story, along with her passion for the power of community and alternative therapies and shows us what the true meaning of resilience is. Niall and Rachel also discuss her memoir ‘Flying on the Inside’ and the intricate individual experiences of therapy. 

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the head-melty chaos of the modern world, sometimes all we need is to get through the next five minutes. 

In this week’s episode, Niall is joined by author James Parker, whose new book ‘Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes: Odes to Being Alive’ is a dedication to finding gratitude in unexpected places. As the unofficial “gratitude correspondent” for the Atlantic, James’ often hilarious odes range from moments of self-discovery to life-changing music to mundane everyday things. Niall and James get into their shared love of the darkness and the humour that helps them through their melancholy. James also explains his ‘Ode to Meditating’ and ‘Ode to Not Meditating,’ with Niall giving some advice on implementing metta meditation into your day. 

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sheer amount of information we are exposed to and are absorbing everyday is beyond overwhelming, and in a media landscape now flooded with misinformation and disinformation it can be difficult to decipher what’s real. 

Niall is joined by Steven Brill, journalist and author whose latest book ‘The Death Of Truth’ looks at how social media has given snake oil salesmen and demagogues the power to destroy trust and polarise our society. Steven is also co-founder of NewsGuard, which rates the reliability of news and information websites. Niall and Steven discuss the danger of fake news on our personal wellbeing and wider society, how powerful entities are manipulating the truth and how our world leaders are giving them more ammunition to plant seeds of doubt. They also discuss the anarchy we’re seeing emerge in Ireland, driven by far-right manipulation, and how important good information, media literacy and good communication are going to be in rebuilding the trust within our society. 

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As humans we are subject to so much external and internal pressure to achieve, do, strive for more in our lives and in ourselves. It can feel like a never ending mountain to climb. 

In this week’s episode Niall is joined by Dr. Clodagh Campbell, better known as The Wellness Psychologist, who works with a lot of ‘over-achievers’ to help them accept where they are at and calm the chaos within. Clodagh’s own experience as an adopted person inspired her to hold space for those who feel lonely in their stories and in their pain. Niall and Clodagh discuss the culture that is making us all feel less-than, impacting our self-worth and how that can feel in the body. Clodagh shares how this shows up in the therapy room with her clients and the ways she helps them define the function and the cost of their actions, reestablish their values and feel the very important emotions we’re so often distracted from.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. 

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.