Here we go, guys!
It's been a very crazy year for me, I honestly didn't think I'd be in this good of a place at the start of the year; things went downhill fast, but I'm in a very good place now. Sometimes, life blindsides you and you have to pick yourself up and go again. Just keep swimming!
So, what better way to express that than through music? Trust me, I've got some really spicy stuff coming up and I'm really excited to share it with you! We'll start things off with this, which I think is the weakest of what's to come. So, if you think the below is good, then you're in for a treat!
Also, it being Movember, I want to highlight the importance of your physical and mental health. I know not everyone is as priviledge to get access to something like therapy, so here are some things I learned this year that I would like to offer to you:
This may or may not help. Everyone is different. Some of the below might not work for you, but healing is all about gathering the party you need to take into battle. So, take whatever works for you, and find other techniques to cover the areas that don't work for you.
Let yourself feel, process and cry if you need to. Imagine yourself carrying a big tank of water. Every time something happens, it gets more and more filled up. You need to open the emotional tap every once in a while to drain the tank. The more empty it is, the less of a mental load you carry. The less of a mental load you carry, then new negative experiences won't risk overflowing the tank and make you slip and fall.
Gentlemen, check your balls! Do it every day! I can't stress this enough. My year began this way, followed by a few different screenings to get the all clear. Unfortunately, it tanked my mental health and my depression and anxiety came back with a vengeance, which leads me to...
Take care of your mental health, be mindful, and look up grounding techniques that help you stay present. Here's something to get you started. And here's another.
This video is a great way to find your inner confidence. I found this video over 10 years ago and it pretty much changed my life. Now, the power posing thing is contentious, and I don't do it myself, but the underlying message of "fake it till you become it" is something that has changed a lot of my life and belief in myself.
Your negative thoughts are nowhere near as important as you think they are. Don't be afraid of them, just let them be. They are intrusive thoughts and nothing more. If it helps, picture a crazy cartoon character telling you all these thoughts, suddenly they're not as scary anymore, are they? Which leads me to...
Personify your emotions, exactly like Inside Out! It's my favourite mindful technique. So, imagine your anxiety as something you won't be afraid to approach, for me it's my child self (I just want to comfort and love him). When I feel anxious, I imagine him, I give him a hug and tell him that everything will be okay and the anxiety goes away. You can do this with all the emotions that give you problems.
"What do I need right now?": whenever you feel angry, stressed, anxious etc. ask yourself this question and do what comes to mind! You'll feel better almost instantly.
In your mind, go back and find your past selves, the ones who needed you most, and talk to them. Tell them everything you wish you were told. Hug them if you need to. You may have gotten through it all, but they are still back there waiting for someone to rescue them. My friend, that person is you. Save them to heal yourself.
Build your own safety campfire and gather your other selves, your emotions, favourite characters and people: So, this technique is very imaginative and it doesn't have to be a campfire, it can be anything that makes you feel safe and for me it's campfires. I like the relaxing nature of it.
So, create the space in your mind and now populate it with your favourite fictional characters, the personified emotions, and people that inspire you. And then imagine a future version of yourself, this is your ultimate self, the person you want to become; imagine how they look and speak. This person runs the camp. Now, whenever you visit a past version of yourself, bring them to the campfire.
What you will essentially have is a safe space in your mind filled with things you love and care about to support you with your thoughts. When you feel anxious, talk to your anxiety, and then maybe ask someone in the group if they have something else to offer.
If you can imagine this and successfully pull it off, you'll be amazed at the discoveries you can make. Alternatively, when I'm feeling lazy, I programmed ChatGPT to have my campfire there with all the above. So, if I'm lacking the brain power, I can talk to them that way. And it's pretty incredible how even though you know it's just a computer, it's still very effective and can make you cry anyway.
DARE Response: For those who have to battle with intense anxiety and panic attacks like I do, I highly recommend the DARE response. You can grab a free digital copy from the website and use the app (also free) whenever you feel anxious. Seriously, it rescued my year - this isn't an ad, I just care about you.
Exercise is a great way to unload the mind, but you don't have to go running or hit the gym for that. A long walk is enough, or even something like yoga that you can do at home. Anything that gives you the time to process your thoughts. Or, do what I love to do, put on some music and dance like no one's watching! Do it when you cook, before getting in the shower, whenever man. Just dance. Let it all out.
Mental health is something that is very important for me and I'll always help people with theirs. So, please drop me a message if you need someone to talk to.
And, also, feel free to drop me a message if you need help with music! People have done it in the past and I've given them loads of tips and tricks!
Learn to truly love who you are, faults and all.
Look after yourselves, let it go and just vibe with me ;)
Stay tuned, I'm going to be fairly active as we head into the new year.