Let's Talk Mental Health

*TriggerWarning* Host of Lived Experience Library, Nick Wilson aka Disabled Adventurer, speaks to BBC Radio Leeds on his advocacy for survivors of suicide, the importance of equality and representation across the wider suicide prevention conversation and his own lived experience of surviving a suicide attempt and managing suicidal ideation.

As our struggles with everyday life get harder and harder, due to Covid and the aftermath of the first wave, there are increasing numbers of videos and posts on social media, sharing messages of positivity and those being successful, but, are they too much and insensitive to what the majority of people are going through?Whilst having inspirational and positive leaders are very much needed, now more than ever, surely those who put content out on social media should take responsibility for the specific content of their message, know their specific audience and be wary of those who may have underlying health conditions, regardless of this being physical or mental health conditions?Who better to mull this over with, than Mr Positive himself, who actually has "Positivity Breeds Positivity" within his email signature, Sean Molino from Forces Fitness and the Veterans Awards, Wales, England and Scotland.During the show, Sean talks about, The Five Ways to Wellbeing, these are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. These are simple and proven actions that individuals and workplaces can introduce to help people find balance, build resilience and boost mental health and wellbeing.If you are impacted by anything from today's show, then please DO phone the Samaritans on 116 123 OR text SHOUT to 85258, please do NOT ignore your emotions and negative thoughts, it is your body saying, it is time to act!

Transition can be SO bloody difficult, it can test the resolve of even the most resilient of people, but why is it such a challenge, why does it cause such difficulties and emotions? Well, let's take a closer look....This is the fourth of a series of eight episodes all about Transition, breaking it down into bite size chunks so you feel empowered to stand up and face your own Transition, with the confidence to manage any challenges that might come up along the way.

This episode, I talk about change leading to insecurities, the impact it can have on a person, how to recognise whether an individual you know is struggling with or has been impacted by change and what happened to me, after deflecting the problems, failing to face the issues and deal with them.I talk about Resilience and how it can aide you with facing change, though the other tools you want to accompany it in your tool box, are that of Mindset and Mindfulness. These three combined with a greater understanding of how we perceive life, will empower you to begin accepting and embracing change, regardless of how big that change may be.The link you require for the animated video I talk about, namely: NLP Communication Model, you can view on my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFTlr1rvVWI57J9UEMa1x0w alog with some other very useful and interesting videos. check them out.

We ALL have Expectations of work, family, friends, love, marriage, life, just like you all have your own individual perceptions/thoughts of them and the power to manage our expectations is held within us.Finding a way to manage your expectations will be SO important over the coming months and you all CAN do it, though bare in mind it can be harder than you think at times. Ask yourself this; how often do you make expectations of those around you, friends, family, work colleagues or even YOURSELF? Take your time and write it down, you might just be surprised, then ask yourself; were they reasonable expectations? How about from THEIR point of view?

We will all soon face the Transition from isolation to a new normal, a new way of life and a new way of being, are YOU prepared?Now is the ideal opportunity to identify who you are inside, what your values, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses are and who you want to be as a person? This is the first episode of an 8 week series, which will be covering the key elements of Transition and providing you with invaluable nuggets of information, which will inspire, educate and empower you to better manage your own mental wellbeing, over the coming months and on into your new future.

We are in trying times, with more challenges than you can shake a stick at, BUT, what can be even MORE challenging is when you are trying to work from home, maybe for the first time, maybe you have bored kids around and maybe you aren't lucky enough to have a spare room to act as an office!?Well, I LOVE a challenge, almost as much as todays guest, multi medal winning Paralympian Ian Rose, and so we are both here to provide tips, guidance, suggestions and some welcome relief from the stressors and pressures of working from home, so that you can be MORE productive, whilst being LESS stressed.Makes sure you listen ALL the way through, as Ian is giving away a VERY generous and special prize to the first FIVE people who quote a certain something which is mentioned at some point during the show!! Good luck peeps x

In this special edition episode, you will gain hints and tips on how to better manage your own mental wellbeing during these challenging times and on into the future. We introduce you to Self Management, breaking it down into Self-Awareness, Self-Care and Self-Help, explaining how this helps you and how exactly you best achieve this.These ARE challenging times for sure, so if you have anything specific you wish to know about, questions, queries or complaints, then PLEASE do get in touch and I will do everything I possibly can to assist you, through future shows. I will also be launching an online Mens Health Support Group, where you can still interact, have your say, listen to others and gain support, so keep an eye out for that along with our new website which should be launched the last week in March.

