A Mental Health Journey: Recent Episodes
Conor Stone
Sharing a story known by many.
Conor Stone has lived with anxiety and depression for a number of years and in this podcast he looks to share his experiences in a way that can hopefully help others in their own journeys with mental health.
See https://amentalhealthjourney.com for more blogs and podcasts
In this episode, Conor is joined by the founder of Balance My Life, Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach, Margaret ('Mags') O'Brien to discuss the important roll that our nutrition can have in our mental health. They discuss how food impacts the serotonin in our bodies, how it effects our sleep, how it influences our energy and how things like alcohol and caffeine can effect us.
To reach out to Mags' you can find her at www.balancemylife.ie :)
This episode is all about becoming more mindful in your day to day life. It recognises that mindfulness doesn't need to be meditation. Mindfulness in its most simple form is having an awareness of your present experience, without any judgement for that experience.
That could mean you are mindful when you recognise how tough your run is; when you notice a beautiful view on your walk; when you hear the traffic you pass outside your window; or when you feel the wind and rain against your body at the bus stop.
Mindfulness is everywhere, once you allow yourself to notice - Enjoy ❤
In this podcast, Conor follows on from episode #20 with ways, in his experience, that we improve our mental health when we think it could be declining, or just in general. Take 20 minutes and see what you think :)
Conor is not a therapist so these thoughts are his own and from his own experience.
Mental health issues are a weird one where often times you yourself are the last person to notice they exist. Before we can reflect and act, we have to notice. The challenge is that noticing isn't always as simple as it sounds. In this podcast, Conor shares his experiences of not noticing he was anxious/depressed/panicked until weeks down the line, and he discusses the things he spots in his self that helps him to notice potential declines now before things get too bad.
Enjoy :)
Its been a while.. sorry about that but I am back with a fortnightly podcast where I'll get back sharing my mental health journey in a way that can hopefully help you make your journey that little bit easier. What better place to start than by reviewing my year in the world of Covid-19 - I talk about my lows, my highs, my biggest takeaways and my hopes for the future. Hope you enjoy :)
Please subscribe, share & leave a review if you like the podcast :)
Follow A Mental Health Journey on IG - Conor Stone | AMHJ (@amentalhealthjourney_) • Instagram photos and videos
The question I get asked more than any other is “How can I support my partner/brother/sister/friend/colleague when they have anxiety or depression?”.
In this podcast, I wanted to share what types of things people have done to help me in my mental health journey, and hopefully do so in a way that helps you to help yourself and the person you care about. It isn’t easy but hopefully this is a good first step for you and your loved one.
Educate yourself with books like Flagging the Therapy, Anxiety & Panic, Emotional Resilience and more from Dr. Harry Barry; and Podcasts from Caroline Foran, Niall Breslin and Fearne Cotton.
Mandana Ahmadi is someone that I have only known for a few weeks but the moment I heard about her life story, I knew that I needed to have her on the podcast as my third interviewee. Mani has a PhD in Computational Neuroscience and is the CEO of an exciting mental health start-up in the UK, but that reality did not look likely when she was growing up in war-torn Iran during the 1980s. Then, as a young girl, she watched as planes flew overhead and looked to drop bombs on her community; she was forced to flee to shelters in the middle of her school day; and she was denied so many of the opportunities that young children deserve to have. Those experiences have stuck with Mani and have given her a special perspective on the world. It is that perspective that led her to dedicating her academic and business careers to the world of positive wellbeing. In this episode, I talk to Mani about; growing up in war times; resilience; better looking after ourselves during this pandemic; computational Neuroscience; and the idea behind Aya. Sign Up to the Aya Beta App Here
This is a podcast for anyone who is having a sh*tty time at the moment. I have talked about my depression a lot, but in this podcast I want to share what my toughest days looked like, how I got through them and where I am now. Essentially, I get it. Just know that you aren't crazy, there are lots of us who do feel or have felt like this.
Please subscribe, review and share :)
https://amentalhealthjourney.com/
Dr. Nick Taylor's interest in wellbeing began in his youth, while growing up with a sister who has down syndrome. His interest in the area led him on a path to becoming a trained clinical psychologist and eventually being appointed the NHS's lead clinical psychologist in Central London. It was in that role that Nick came up with the idea for Unmind, which four years on is one of the UK's fastest growing and most reputable wellbeing start-ups. Unmind is a workplace mental health platform, that empowers employees to measure, understand, and improve their mental wellbeing.
In this episode, Conor speaks to Nick about wellbeing in the workplace - where it is at in Ireland and the UK, where it is moving, how it can be improved by an employer and how it can be improved by an employee. Nick's own wellbeing routine as the owner of a fast growing enterprise is another key topic of discussion.
