Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast

As promised, we’re changing it up this week with a movie review for spooky season! We watched The Stepford Wives (1975) with our friend Orion and talked about the horrors of patriarchy, mental illness and capitalism, the dark underbelly of psychiatry, 70s fashion, modern parallels, and more. Enjoy! Got thoughts on this film? See below for ways to follow us and join in the conversation: * Subscribe...

We continue our conversation about acceptance, this time exploring the other side of the coin: denial. Topics include blackout stories, health updates for Pico and Christina, why Lauren hates DBT, panic attacks, and some brutal honesty. We also dig through old treatment materials and find a fatalistic (yet hilarious?) quiz. Enjoy! Got thoughts on this topic? See below for ways to follow us and joi...

In which we accept that we don’t always know what we’re talking about…but that’s OK! This week, we touch on control, denial, giving up, pain versus suffering, disappointment, mindfulness in a crisis, and forgiving ourselves. Tangents include rehoming pets, Benadryl, and DND. Enjoy! Sources: * Radical Acceptance in a Time of Uncertainty Got thoughts on this topic? See below for ways to follow us an...

We discuss listener responses to the question “How do you overthink your mental health?” Topics include going through the motions, not prioritizing your health, when to push through discomfort, and when to honor your feelings. Plus, Lauren avoids politics with her family and Christina has a disability update. Enjoy! Thank you for all who contributed this week! See below for ways to follow us and j...

Joining the podcast this week is Christina’s friend Effie, who talks about gender, polyamory, anti-capitalism, forming a chosen family from scratch, and so much more! Tangents include the Ren faire, graduating therapy, codependency, and a cat update. See below for ways to follow us and join in the conversation: * Subscribe to our Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Follow our In...

In which we are incredibly self-aware and ask ourselves whether we do more harm or good by making mental health our every waking thought. Tangents include Lauren’s show, Christina’s depression, the devil, and voicemails. Enjoy! See below for ways to follow us and join in the conversation: * Subscribe to our Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Follow our Instagram:  @picklesandvo...

We discuss listener responses to the question “What did you miss out on in childhood?” Tangents include mourning lost opportunities, not being allowed to fail, parentification, curiosity, and realizing you were just a kid all along. Enjoy! See below for ways to follow us and join in the conversation: * Subscribe to our Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Follow our Instagram:  @...

Christina makes Lauren read a pop psychology article and we discuss whether “Hurried Child Syndrome” is actually a thing. Topics include responsibility, perfectionism, cyclical trauma, therapy approaches, and more. Plus we’ve got voicemails, a disastrous work story from Lauren, and an attempted coup by Christina’s cats. Enjoy! Sources: * 3 Signs You ‘Grew Up Too Fast,’ According To A Psyschologist...

We discuss a controversial 1994 Lifetime movie about anorexia and find ourselves relating more than we’d like to admit. Tangents include maternity leave, To the Bone, Jennette McCurdy, and a floof war . Enjoy! Trigger warning: This episode goes into our real life experiences with eating disorders as well as the way anorexia is brutally (realistically?) portrayed on the screen. Listen at your own d...

We temporarily set aside our professionalism and spend Lauren’s birthday episode shooting the sh*t. Tangents include moving disasters, disclosing our weight at the DMV, poems inspired by pets who have passed, Hallmark movies about eating disorders, and—you guessed it—vaping. We’ll be back next week with our regular content, but in the meantime…enjoy? See below for ways to follow us and join in the...

Our friend Chris joins the podcast to talk about sobriety, writing, art, and lowering expectations when it comes to mental health and recovery. Tangents include toxic positivity, lists, and NaNoWriMo. Enjoy! This episode features Christopher Robin. Here are some ways to follow him: * Substack: Christopher Robin’s Nebulous * Instagram: @christopher_robin79 * Etsy: ChristopherRobinArt * Medium: Chri...

