Recently I was listening to Joel on the Lived Experience Podcast and he was sharing what it was like to grow up with a mum with bipolar disorder. In this interview on the Lived Experience podcast I chat to Joel about my “past life” experience of being a partner/carer of someone with bipolar disorder. It triggered a lot of memories for me of a “past life” relationship in London starting when I was 26 years old, and I…
Back in early 2011, I found myself back in depression soon after thinking I’d recovered from it. 2010 was a pretty terrible year for me in many ways. I slipped a disc in my back, was signed off work for 4 months, left a toxic relationship, ended up in depression and ultimately moved to Australia to fulfil a lifelong dream. I think a lot of us who move to another country end up with the blues at some…
I heard on a podcast the other day, “enabling comes in many forms”. How true that is. enabler /ɪˈneɪblə,ɛˈneɪblə/ A person who encourages or enables negative or self-destructive behaviour in another. I’ve spent many years in the past enabling others to continue to treat me in a certain way, or continue a certain pattern of behaviour without setting boundaries. I’ve enabled people to continue an addiction. I’ve enabled people to continue living in…
Have you ever gone through a challenging time in life and felt completely alone? Like you were the only one in the world going through something like this? Like nobody would understand? You don’t talk to anyone about what you’re going through as you’re worried they’ll judge you. When we’re going through crisis and chaos in our lives, we can feel isolated and alone. But when we come out the other side and share…
Life is full of ups and downs, where it can feel like the shit hitting the fan will never end. This is a guaranteed part of life. But like old mate Tony Robbins says, pain is part of life; suffering is optional. Granted, when life gives you lemons, you can feel very triggered, angry, hurt, upset, resentful, bitter… and if this goes on for long enough you risk burnout, anxiety and depression. We can be our own worst enemy…
Imagine if you stored every putrid smell you’d ever smelled in a room in your house – what would it smell like? Would you want to hang out in there? Would you try and avoid going in there at all costs? This is a bit like what we do with storing old hurts and traumas in our mind. Over time, if we actively choose not to heal old wounds, they become infected and stinky. …