Let's Talk About Mental Health

I try to focus on the good in people as much as I can, but some people are just nasty and unpleasant. Try as we might to avoid them we might struggle to do so, especially if it’s a family member or work colleague. So how do you deal with toxic people and look after your mental wellbeing? Well this week I’m talking about what toxic behaviour looks like, why it’s important to know the difference bet...

We need to rethink success. For years we’ve been sold this message throughout much of the world that success is based on things like money, status and possessions, and I’m not saying that we should ignore those things and go live in the woods, but there has to be balance in all things. But what does that look like? Why should we redefine success if we want better mental health and wellbeing? And h...

Anger is one of those emotions that most (if not all) of us experience from time to time, and healthy anger can serve to drive us to address things that aren’t working so that we can make changes for the better. However, unhealthy anger can have a negative impact on our relationships as well as our physical and mental health. So this week I’m talking about what anger is, why dealing with anger eff...

So much of our notion of ‘truth’ is tied up in how we perceive the world and how we perceive ourselves, as well as how we judge ourselves based on our intentions versus our behaviours, so this week I’m talking about what truth is (and what it isn’t), why real truth matters, and how to incorporate genuine truth into everything you do for the sake of your wellbeing. So, let’s talk! ► For more great...

Shame is something that can show up for many of us time after time both internally and also in external terms, such as the judgments other people put on us, and a lot of it stems from factors like cultural norms, religion, family conventions etc. Shame can have a damaging effect on our self-esteem and our ability to be the best and most honest version of ourselves possible, so this week I’m talkin...

Doubt can sometimes be healthy, because it helps us to consider our actions and behaviours while reminding us that we’re not always correct about everything. But sometimes doubt, and especially self-doubt, gets out of control, which can lead us to treat ourselves poorly or hold us back from doing things that we need to do in order to move our lives forward in a positive direction. So this week I’m...

Distractions can sometimes be a good thing, especially if we feel overwhelmed, and there are plenty of healthy distractions. But there is an enormous difference between healthy and unhealthy distractions, and it’s important to be honest with yourself about the long-term effects of the unhealthier ways that we can choose to distract ourselves from issues (not to mention that avoiding our problems c...

A lot of our identity can be tied up in our ego in terms of our sense of self-worth and value, and it can play a big part in how we get our energy from our ourselves internally plus from external factors like work, status and other people, so being able to understand the difference between a healthy vs. an unhealthy ego can play a huge role in good mental health. So this week I’m talking about wha...

We talk about the idea of ‘energy’ a lot, especially in the context of wellbeing… but what does it actually mean? Is there any basis in fact behind the idea of positive or negative energy? How does your energy and how you interact with other people’s energy influence your mental health and wellbeing? This week I’m talking about what energy is, why it matters for good mental health and how to work...

I think if there were ever a more perfect time to talk about connection, this is probably it! These last 12 months have been tough work and I think many of us have just gone into survival mode in some senses, especially in terms of being limited with our movement and often being separated from our friends and loved ones for long periods of time. Choosing to improve the quality of your connections...

Resistance is something that can happen to any one of us (and often does every day!), in terms of resisting both external stuff and our internal motivation. But the thing is that when we resist ourselves, we make life more difficult in the long-run; for example, we can have all the dreams we like but unless we’re willing to get out of our own way and put in the effort, we won’t be able to turn the...

Being more patient can improve your mental health and wellbeing because it helps you to see things in a clearer way so that you can respond more thoughtfully. This week, I’m talking about what patience is, why it matters for good mental health and wellbeing, and how to incorporate greater patience into everything you do. Let's Talk About Mental Health is a weekly podcast full of simple ideas for b...

One of the things that can have a big impact on our wellbeing is our ability to focus on simplicity over complication, because the more complex things are in life the higher the likelihood that challenges can occur, so this week I’m talking about what simplicity is, why it matters for your mental health, and how to incorporate greater simplicity into your life every day to improve your overall wel...

Understanding who you are and how that influences every aspect of your life, including your feelings and your overall health, is a massive part of wellbeing because it allows you to better identify opportunities to grow in order to become the best version of yourself possible. So how do you become more self-aware? This week I’m talking about what self-awareness is, why it matters and, most importa...

We seem to have such constant pressure to be happy from both ourselves and the world around us, however the things that are supposed to make us happy (like money and success) usually don’t have a long-lasting effect. So what really does make us happy? How do you find greater happiness in life? This week I’m exploring what happiness is and what it isn’t, why having a healthy attitude towards the pu...

It’s a brand-new year (hooray!) and to help you make the most of it (in spite of all the challenges we continue to face), 2021 is The Year of Wellbeing on Let’s Talk About Mental Health ! Each week on the podcast I’ll be sharing simple ideas for better mental health and wellbeing, and I will be exploring lots of different things you can do every day to make a positive difference in your life. This...

As we prepare to say farewell (at last!) to 2020, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve learned this year and what we might need to consider for the new year — because things won’t just magically return to ‘normal’ at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. In this episode I’m taking a look back at some of the biggest lessons for all of us from 2020, some of the most important things to cons...

2020 has served an important purpose: it has challenged us to really think about what matters in our lives, and for most of us that comes back to finding greater meaning and purpose in ways that align to our priorities (like our loved ones). In this episode I’m talking about what meaning is, why it’s important for good mental health, and how to find greater meaning in your life every day. Let's Ta...

What we choose to do with our emotions determines what happens next, and good emotional health involves making healthy choices — you are not your emotions; you are what you do with your emotions. In this episode I’m talking about what emotional health is, why understanding your emotions is important for good mental health, and how to better manage your emotions every day. Let's Talk About Mental H...

It’s human nature to hope that other people have good intentions when they interact with us, however unfortunately that isn’t always the case… so this week I’m talking about what manipulation is (including gaslighting), why it can have a negative impact on your mental health, and how to address it for the sake of your wellbeing. Let's Talk About Mental Health is a weekly podcast full of simple ide...

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s the value of focusing on what really matters (like our loved ones) and also the importance of being true to ourselves, of being authentic… so this week I’m talking about what authenticity is, why it’s the foundation of not just your mental health but your overall happiness, and how to be your most authentic self every single day. Let's Talk About Mental Health i...

Trust is something that goes hand-in-hand with boundaries (the subject of last week’s episode) and it’s an absolutely fundamental part of good relationships, so in this episode I’ll be discussing: what trust is, why it’s the foundation of every relationship you’ll ever have in your life, and how to build and maintain trust plus what to do if your trust has been betrayed. Let's Talk About Mental He...

An important part of good mental health is about setting boundaries, which are limits of what you will and will not accept from others or from yourself. Having clear boundaries and sticking to them allows you to maintain your self-esteem and have healthy relationships… so in this week’s episode I’m talking about what boundaries are, why they’re important for your wellbeing, and how to set them. Le...

Change is the one constant in life; no matter what we do, things do not and cannot stay the same. That can present real challenges in terms of our wellbeing, and so it’s up to each of us to find positive ways to navigate change that help us to grow. This week I’m talking about why we resist change and why embracing change is important for good mental health. Let's Talk About Mental Health is a wee...

Sometimes life can become overwhelming and we can feel like we’re running out of steam, especially with all the things that go on in our minds and in the world around us. The tricky part of feeling overwhelmed by external or internal events is finding the strength and determination to push through all of that so you can keep on moving forward. In this week’s episode I look at the role of persevera...