Episode Summary
In my regular weekly summary of the things that have been happening in the last 7 days on the podcast I share the lessons and insights worthy of note. These include:
- The value of being able to talk to someone, even if it is just to vent how you are feeling.
- Why “Are You OK?” is definitely the wrong question to ask someone.
- What an alternative and more helpful question to ask might be.
- The psychology behind quieting your emotional brain when it has hijacked how you are feeling.
- An update on how the NHS continue to provide an impersonal and indifferent service to the needs of patients.
- How there are still other things that need to be “fixed” now I am well on the way to recovery.
Episode Show Notes
Here is a quick summary of what’s been happening on the podcast this week taken episode by episode.
00:12 – On Monday in Episode 121 Why Sharing (About Your Struggles) Is Caring (For Yourself), I explained the positive benefits of being able to talk to someone about what you are going through.
01:37 – Tuesday’s episode – Why “Are You OK” Is The WRONG Question To Ask Someone You Think Might Be Feeling Down (Or Depressed) – was inspired by seeing someone question whether asking that question would help more people.
I shared my views on that and gave what I believe a much better question to ask is.
03:00 – In Episode 123 on Wednesday, I dived into a bit of psychology research that explains why labelling how you are feeling reduces the intensity of those feelings.
It’s about shifting mental energy from your Amygdala (where the emotions are driven from), to your Pre-Frontal Cortex (where your decisions and problem solving takes place).
It’s amazing how such a simple technique can have such a powerful impact on how we are feeling.
04:09 – On Thursday I recorded an episode called “What Happens If You Want To Wallow In The Feelings Of Depression?“. Having taken the intellectual high ground in Wednesday’s episode about how we can change our emotional state, I reflect on my own experiences of flatly refusing to do se even though I knew I could.
04:51 – On Friday, I shared my feelings on getting exactly the same template letter from the NHS about still being on the waiting list for treatment. I’ll admit I went off on a bit of a rant, but it is because I am frustrated at how unnecessarily impersonal and uncaring the system is.
05:19 – In Episode 126, “Other Things That Need Fixing After Struggling With Depression” I shared some of the challenges I still need to overcome and problems I still need to solve that have been caused by suffering as I had. It’s not something that is often talked about in the literature I have seen on depression.
