Emotional Cripples

Happy new year. We've only gone and done another fortysomething minutes of talk about male mental health. This episode: • 2019 and all that. We considered a look back on our favourite albums and movies and shows and things and trends of 2019. But we got bored with it, and talked about what we're worried about and looking forward to in 2020 instead. ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   Chase The Rainbow: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Chase-the-Rainbow/Poorna-Bell/9781471160721 The Bob Dylan film Tim goes on about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Thunder_Revue:_A_Bob_Dylan_Story_by_Martin_Scorsese Julian Baggini - The Ego Trick: https://www.microphilosophy.net/the-ego-trick/ The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enigma_of_Kaspar_Hauser Derren Brown - Happy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/happy/derren-brown/9780552172356 Brian & Roger: https://play.acast.com/s/brianandroger

Hello, it's us again. Two middle-aged British men talking about their mental health struggles: solidarity, coping strategies, trends, commentary on mental health in culture, shoehorned Simpsons references. This episode: • Perfectionism. Or, in mental health terms, OCPD (Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder). We talk to Chris Ward, global charity campaigner and adventure cyclist, about his book Less Perfect, More Happy, in which Chris documents his struggles with OCPD. • The differences between OCD and OCPD. • Why striving to be 'perfect' isn't necessarily a good thing. • How the idea of being a 'perfectionist' can be a euphemism for destructive - and self-destructive - behaviour. • What you can do to manage your life if you suffer from OCPD, or feel your behaviour displays elements of OCPD. ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   Chris's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Less-Perfect-More-Happy-Chris/dp/0957612370 Perfectionism & OCD: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201612/perfectionism-versus-obsessive-compulsive-disorder Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisatcoffice

We're back. Two middle-aged British men talking about their mental health struggles: solidarity, coping strategies, trends, commentary on mental health in culture. There'll be occasional guests (let us know if you've got a story to tell) but for now, you're stuck with us, and our revolutionary new plan of 'doing an episode whenever we feel like it'. This episode: • That January mood. SAD or sad or clinical depression? • How trying too hard could be a marker for a mental health issue. • Why Gillette's 'The Best Men Can Be' campaign is a thing of goodness. • How Andy has sort of misunderstood hedonic adaptation: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/hedonic-treadmill/     Simpsons references: 1.   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   Gillette: The Best Men Can Be: https://gillette.com/en-us/the-best-men-can-be Coming off antidepressants (MIND): https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/antidepressants/withdrawal-effects-of-antidepressants/#.XE15v8_7RTY Crimewatch File: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLzrGOTtoco Sorry To Bother You: https://danhett.itch.io/sorry Andy's favourite Laurel & Hardy episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZujoJaR2ERY&t=225s

It's Christmas time. And, according to Band Aid's spurious claim, there's no need to be afraid. So, here we are to let in light and banish shade during one of the most joyous/stressful times of the year. Just me and Tim this time, giving our tips for sanity retention over the Christmas period.   Plus: • A fascinating educational moment where everyone learns about the celestial origins of Christmas. • Some men occasionally clanging scaffolding in the background.   Simpsons references: 2.   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   ----- Trello: www.trello.com Getting Things Done: https://gettingthingsdone.com/ Tim's band, Furlined: https://furlined.bandcamp.com/ The man who is eating nothing but mince pies in December: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46622524 Food Rules by Michael Pollan: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305288/food-rules-by-michael-pollan/9780143116387/ MR James ghost stories: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06vz14y Five stages of grief: https://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/ Januaryland (Viz): http://viz.co.uk/2014/09/26/januaryland/ Monty Python's The Meaning of Life: http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/meaning.htm   Podcasts we mention: A Podcast to the Curious (MR James): http://www.mrjamespodcast.com/ The Monster Hunter: http://themonsterhunters.com/ The A-Z of David Bowie: https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2018/2/25/the-a-to-z-of-david-bowie-podcast I Am The Eggpod: https://iamtheeggpod.com/ DavidBowie: AlbumtoAlbum (David Bowie, annoyingly with no spaces): https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/davidbowie-albumtoalbum/id1355073030?mt=2 Don't Do Things The Way I Do: http://zuzusbakery.co.uk/dont-do-things-the-way-i-do-the-podcast/ Bigmouth: https://audioboom.com/channel/bigmouth Is It Rolling, Bob? (Bob Dylan): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/is-it-rolling-bob-talking-dylan/id1437321669?mt=2 Griefcast: https://play.acast.com/s/griefcast Happy Place: http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/news/2018/2/26/happy-place-podcast Mrs Brightside: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0683q6p Slow Radio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05k5bq0/episodes/downloads

