I love this podcast, and that's why I think it's time for me to take a step back for a little while. I just haven't been feeling up to making new episodes, and with everything going on in my life, I'm just exhausted all the time. I want to take some time to step back and get into a better headspace, and I think that one way for me to do that is by taking some responsibility off my plate, and considering the fact that this is my 124 episode, I've had this responsibility for quite some time. I'm n...
Apr 12, 2021•22 min
This week’s episode is going to be a relaxing one. Well, at least I hope so! I just sat back and talked about my life, what’s been going on, and how I’m coping with the everyday stresses of existing. I cover topics from school, to work, and even Halsey’s swollen butt. With range of topics like that, I’m sure it has something for everyone! I hope you enjoy! --- I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this podcast with the hopes that it can help some people....
Apr 06, 2021•33 min
Of course! I love animals and always have. When I was young, I grew up with two dogs and many three cats, and the second I went to college, I missed the unconditional love that they provided. After Alex and I graduated from college, we went on a mission to get pets. Two months after we both started new jobs, we brought home two wonderful pets: our dog Halsey and our cat Leia. It’s been a little over a year since we got them, and in this episode, I’d like to talk about how I feel my life has chan...
Mar 29, 2021•33 min
Planning might be the most boring topic in the world, but it's still something that needs to be talked about. Planning is important in all walks of life, but I think that it's especially important when you struggle with mental illness. It helps you get a grasp on what is going on around you and put your life events into perspective, while also giving you some self-motivation to keep moving forward. That said, it can also seem like a bad thing when you don't feel the motivation to do what you've ...
Mar 15, 2021•33 min
Admittedly, I'm no master of chess, so I don't know if this is true. That said, I've spent a lot of my free time playing chess recently and trying to become better at it. What I find crazy is how many parallels I've found between the game of strategy and my mental health. Maybe it's because I have an unhealthy obsession of the game and think about it all the time or maybe it's because there are actually parallels. No matter the reason, that's what I'm going to talk about this episode. I hope you...
Mar 08, 2021•35 min
This is something that I think about every day, but I decided that it's finally time to make an episode about it. College is brutal. I don't care how smart you are, college is hard for a few reasons. I hated my undergrad because I didn't handle being away from home and having no friends well. It was also hard because I had nooooo clue what I wanted to do with my life. My masters is hard because it's a lot of work, but it's also more satisfying than my undergrad, even though I'm juggling this and...
Mar 01, 2021•36 min
What better time is there to talk about burnout than when you're burnt out? In this episode, I talk about the constant exhaustion I've been feeling that's been brought on by work, personal issues, school, raising two amazing little pets, and maintaining basic functional necessities like laundry and cooking. You know that feeling that comes around that makes you want to procrastinate everything you do while also giving you an unusual addiction to Tetris and Chess? Okay, the latter part might just...
Feb 22, 2021•35 min
This week, I'm covering a topic that I think is one of the most important that I've talked about recently. Saying no and setting boundaries for yourself is one of the best ways that I've discovered to cope with the state of my mental health. Whether you're saying no to working late on a Friday, having a game night with friends, or even answering the phone when someone is calling, it's okay to say no and not handle it in that moment if you don't feel like you're in the best state to do so. In thi...
Feb 15, 2021•34 min
This is a topic that, if you're anything like me, is a hard one to grasp. It's really easy to think that you’re not worth as much as you actually are or to think you’re worth nothing at all. Whether you suffer from a bad case of imposter syndrome, you believe that you aren't contributing to society in a meaningful way, or you aren't doing a great job where you work, I bet you're doing better than you think. In this episode, I talk about my struggle to see my worth in the world, and how I'm makin...
Feb 08, 2021•34 min
Knowing that your mental illness doesn’t define you isn’t a novel concept. Each and every one of us is a unique and special person, but some of us struggle with mental illness. Even though sometimes our lives are dictated by what's going on in our heads, such as a lack of motivation to do something in our everyday lives and an inability to get out of bed, we're more than the thoughts that go through our heads. I think this is an important concept for anyone to know, but those that don't struggle...
