Hello Talkers!
I celebrated three milestones this week. The first two were that I turned 45, and I reached three years of sobriety after quitting alcohol entirely in July 2018.
I’m finding myself less fussed with my birthday the older I get – my aunt refers to it as ‘just another day’ and I’ve been thinking of it that way a lot more, especially now that I’m in my 40’s (although it’s still a day where I ‘allow’ my partner to take care of me so I get a full day off; and by ‘allow’ that may or may not mean ‘demand’… 🤣).
However my sobriety anniversary (which also happens to be my birthday – I wrote myself off the day and night before my 42nd back in 2018 then spent the entire birthday feeling shame and regret, which led me to a crystal-clear clarity that I had to stop) means a lot more to me, as it’s the thing that changed my mental health and wellbeing for the better. I’m not saying everybody should quit drinking, however for anyone who might have difficulty with the concept of ‘moderation’ (which was 100% me) and who might struggle with issues like anxiety and/or depression, I would definitely recommend it. It is no small coincidence that my depression became much more manageable and less crippling once alcohol became a distant memory.
And the third milestone? I pulled the podcast listener data for the first time in nearly two months (I’ve been trying not to get hung up on the stats too much!) and discovered that Let’s Talk About Mental Health now has listeners in 145 countries worldwide (plus an additional 16 territories or overseas provinces not officially considered countries). 145?! WOW!!! I am so eternally grateful to each and every one of you who listens to my podcast and watches my YouTube show, thank you for your support and for helping me to get my messages about better mental health out to as many people as possible. I absolutely love what I do!
Anyway here’s a quick snapshot of my favourite things this week – hopefully at least one will make you smile/smirk/feel inspired. Have a fantastic week and a brilliant weekend!
Jeremy 😃
P.S. Speaking of helping people, I launched a new Instagram account called @bettermentalhealthdaily which is focused on sharing simple ideas for better mental health every day (see what I did there?!). I was finding it challenging to not clog up my main @ltamentalhealth channel too much with tips so decided to start up a new account so that the main LTAMH one can be focused on the podcast and YouTube content. Each post on @bettermentalhealthdaily includes a more detailed caption that explores the idea further (so it’s not just a greeting card slogan) as well as offering a list of relevant resources such as episodes of the podcast. See one of the latest posts below, and follow the account for daily inspiration and mental health motivation.
P.P.S. Are you an Amazon Music user? Let’s Talk About Mental Health is now on Amazon Music! Follow the podcast here: https://music.amazon.com.au/podcasts/837cd31d-c3c1-4144-b384-d681f00e51fb/LETS-TALK-ABOUT-MENTAL-HEALTH
My favourite things this week:
1. Video — Intrusive Thoughts & Overthinking… by Therapy in a Nutshell [via YouTube]
I’ve been doing research on fellow mental health YouTubers and came across the great content from Therapy in a Nutshell, and since I know overthinking/intrusive thoughts is a popular topic (Episode 4 of the podcast, about Overthinking, is my most popular episode of all time with nearly 12,000 plays) I thought I’d share this video. It may not be for everyone in terms of the delivery style (which feels a bit therapy-heavy) but it has some excellent information.
2. Social media — Change is difficult. Be tender with yourself in the process… by @calm [via Instagram]
Another one from @calm (I shared them last week as well) and this is a very good reminder that change is difficult, which is why we so often resist it. But do you know what you get when nothing changes? The same thing, which can lead to stagnation.
3. Social media — The three things you need for life… by @dailystoic [via Instagram]
Objective judgement. Unselfish action. Willing acceptance of all internal events. These three things in the current moment are all you need according to Marcus Aurelius in Meditations, written in the second century AD. Definitely worthy of reflection.
Tip of the week for better mental health:
Focus on simple joys. Freshly cut grass. Fresh sheets. Hot drinks on a cold day. Cold drinks on a hot day. Listening to the rain. Watching the sunrise or sunset. Listening to music that makes you feel happy and positive. Reading an inspiring book. There are so many simple pleasures in life, and when you focus on them and really experience them you become much more aware that joy is to be find everywhere.
Quote of the week:
“Surround yourself with somebody who is as happy for your happiness as you are for your happiness.“
Oprah Winfrey
My content this week:
And over on www.jeremygodwin.com.au I published a blog post about my thought process behind the stress video. Click here to read and if you like it then sign up to have future blog posts from jeremygodwin.com.au land in your inbox… thanks!
Thanks for reading and enjoy your week/weekend! JG 🙂
