Life will shoot us with the first arrow - these are real injuries, setbacks, losses and pain.

But the greater cause of our suffering comes form ‘the second arrow’ - the fear, anxieties, ruminations, and other internal mechanisations that we dwell upon.

In this episode I discuss the concept of the second arrow, as well as how we can use it to eliminate significant amounts of excess (and useless) suffering.

In this session I share a guided meditation that I shared on the Insight Timer app.

What if you were to give thanks in advance for the wonderful things that were going to happen? - And what if you used that question to reframe your gratitude practice into the future? In this session we contemplate this concept and suggest how it could be adapted to reduce anxiety and increase positivity and presence, both now and into the future.

In this episode I discuss the impact of over-analysing emotions of others and how excessively reading into tone/facial expressions/word choice can lead to the exact opposite outcomes from what was intended.

I also discuss my positive experiences with the initial stages of EMDR…

Some of my responses to the current state of political turmoil engulfing the United States, as well as the potential flow on impacts for the rest of the world….

I have taken to doing 3-minutes of slow calm breathing during transitions as a way to reduce resting anxiety.

In This episode I share how this simple intervention has had a profound impact on my mental state as well as my ability to fall asleep at night. Try it, take a just one slow calm breath and see how you feel!

I also introduce my kids meditation series 'Silent Superheroes'

As a small thank you to my Patreon supporters, I answer their questions as a Podcast, Blog, or Video.

Today I am answering 4 questions here:
- How do you manage relationships when one person has a mental illness?
- I struggle to talk when I am depressed. How can I express myself better?
- What can I do if my illness cannot be treated?
- How can I find work with acquired brain injury, and how do I deal with societies focus on perfectionism?

Balancing mental illness with your identity can be quite hard - how much of yourself should you share?

The impact of stigma, judgement and the chance for a fall back into a mental health crisis all impact how you respond when someone asks if you are okay …

In this episode, I talk about my experiences with mental illness, recovery, psychologists, medication and overcoming the embarrassment of seeking help. 
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If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, self harm or suicidal thoughts, please seek help - there are support services and treatments options that work, as well as people that care. You just need to take that first step …