Feb 01, 2021•32 min
This episode is about stress. Stress is a normal part of everyday life and learning to cope with it is an essential skill that everyone needs to learn. That said, it's still a piece of crap. You couple stress with mental illness, and it can feel like a ticking time bomb. From feelings of anger and exhaustion, to just a general defeated state that lingers for longer than anyone would like, it's time to talk about how I try (and sometimes fail) to deal with my stress. Did I mention that this episo...
Jan 25, 2021•33 min
So, this probably isn't the question you expected me to ask, but it's one that I asked myself recently. After weeks of low motivation, irritability, and difficulty finding happiness in the things that used to keep me moving forward, it occurred to me that... I'M DEPRESSED. It's something that I'm clearly aware of, but sometimes I just forget, and I end up giving myself a hard time for struggling to be happy and finding my motivation. In this episode, I'm going to talk about that "sudden realizat...
Jan 19, 2021•31 min
I know that it was in eighth grade that my depression really started. Before that, I was a happy-go-lucky kid who thought he was happy and great all the time. I still remember being that kid who, any time he could, he would run around hoping that one day he'd "lose enough weight to fly." That kid still exists, and I'm constantly searching for more and more of the missing pieces of him that have buried themselves deep within me, but he'll never come back completely. In this episode, I'll tell you...
Jan 11, 2021•33 min
When something negative affects your life, there is no straightforward way to cope with it. No matter how you cope with the situation, it's difficult because the situation itself is difficult, too. What I've learned about myself over the recent weeks is that I have a tendency to escape from reality when something unfortunate happens in my life. I do it through a variety of ways, such as YouTube, TV, video games, and endless social media usage, but that leaves an unanswered question: does escapin...
Jan 04, 2021•31 min
I have recently been affected by something very close to me, and as I cope with the challenge of it, I've witnessed the many different ways that those around me have responded to the news. This episode is about the responses that those close to me, including myself, have had. From food and compassion, to stoicism and crying, sadness takes many faces, and each has its own feeling, story, and love behind it. --- I am not a doctor, so do not treat this as therapy or medical advice. I just do this p...
Dec 28, 2020•33 min
Getting in touch with your emotions is hard work. Do you want to know how I know that? Well, this is the 109th episode of this podcast and I still suck at it. I may be beginning to understand why I do some of the things that I do, but that doesn't mean I can always practice what I preach at the level that I wish I could. Saying how you feel is one of the most difficult things you can do. It takes empathy, vulnerability, honesty with yourself and those that you're being honest to, and it takes sw...
Dec 21, 2020•34 min
I'll never claim to be a perfect person. It's just not possible to be perfect, and I don't strive for it. What I can say is that over the course of my life, I've become a significantly happier and confident depressed person with a lot more hope for the future, but that hasn't always been the case. I'm currently engaged to the love of my life, but I've had a few failed relationships before I got here, and in this episode, I swallow my pride and dive into how I contributed to their downfall becaus...
Dec 14, 2020•35 min
For me, depression is that creeping feeling that makes me want to give up all hope. It tells me that I'm terrible, that I'm bad at everything, and that nobody will ever truly love me because I am imperfect and unpleasant. It even tells me that I'd be better off dead than seeing tomorrow. Depression makes me feel unwanted, but it also feels unique - almost like I’m the only person in the world who suffers from it. I know I’m not, but the question I have is: is my depression unique to me, or is it...
Dec 07, 2020•34 min
I could tell you what everyone else in the world is telling you about the holidays. I could say that going to see your family is terrible because we are in the midst of a pandemic, and that it's irresponsible to put you and your family in danger. I could also say that you should go see your family because you only live once and seeing them is more important than following the precautions assigned to you because of a pandemic. There are many things that I could tell you, but what I'm going to set...
Nov 30, 2020•31 min
I've talked about routine before, and I always talk about how great it is. Having some sense of what you're going to do can be really good for mental health, whether it's from having a good sleep schedule, working out, or taking time out of your week to think about you. I promise that I'll talk about routine in the future, too! But you know what screwed up routine and all it stood for? COVID-19. I know, I'm just as surprised as you that COVID ruined something else. Now, staying home when possibl...