Today I talk to Simon Maryan, founder of Icarus Online, a support organisation for uniformed personnel, including Military, Veterans, Emergency Services and Prison Staff.Within this episode we learn more about the amazing work that Icarus provides and what it is they actually do, we talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Veteran communities insistence to blanket blame all mental ill health to PTSD without accepting the debilitating impact that Depression and other Anxiety Disorders can have, with many signs and symptoms mimicking PTSD. Then finally, we talk about what people can do to get support, how partners and family members can best assist their loved ones and the importance of the partners themselves gaining support, to prevent them becoming a statistic themselves through concentrating so much on their loved one!Our show sponsor is Dylogic - https://dylogic.co.uk/, who we thank greatly for making this possible, I thank Simon Maryan for giving up his time to appear on the show and being there for me personally and I urge anyone who felt their own situations related to what we discussed, or are concerned about themselves or a loved one to reach out for help. You can contact the Samaritans - www.samaritans.org/ OR Icarus Online - https://icarusonline.net/

In this episode, we discuss how as a society, do we manage our own mental health, check in on those within our networks, actually understand the difference between mental ill health and mental health, whether we are in a place to actually listen to others and whether simply sitting down for a brew and a chat, is safe or wise! I am joined by Amelia Thorpe of Wellbeing360 and Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson of Free Choices, two very experienced and knowledgeable ladies, who kept me on my toes and pretty much in check.I sincerely apologise over the audio quality of this one, we had some technical issues and it had to be done via Zoom, BUT, that certainly doesn't detract from the invaluable content that is within this episode. So make a brew, turn off your phone, grab the biccies and settle in.

This episode I talk to Mick Livesey, the Commercial Director of Oxford City Football Club. Here we talk about their player who is on Love Island and the impact that has had, the pressures within professional Football, the expectations on the club, players, backroom staff and management. How Mick deals with the stress, what support is being offered by the club, the clubs approach to Mental Health and the huge difference that their community team is having on local school kids around self confidence and body image, amongst many other elements.

So much pressure is put upon us to be a certain person, eat well, live well, be well, change your ways, be that idyllic human as per the magazines and on social media, have that perfect family! Really!?Whilst obviously being fit, healthy and happy, is a great goal to strive for in life, you aren't going to achieve this over night and it is alot of pressure to put upon ourselves should we try to. We also, all have our own perceptions of what a fit, healthy, happy life looks like, though many haven't identified with this as yet. That is what this episode looks at!Myself and my guest speaker, Amelia Thorpe from Mental Health Social Enterprise 360 Wellbeing, look at what small things you can do, minor changes for you to make, which will have a huge impact on your life. Learn to identify with how exactly you want to be, who you want to be and what success looks like to you, then how to take the steps required to achieve these things, without piling on so much pressure and stress.

Recently I was on Milton Keynes Hospital Radio, where we talked about my illness, injuries and 360, but the majority was about Mental Health. Specifically isolation, coping strategies, understanding those going through rough times, how to talk to someone with a mental illness and things to bare in mind.As ever I have attempted to provide as much value, to you the listener, as possible and whilst I have edited the show down from 2hrs to 25mins, I assure you that nothing was missed and this will very much be of use to anyone interested in, impacted by or working within Mental Health and the Wellbeing industry. Take care and stay strong x

Christmas time is one for festivities, family, celebration and joy, well for most. Unfortunately Festive Stress can impact our overall Wellbeing, leading to low moods, agitation, isolation and feeling lethargic. With no interventions such as, Self-Care or Self-Help, this can lead to Depression.We will talk through basic Mental Health and the stressors likely to impact at this time of year, provide knowledge required to notice whether someone is struggling and discuss various Self-Care and Self-Help tools, techniques and coping strategies.

I will be explaining the realities of Chronic Pain generally within the UK, as this impacts some 43% of the country, it is more relevant than you initially think and you might be amazed at the Governments approach or stance, to Chronic Pain as an illness.I will also be providing an honest and real, lived experience with my having Chronic Pain of the spine for over 8years now. I will be explaining how this impacts everyday living, "Quality of Life" and how the side effects from the medications which are meant to help us "Manage" the pain, become an additional problem within themselves!**Warning, This Is A Truly Open, Honest and Real Account of Living With Chronic Pain, So Various Descriptions May Trigger Some and Upset Others**

43% of people in the UK experience some form of Chronic Pain, which equates to 28million individuals, with 80% of adults experiencing low back pain at some point in their lives.Here I talk about my own Chronic Pain and Mental Health experience, whilst also looking at definitions of what Chronic Pain is, how it impacts on your mental health and what having chronic pain can lead to. Which do you treat first, the chronic pain OR the poor mental health elements? It can be all too easy to concentrate on the physical pain and overlook your mental health.The next episode will be: "Living With Chronic Pain", where we will look at how exactly it impacts your life and that of those around you too!?

We are being encouraged to open up and talk more on social media, but what is or isn't acceptable and what are the professional concerns from opening up more?

Aimed at Organisations who are looking into their Workplace Mental Health strategy or those who have Volunteered to take this on. This is by no means the definitive strategy as it needs to be specific to your industry/organisation, it is what I deem as best practice when you first begin your mental health journey as a community.

Having poor mental health and/or a mental illness can impact on us in so many different ways, after all its important to remember that mental health is individual.That being said though, ultimately there will be an element of Good, Bad and Ugly actions and so it is essential that you/we/I learn to accept that.

Within this episode I talk about the various elements, Self-Awareness, Self-Care and Self-Help, what each actually means and the importance of them from a preventative measures and Prevention point of view. Are you aware of how mentally healthy you really are and what to do about it?

Just a quick hello, who I am, what I do and why I am producing Podcasts for you all to listen to, with a hint as to why you should engage with me and these Podcasts.