We discuss listener responses to the question “Do you feel like you have an identity?” Tangents include Christina’s birthday, fear of happiness, disability, queerness, and books. A visitor makes a surprise appearance. Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who answered our pickle poll! See below for ways to follow us and join in the conversation: * Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Instagr...

This week, we talk about past and present ways we’ve defined ourselves and the impact our identities have on our life experiences. Topics include body dysmorphia, making your mental illness your identity, personal style, and a special roleplaying segment where we respond to the question “What do you do?” Enjoy! Next week, we’ll be sharing your thoughts on this topic! See below for ways to follow u...

We share results from the latest pickle poll and discuss your answers! Tangents include Lauren’s new apartment, Christina’s latest hobby, podcasting naked, and finding joy in recovery. How to follow us and join in the conversation: * Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast * Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Email:  picklesan...

This one goes out to anyone feeling stuck in the cycle of self-sabotage. Topics include lapses vs relapses, what maintenance means to us, Benadryl, going through the motions, and vaping. Content warning for suicidal ideation and discussions of weight loss (no numbers). How to follow us and join in the conversation: * Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Instagram:  @picklesandvod...

We share results from the latest pickle poll and discuss your answers! Tangents include Lauren’s good news, Christina’s safety plan, and whether money can actually buy happiness. Apologies for Meatball. Content warning for suicide talk. How to follow us and join in the conversation: * Substack: Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast * Facebook:  Pickles an...

In which two self-described mentally ill outsiders discuss friendship. Subtopics include online friends, accidental enabling, ways we stay lonely, and friendship green flags. Enjoy! ANSWER THE PICKLE POLL by subscribing for free and joining our chat! How to follow us and join the conversation: * Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast * Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Email:  p...

This time last year, Lauren was in treatment and Christina was on the verge of a breakdown. Were we just going through the motions? Is there even a point? We’ll let you decide. Tangents include cocaine, asking for help, malicious burritos, letting people surprise you, and the meaning behind Lauren’s Instagram handle. Content warning for eating disorders, addiction, and suicidal ideation. How to fo...

We face our fears and talk about sex on the podcast with our friend j’naii. Nobody had any fun and we totally didn’t laugh at inappropriate moments. Topics include purity culture, masturbation, sex and eating disorders, shame, projection, and more that Christina can’t remember. CONTENT WARNING: This episode mentions sexual assault, including assault on a child. We don’t dwell on it long and avoid...

We talk about shame and try not to spiral on air. Topics include our shame origins, redeeming qualities of guilt, sexual shame, getting easily embarrassed in public, and how one comment can change everything. Enjoy! How to follow us and join in the conversation: * Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast * Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Email:  picklesandvodkapodcast@gmail.com...

Lauren’s out of town this week, so what better time to introduce Christina’s new side project? We love you all and will be back soon for our regular program. follow field notes from crisis corner How to follow us and join in the conversation: * Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast * Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast * Email:  picklesandvodkapodcast@gmail.com * Christina's person...

We watched a movie about family dysfunction and it was very uncomfortable. Side topics include Rush Limbaugh, body modification, getting cheated on, and what to buy your mother as a wedding present. Enjoy! We'll be back next week with our usual traumatic content. How to follow us and join the conversation: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcas...

Lauren shares a vulnerable piece of writing from her past, which opens the door to a conversation neither of us really want to have. Major content warning for eating disorders, specifically laxative abuse, binging, and overexercise. Take care of yourselves, friends. How to follow us and join the conversation: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast...

Life is exhausting and Christina can't think of clever titles anymore. On this episode, we talk grief, Substack, capitalism, rushing treatment, relapse, and the boredom of it all. Content warning for extensive eating disorder talk, though we try to avoid triggering details. Enjoy! How to follow us and join the conversation: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Me...

Earlier this year, we lost a dear friend and former podcast guest. Today, we remember her by rereleasing her original 2020 interview with a foreword from us and several of her friends. We love you, Dawn. How to follow us and join the conversation: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast Email:  picklesandvodkapodcast@gmail.com Christina's perso...