Nov 16, 2020•32 min
Okay, so it's not so much about "nothing" per se, but it's about feeling relaxed, not stressed, and for a brief moment, like I wasn't depressed. I had the pleasure of finishing two of my masters classes today (the day before this was released,) and although I start another tomorrow, for a short 7 or so hours, I didn't have any responsibilities. Sure, I had to do a few things like get dinner, walk Halsey, and play with Leia, I didn't have any overarching things to do for once. I felt completely a...
Nov 09, 2020•36 min
For all the time I talk on this podcast about the revelations that I've had about myself, I'm still no expert on me. Sometimes I need to reach out to other people for help. This episode is about the people I've reached out to, when and why I did, and what came of it. Along with that, I talk about the times that other people have reached out to me, and what that made me realize about people as a whole. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the episode! --- I am not a doctor, so do not treat t...
Nov 02, 2020•33 min
Hey - you there! Thanks for joining me for another episode of the podcast. This week, I talk about figuring out priorities. What inspired me to talk about it is the fact that I (along with everyone else in the world) have a lot of stuff on my plate that I either need or want to do, and I don't have enough time to do it all. This caused me to really sit down and figure out what I needed to do to be most successful in the future, and what will make me happier over the duration of my life. With tha...
Oct 26, 2020•34 min
Have you ever thought about diving into something and immersing yourself so completely so that you don't have to worry about the thoughts going through your head? If so, I did it for you and learned that it's not a great thing to do, so I don't recommend it. I've been very busy with everything going on in my life that it's hard for me to focus on the stuff that I know makes me feel happier, such as talking with my friends and family, writing, making content for Acceptable Madness, and more. This...
Oct 19, 2020•35 min
It's been a long road - after a little over 2 years, it's time to celebrate Acceptable Madness' 100th birthday. In that short amount of time, I've talked for hours and hours about different topics such as loss, friendship, sleep, rejection, and so much more. I've told you more about myself than most of my closest friends know about me, and I've uncovered more about how my mind works in that time than I ever could have imagined. In this episode, I'd like to talk about how much I've changed over t...
Oct 12, 2020•34 min
Love and depression are like potato chips and chocolate; they seem like they shouldn't go together but they're actually a magical combination. Huh? Only I like chocolate-covered potato chips and most people think it's weird? Oh... the more you know I guess. What I mean is that love and depression, although many people would think they don't mesh, they actually do and in a perfect, weird kind of way. Even though you might not feel love in the traditional sense - full of hearts and smiles flutteri...
Oct 05, 2020•34 min
There are so many things in the world that we are amazing at, average at, and terrible at. Now, I like to focus on the things that I'm amazing at, and I'm sure you do too (and I'm sure there are a lot of things that you're amazing at,) but no matter if you're great at something or awful at it, there is always the chance that you'll fall short. Whether it's a test that you thought you got a 100% on but you actually got a B, or you were working on a project at work that didn't go as planned, we'll...
Sep 28, 2020•34 min
Hi! I hope you're ready to sit back and relax while we talk about the future. A friend of mine recently told me that to feel better about the world and their current situation, they just stopped thinking about the future, and instead focused entirely on the present. That inspired me to make this episode, where I really dive into how I look at the future, how it's probably not the most productive way to do it, but how I'm hoping to change my mindset to be a more happy individual. The future can a...
Sep 21, 2020•33 min
Past Scott would beat me up for this episode, but I have to admit that education is awesome. No matter why you learn, whether it's to become better in your field of expertise, beat someone in trivia, or develop a higher sense of understanding in the world, learning is great. It's an amazing way to show and feel personal growth, while also seeing the world in a way that you may not have considered before. I used to hate school and dreaded going to class every day to see people there that were sma...
Sep 14, 2020•35 min
Okay, hear me out with this one. No one likes deadlines, I know. At work or school, they stress you out. If you miss one, it can feel very defeating. But dang, when you accomplish whatever deadline you have, it feels pretty good. That's what this episode is all about! Setting realistic deadlines for yourself is a great way to give yourself a reason to get out of bed and do something. In the past, I've talked about setting the goal of simply getting out of bed and showering, and although that is ...
Sep 08, 2020•37 min
