Optimistically Depressed

Thank you everyone for being so patient with me as I took another needed break. I deeply appreciate all of you. I've recently been diagnosed with CPTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and in this episode, I talk about what CPTSD feels like and briefly touch on some of the memories I have recovered (not intentionally) and how they have contributed to my diagnosis. I also talk about what it feels like to remember traumatic experiences and reiterate how we are not alone in this journey. There...

The wonderful Sean McMullen returns to Optimistically Depressed to talk about his excursions as Saltwater Sean, the thrills of discovering what lies under the sea, and how the exposure to cold water benefits him physically and mentally as it requires him to listen more closely to his body and mind. Have a listen and be sure to check out his YouTube and Instagram accounts under Saltwater Sean! https://www.youtube.com/c/SaltwaterSean https://www.instagram.com/saltwater_sean/

Are you looking for ways to improve your emotional and physical well-being? Do you struggle with some of your thoughts and feelings? Pat Sebastien, CEO of Moodie Inc, & I sat down to discuss the app Moodie, which is designed to be your personalized wellness companion. Try it out and find a place to reflect, get helpful information, encouragement, guidance, and some coping activities. Moodie enables you to change your mood through customized engagements called Actions and gives you the...

It's amazing how many contributors there are to the inability to regulate our emotions. They feel like this involuntary experience that takes over our body - you know the feeling - the anger takes over and all you see is red, or the sadness is crippling. It's like the only options we have are to let the emotions take over or to resist them. Turns out those aren't the only options. We can actually have a good relationship with our feelings, who woulda thought?! Have a listen for good coping...

What do we all share? Our emotions. While the way we experience them is unique, the feelings themselves are what connect us. With something so powerful, we need to be aware of how we use them and, while protecting ourselves, we can also use the gift of emotions to create empathy. And that, friends, is how we can help heal the world. So let's take care of our emotions and talk about them.

After a much needed break, I’m feeling mostly refreshed and ready to get back to all of you and share what’s been on my mind for the past six months. It isn’t a surprise that it’s been rough, but it’s brought me to some realizations that were learned through tough lessons and many tears. Thanks for waiting so lovingly for me and I am thrilled to finally continue our journey together.

It's Rumination time! I got more topics for discussion from you beauties and used the opportunity to practice being more honest and raw with my opinions. I can't wait until all this crap with Covid is over. One of you asked what I'm looking forward to doing when that happens so I talk a bit about that. Next, I discuss my thoughts on the importance of taking responsibility for and maintaining our own mental health and not taking on the responsibility of anyone else’s. I finish off the...

The glorious Lindsay Umlah joins Optimistically Depressed for a second time! I saw a post she made on Instagram about being enough and it struck me. There are many areas we need to work through when it comes to feeling like we measure up and believe me, I've been working on them. The first one I wanted to tackle was being enough as myself, with my personality and my opinion. I've made great progress in that area and I've been dedicating a lot of focus to it. But another area that haunts me...

Hey friends! This week I thought I’d do another rumination. I asked for some suggestions on what to talk about and suggestions were made! I talk on some tips I’ve learned on how to stay sane during quarantine and how to take care of ourselves. Then I venture a little into the world of astrology - something I’ve learned a bit about recently and am rather intrigued by. I hope all of you are doing well and this episode can help you feel less alone. Sending my love!

Anyone else feel like a caged animal right about now? Like you need to get out but you also have so much fear around going out because you don't want catch Covid-19 and bring it home to your family? Needless to say, the past couple months have been somewhat traumatic for all of us, which is why I think it is the perfect time to hear what Shannon has to say about C-PTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy helped her...

Rumination time! I tried out Ruthy's Rumination many months ago and have recorded others since but haven't released them because I'm not ready for that level of vulnerability. And now here we are, one that made the cut! I want to thank the people who made suggestions for what I could talk about. I hope that if you listen to this you find what I had to say on your topic to be helpful or interesting. I took this podcast as an opportunity to express my thoughts on cutting out relationships,...

Ok, it's been something like four weeks since we've had to stay home, right? Perhaps some of us still need more time to grieve, but others may be noticing a crossroads. What next? Shall I plunge into self-destruction? Sink into mediocrity? Honestly, I couldn't blame you for doing either. How many of us have been through such an experience? It's difficult to decide how to behave and each of our circumstances at home are different. However, there are some of you who are either knowingly or...

Freedom. Ah, doesn't that sounds especially sweet right now? We may be feeling a little caged right now since we can't go out and visit our friends, but the most effective cage in our lives is our mind. Now, I don't expect that statement to be particularly shocking. Our culture is becoming more sensitive to mental health and the influence our minds have over our lives so we mostly have this basic understanding. That is a great start, but where to go from there? Ok, our mind is holding us...

I think we’re starting to get to a point where we’re really starting to understand this pandemic isn’t going away soon. I know we “knew” that, but we didn’t really know that. That make sense? It’s like the five stages of grief. We’re starting to move through them and mourn our old lives while wondering what out new ones will look like. It’s kinda scary. Sean and I talk about how we’re feeling and manage to get some laughs in. Things feel so heavy lately it seems. It’s nice to have an honest...

I hope all of you are doing well. If you are struggling, my heart goes out to you. If you have lost someone to this horrible virus, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. I have been thinking about those who are hurting from this. I can't imagine the pain. The best thing I know to do about that right now is staying home and creating what I can from here and then sending it out to you. We changed things up a little this time and Marc interviewed me! We talked about what I've been up to and...

It's so great to have a friend that you can talk to about anything, including the stuff that we generally hate talking about, ie: confrontational stuff. Candyce is one of those people that can look at a problem and not only find a solution, but break it down in a way that is non-threatening and provides a solution before there is even a problem. Talk about the perfect recipe for a happy community. Candyce and I discuss the ways to build happy, healthy and proactive relationships and how to...

We all have a part of our pasts that we can feel the victim of, and the truth is that when we’re children, we are the victim. But what about when we become adults? Do we carry the victim status along with ourselves or do we grab the pen which has been writing our life story so far and take over? Christy Ann has quite literally grabbed that pen and started writing through her own struggles and thought patterns with fictional stories. Her witty and thoughtful tales show a reflection of...

We’ve heard from this guy before, but I had to interview him again. Lee Fraser is one of those minds that many try to mimic, and why? Because when he sets his mind on something, he gets it done. This past weekend, I got to participate in a weekend Lee is well known for hosting: the Creatives Weekend. Over the span of either three or four days, creatives participate in workshops, socializing, creative feats and outdoor exploration. There’s something for everyone. I got to speak at this...

One of the mental disorders that has a lot of confusion around it is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Many people get a little freaked out at the idea, but they don't need to be. Wren Kelly openly discusses her symptoms with BPD and what they feel like. She describes what she does to counteract her symptoms and the mental discipline needed to do so. Get ready for an open and honest discussion about the illness that Hollywood loves to take advantage of and why it doesn't necessarily...

Inspiration graces us in many forms and in this case, it comes in the form of my friend Verity. I am thrilled to have her back on Optimistically Depressed. As a professional hypnotherapist, she has shared with me several helpful insights for managing my thoughts. This time Verity returns to talk about anxiety, being properly aware of danger and the mindset needed to climb mountains. Among her many talents, Verity is quite the mountaineer and will be climbing to the Everest base camp this...