Just occasionally, I’m aware that I might be having an important conversation with a podcast guest—and this was one of those occasions.
Not that Ken himself would dream of seeing himself as any kind of role model, but I think that many people who, like me, have struggled with their mental health at any time, especially in the strange years since the beginning of the pandemic, will be extremely grateful to him for opening up so completely about his harrowing experiences and talking so passionately about the need for us all to be more aware and accepting of the effects of depression, trauma and other psychological conditions.
Our conversation wanders far and wide, taking in the kind of situations faced by many of us, including those gradual, chronic conditions as well as more dramatic instances that pose obvious and immediate challenges. And as well as looking at the problems, we offer some potential solutions worth exploring from our own experience and wide reading around the subject of psychology.
Of course, neither Ken nor I are qualified therapists, and our recommendations are based purely on what we have found works for us as individuals. Please refer to the links below for the books and websites that have certainly helped me.
But it’s not all ‘heavy’ stuff, and our sense of humour leaks out. As wargaming pals from north and south of the UK, we share our passion for history, big games, getting into ‘flow’ and, of course, the wider hobby and the benefits of social media.
There’s just over 3 hours of listening here: we’ll be grateful if you listen to any of it and thrilled if anything we discuss proves useful to you or anyone you know in the battle to maintain good #mentalhealth.
Henry
P.S. because of the importance of the subject matter, this episode is being made public immediately.
NB This podcast contains strong language and discusses difficult and potentially distressing subject matter. See the resources below for more information on the subjects covered.
Websites
Psychology Today links to therapists worldwide
BB2 Horizon’s Stopping Male Suicide
Rick Hanson’s Resilient website
Calm website and app
My own Inside Your Head podcast on Apple Podcasts
Inside Your Head on Spotify
Books (links are to Amazon UK but should be available in your country)
Self Compassion by Kristin Neff
Happy by Derren Brown
Resilient by Rick Hanson
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple by Seth J Gillihan
The Four Thoughts That F*ck You Up and How To Fix Them [REBT] by Daniel Fryer
I’m OK – You’re OK [Transactional Analysis] by Thomas A Harris
Attached [Attachment Theory] by Dr Amir Levine and Rachel S F Heller
A Mindfulness Guide for Survival by Ruby Wax
Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Emotional First Aid by Guy Winch
5 Minute Therapy by Sarah Crosby
That’ll do for now!
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