Heavy Mental Podcast

Shout out to Fiona Thomas who we reference in this episode. She's an author/writer/freelancer that writes about anxiety and depression. You can find her on Insta right here. You can find an Amazon link to her book entitled "Depression In A Digital Age" right here. 

Hey gang, we're now wed, and as such, you can now collectively refer to us as "The Kings"! We decided to take a little break from the pod to focus on finalising last minute wedding plans and enjoying our honeymoon, but now we're now back, suitably refreshed and sit before the mics once more, raring to get nattering. Given that we JUST got married and it was the biggest (and best) day of our lives, we thought for this episode, we'd talk about our experience: primarily, the stresses, worries and anxieties that can come with planning a wedding — especially if you're prone to suffering with anxiety to any degree (Mr King). (In the business of full disclosure: Leila planned it all down to the fine details, and I did very little and instead, worried about everything that could go wrong.) Thematically, we cover: stress, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, arguing, medication, performance anxiety, catastrophising, last minute changes, worrying, post wedding blues and nerves. But ALSO the good stuff: love, family, frie

For those interested in the written version, you can find the blog post version, right here.For further information and help with health anxiety, you can check out the Anxiety UK page, here. And the ADAA website, here.  

You can check out Jack on Instagram here (@iamjackwalton) and his book “Being The Best You” can be found on Amazon. You can listen to Jack's podcast "A Slice of Life" on Spotify, here. Jack's favourite book that he mentions is "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay and you can find a link to that, here.

The Joe Dispenza podcast episode we discuss can be found, here — it's an episode of the Aubrey Marcus podcast.

In terms of resources mentioned, you can find out further advice in relation to money, here. Mental Health & Money Advice provides clear, practical advice and support for people experiencing issues with mental health and money. They give options for people who need treatment and can’t afford therapy, options for dealing with debts and support for those with financial worries. You can find the link to the Mind page on finances, here. They provide tips for everyday living and go through: understanding your behaviour, talking things through with someone you trust, getting organised, getting professional advice, looking after yourself AND there are real others’ stories on there that make for interesting reading. Finally, we reference The Longest Battle Podcast at the end of the episode, and you can find out more about the podcast and its creator Emma Martins, over at their website, here.

You can find Dottie on Insta: here, on YouTube: here, and on Patreon: here. You can find Patty on IG: here and keep up to date with all things "As It Is" on their website: here. We also mention Heads Above The Waves during the episode, and you can find out more about them on their website, here. If you want to purchase some of their sweet looking merch with a message, have a look right here.

The movie that Abi references is called Unrest and you can find a trailer for that, here. For further information on ME, you should check out: ME Association, Action For ME,

So, we're back for our second series gang! We thought we'd kick things off with something that Rhys and I have talked about A LOT over the past eighteen months or so, and that's GAMING — specifically, what it does to our minds. While we know that there’s dark and light in every situation in this weird life, we personally find that gaming — on the whole (ooo-err) — isn’t great for either of us…and yet, we STILL find ourselves diving back in every couple of months. We’ve recently just resurfaced from the "gaming haze" (as we like to refer to it) and after inspecting both our behaviours while in the midst of it, we’ve learned a fair bit about what it does to our brains...and we'd like to share that with you!

In this final episode of our first series, we answer listener questions on a wide array of topics, such as: change, loneliness, eating disorders, moving, jobs, relationships, periods, affirmations, habits, routines, gaming, breaking negative cycles and helping someone suffering with their mental health. This is our 20th episode, and that now means that the first series of Heavy Mental has now drawn to a close…but fear not, we’ll be back soon enough. We’re taking a little time away in order to book guests, plan episodes, create valuable content and work on a few other bits — like a website that we intend to fill with our written ramblings. A HUGE, HEAVY THANK YOU to ALL of our listeners for every single listen, like, share, comment or DM — we’re so glad to have you along for the ride. It means the world to us to hear from you and know that we’re able to help in some way — any way we can. We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our amazing guests for being brave enough to share their stor

Our guest this week is James Walker — a stand-up comedian and amateur MMA fighter hailing from Newport, South Wales. In this episode, James talks about his mental health journey after university, and how he “kept the uni party going” for many years, even after it had stopped for many of those around him. James talks about how he played “a character” during this period; one that he inadvertently and subconsciously created as a sort of coping mechanism. He describes this person as “a hillbilly looking dude that would always drink beers…was always fun…and was always a really good time to be around”. But, after turning 30, James was at a crossroads in his life and had the sudden realisation, “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore”, so change in the right direction became a necessity. James began taking steps to rediscover who he was, and for him, this involved being punched in the face by cage fighters and standing up in front of crowds of people trying to make them laugh…he’s a braver man than me! He

As discussed, go check out The Happy Newspaper by Emily Coxhead — it'll make you smile. You can find out more about Joshua Fields Milburn and The Minimalists, here. Leila mentions a book named "Light Is The New Black" by Rebecca Campbell — more on that, here. If you don't know who Marie Kondo is, turn on Netflix and search for her — prepare to tidy your house from top to bottom.

You can find out more about Alex on his website, as well as the links to all his socials, here.

You can take the Myers-Briggs personality test here at 16 Personalities. I also recommend the following book by Susan Cain on introversion, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" and you can find out more about that at the following TED Talk, here.

As Sean notes in the episode, don't suffer in silence. The Samaritans are there to talk to you by phone. There's no problem to big or small. They're there to help and you can find out more here. You can call The Samaritans on 116 123 or even email them if you'd prefer, at jo@samaritans.org. Sometimes by just writing down your thoughts and feelings, it can help you understand them better.

You can find Yogi Bare on Instagram right here! If you're in the market for a quality new yoga mat that will last, is eco-friendly and doesn't break the bank, check out the Yogi Bare website, here!

For resources and support on testicular cancer, further information can be found at the links below: The NHS website has information on testicular cancer here. Baggy Trousers is UK-based charity that aims to promote and protect the physical and mental health of sufferers of testicular cancer. To read stories of those affected by cancer, Macmillan has a great resource of stories, here.

You can check out Mouse on Instagram here and on Spotify here. Go spread the love!

The fantastic not-for-profit organisation from Cardiff that Sam references is named Heads Above The Waves. They raise awareness of depression and self-harm in young people and promote positive, creative ways of dealing with the bad days. Go check them out here and go buy a t-shirt! The book mentioned by Sam on mindfulness is called "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down" by Haemin Sunim. You can find a link to the book here. In terms of apps related to mindfulness and meditation, we love Headspace. I used the app for well over a year and noticed a significant improvement in my ability to be present and concentrate. Give it a go! Rhys X

As discussed, the blog post I wrote called "Comparison Is the Thief of Joy" can be found here. As mentioned, you can find out more about The Minimalists and Joshua Fields Milburn, in a blog post they wrote about social media, here.