This is a must listen for any employer, employee or start-up founder who is looking to improve their colleagues and their own wellbeing at work :)
Unmind Website - https://unmind.com/
A Mental Health Journey Website - https://amentalhealthjourney.com/
The physical effects that stress, anxiety and depression can have on our bodies is incredible. For me, these have been the most challenging aspects of living with mental illness but through therapy, CBT and self-reflection, I have worked out how I can adapt and continue to live a full life. In this episode, I share my experiences of physical symptoms such as tension headaches, chest tightness and rapid heart rate, and the exercises I have used to learn what triggers them and what eases them. Please subscribe, review and share :) https://amentalhealthjourney.com/
When a friend or a loved one is going through a difficult time, our compassion comes out to comfort them and support them. So how come we often struggle to show the same compassion to ourselves in our moments of vulnerability and need? In this episode, Conor shares his difficulties with having a naturally self-deprecating mindset and how he has used CBT to develop a more caring relationship with himself. The episode finishes with a short loving kindness meditation. Namaste. (Full meditation also available here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7aulfaVGqpYGPgZrUIOpoP)
Conor is not a parent but through his years in therapy and studying mental health, he has a number of reflections on his childhood and what he thought did help and what could have helped his wellbeing as he grew up.
Episode includes references to #self-esteem building, activity participation, emotional understanding, #mindfulness and #CBT for children.
Enjoy and let us know what you think at amentalhealthjourney@outlook.com or through messenger ☺️
In this episode, Conor explains what a panic attack is, what his experiences of panic have been like, how those experiences have effected him, and the tools he finds most helpful in the midst and in the aftermath of an attack.
I am lucky enough to have an accredited counselor, psychotherapist, reiki practitioner and reflexologist as a mother and isolation gave me a chance to ask her about; her career; who counselling might be for; how to find an accredited therapist; how to access affordable counselling services; what counselling might be like for those new to it; and how people could find a counselor today, even in isolation. We even had a chance to do a lovely tapping meditation to finish. She is brilliant so enjoy!!
In this podacst, Conor shares how he has been doing during the Covid-19 lockdown. He talks about how he is dealing with the worries he has for his loved ones, how he is adapting to working from home and how he is trying to show himself some compassion at a time when challenges are not our fault.
In this episode, Conor shares his experiences of a recent traumatic event that he encountered. He talks about how the event made him feel and what he has done to process the trauma and feel more normal. Have a listen and let us know what you think:
In this epidode, Conor talks about what he does on a daily basis to feel his best. From cold showers, to transformational breathwork, to hatha yoga, he combines a little bit of everything into a fun and minful daily cocktail.
In this episode, Conor talks about his journey with medication. He has been on antidepressants since June 2019 and has had plenty of ups and downs on them. Here, he reflects on his initial resistance to medical treatment; his decision to start taking SSRIs; the change he made from Sertraline to Fluoxetine in October 2019; and how he feels about medication now.
A Mental Health Journey.com is a blog and podcast that hopes to help others in their journeys with anxiety and depression. In this episode, Conor shares his experiences of life with and without social media and the impacts of each on his mental health. For the last year, Conor has tried his best to reduce the role that social media plays in his life. His struggles with mental health and the research he put into recovery opened his eyes to the issues that his phone nurtured. Since 2018, his daily phone use has cut in half and his issues have reduced alongside it.
Alcohol & Anxiety
To mark what is ‘Dry January’ for many, Conor looks at the effects that alcohol and caffeine have had on his mental health and the benefits he has felt from going (mostly) sober and caffeine free.
“What I found most traumatic of all is that alcohol can intensify our underlying feelings. It can bring up past memories of trauma or it can dig up repressed feelings in ways that they shouldn’t be brought up.”
In this episode, Conor opens up about his experiences of therapy. Conor has had over one hundred psychotherapy sessions in the last three years and has also completed a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course with the NHS. In this piece he explains what these two therapies involve, what his own experiences of them have been like and how to find a counsellor and therapy type that is right for you. Listen with volume low to reduce feedback noise! Sorry :|
Conor has been on a journey of trial and error when it comes to mental health and work. He has at times had to take time off to look after himself but he now has a routine that helps him to work effectively while also being kind to himself. In this episode, Conor discusses the importance of communicating with your employer and your colleagues, and also guides us through some short mindfulness exercises that can be practiced throughout the working day. Exercises: 1. Phone Breathing (Begins at 13:30). 2. 5-4-3-2-1 Relaxation Method (Begins at 15:20) 3. Tense & Release (Begins at 19:55) 4. The 4-7-8 Breathing Method (Begins at 24:00) 5. The 3 Step Breathing Space (Begins at 25:13). Visit https://amentalhealthjourney.com for more content like this.
Conor Stone, the founder and content creator at A Mental Health Journey.com, shares his story in celebration of World Mental Health Day. Visit https://amentalhealthjourney.com for more content like this.