Teenage male mental health. In the final episode of Series One, Andrew engages in a spot of artistically valid nepotism - by interviewing a member of his family. Tommy Lowe is Andrew's son - seventeen at the time of the interview. He talks about the view of mental health among his peers, his experiences with ADHD, and what it's like to grow up in a world where everything is on and everybody is expected to be open and available 24/7. Spoiler: it's surprisingly positive.  Also: • Andy has a moan about the mental health pressures of Christmas. • Tim has got a new microphone. Simpsons references: 1.   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   ----- The ADHD Foundation - https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/ Karl Pilkington on Christmas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih360TF60Vc Greg Lake - 'I Believe In Father Christmas': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPm6CheT6rs Perfectionism and OCD - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201612/perfectionism-versus-obsessive-compulsive-disorder The Day Today Sinn Fein helium thing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6jGJ1lq2U      

Neuro-linguistic programming. It's a controversial approach to personal development and psychotherapy, with plenty of negative, bullshitty connotations. But a lot of people swear by it, including one of the EC co-presenters. So, we talk to NLP practitioner Ben Grassby about what it is, what it isn't, and how it can help with mental health struggles.   Also: • Tim has had a conversation with 'a mate' about which male qualities women find attractive and how they relate to male mental health. • Andy is annoyed about the inaccessibility of transcendental meditation.   Simpsons references: 2.   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA     Ben Grassby and Bristol NLP: http://www.bristolnlp.co.uk/ Transcendental Meditation: https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org.uk/ Idris Elba/People Magazine: https://people.com/movies/idris-elba-sexiest-man-alive-2018-reveal/ Did 'shell shock' make us serious about mental health? http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zwg9kqt A thing about Steve Strange: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/steve-strange-lead-singer-with-visage-and-club-owner-who-became-the-leading-light-of-the-1980s-new-10045777.html 'Neurotypical': https://www.healthline.com/health/neurotypical#characteristics Nietzsche and the 'ubermensch': https://www.britannica.com/topic/superman-philosophy Stoicism and choice: https://dailystoic.com/control-and-choice/ Simpsons episode featuring self-help guru Brad Goodman: http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Bart%27s_Inner_Child

Therapy. What is it? Why should you seek it? How do you find a good therapist? How do you BE a therapist yourself? So many questions. (Well, four.) This week, we talk to Paul Rose, AKA 'Mr Biffo' (it might be a sex thing). Paul is a TV writer who shares his frustrating, funny and enlightening experience of therapist training. The conversation touches on lots of elements of male mental health and hopefully illustrates why self-reflection is helpful and healthy.   Also: • Tim has been crushing his overwhelm with an elegant offline productivity tool. • Andy has been listening to a band who write songs about male mental health.   Simpsons references: 0. (We need to fix this. Maybe do a Simpsons Special soon.)   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   Seasonal Affective Disorder - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/#.W_e-HCGnyaM   Ryder Carroll & The Bullet Journal Method - https://bulletjournal.com/   IDLES - https://www.idlesband.com/   Paul Rose/Digitiser https://www.digitiser2000.com/     Therapy training - https://www.bacp.co.uk/careers/careers-in-counselling/training/   Finding a good therapist https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/freudian-sip/201102/how-find-the-best-therapist-you?amp   Chess for mental health - https://www.psychreg.org/chess-mental-health/   How Not To Be A Boy - Robert Webb https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-not-to-be-a-boy/robert-webb/9781786890115   Men and crying https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minority-report/201601/real-men-cry?amp   Dan Savage https://theoutline.com/post/2552/dan-savage-very-intriguing-person-essay?zd=1&zi=vmzyum6r

Autism. Managing mental health is already a daily struggle, but what if you had to do it with the added pressure of a neurodevelopmental disorder? We talk to Matthew Trerise, a support worker who specialises in helping people with behavioural challenges - including autism. Matthew clarifies a few myths about autism/Asperger syndrome and explains how an understanding of the condition relates to wider mental health issues.     Also: • Andrew's had a tough week, and shares a unique coping strategy. • Tim gushes about how music - particularly The Beatles - helps him manage his mood. • Why art is great. Simpsons references: 0. (We did have two last week, so we're allowed a week off.)   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY https://www.autism.org.uk/   RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/   THE WHITE ALBUM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_(album)   

Happiness. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? (The concept, not the Todd Solondz film, which is great.) This episode's guest is Dr Dean Burnett: author, neuroscientist, ex-Guardian blogger, stand-up comedian, really lovely Welsh man. In his book The Happy Brain, Dean talks to various people from many walks of life about what makes them happy. We spoke to him in darkest Chorleywood, during his book tour, and discussed the pressures on men, the futility of a search for a 'state' of happiness, and why The Avengers is a good thing for male mental health.   Also: • Tim and Andy watch a terrifying horror film and decide it's about mental health not ghosts. • Andy uses the word 'catharsis'. • How road rage and having wine spilled on you highlights the key problem with finding happiness. Simpsons references: 2.   ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   DR DEAN BURNETT https://www.deanburnett.com/   HEREDITARY https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/

Hypnotherapy. Is it all just swinging watches and unconvincing past-life regression, or does hypnosis have a clinical basis that can help with mental health issues? (Spoiler: yes. Yes, it does.) This episode's guest is clinical hypnotherapist Dr Steve Carey PhD, Head of School at the Academy of Hypnotic Science in Victoria, Australia. Steve offers some sharp insights into why anxiety can feel so profound and crippling, and how to reframe it and take back control. Also: • Tim explains how a mood tracking app has helped him realise he might not be so persistently miserable after all. • Andy goes on about a George Lucas film and how it relates to mental health. (Not the one you're thinking.) • Listener feedback and the usual desperate pleas for reviews and support and recognition. And - during one bit, there's a weird audio glitch that sounds like a ghost speaking. Jesus. Simpsons references: 1. ----- Get in touch: contact@emotionalcripples.com @emcripples (Twitter) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ----- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/  Call 116 123 (UK and ROI)   Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/ CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- SHOW NOTES MUSIC The Weathermonger - 'Fourier' The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window' https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger https://open.spotify.com/artist/11QnHi5wotoXtx2O4uF8ny?si=TWAYe_bzS9-q9le35nVFZA   THE GEORGE LUCAS FILM https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066434/   MOODNOTES https://moodnotes.thriveport.com/   FUTURAMA THING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbmQxZkSswI   HYPNOSIS Academy of Hypnotic Science (Steve Carey): ahs.edu Steve Carey Hypnotherapy: https://www.schypnoth

The pilot. Episode Zero. In which Tim and I discuss who we are, why we're doing this, and offer embarrassingly desperate pleas for feedback and contact. Also features: • Talking Therapy. A chat with Cognitive Behaviour Therapist Ali Binns on what CBT is and how it can help men modify their behaviour and ease anxiety. • Media Share. Tim recommends an app that can help manage social media compulsion, while I gush about an incredible memoir of depression recovery. Series One coming Autumn 2018. Get in touch:contact@emotionalcripples.com@emcripples (Twitter)Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1707014319375624/ ==SHOW NOTES==Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/ Call 116 123 (UK and ROI) Befrienders: https://www.befrienders.org/CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ ----- MUSICThe Weathermonger - 'Fourier'The Weathermonger - 'Through The Honeycomb Window'https://soundcloud.com/theweathermonger Sertraline: https://beta.nhs.uk/medicines/sertraline/Citalopram: https://beta.nhs.uk/medicines/citalopram/ Valerie Solanas and the Society for Cutting Up Men: https://www.prruk.org/the-society-for-cutting-up-men-and-the-woman-who-shot-andy-warhol/ 'Sad Steps' by Philip Larkin: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48418/sad-steps Ali Binns, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist: http://www.alibinns.co.uk/ NLP: https://www.nlpacademy.co.uk/what_is_nlp/ Lanzarote: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canary-islands/lanzarote Stoicism: https://dailystoic.com/what-is-stoicism-a-definition-3-stoic-exercises-to-get-you-started/ Moment app: https://inthemoment.io/ 'Reasons To Stay Alive' by Matt Haig: http://amzn.eu/6WaNwEm