JCIP #165 - James Bloodworth - Part 2

In episode 165 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked back in with journalist and author James Bloodworth. During the Covid-19 pandemic, James returned to his home county of Cornwall to live with and support his Gran. James saw this as repaying a childhood debt after she helped raise him for much of his adolescence. Unfortunately, James’s Gran passed away in 2022 and the impact the grief had on him was immense and made him question his path in life, the choices he’s made and affected his relationships with those closest to him. In this episode we discuss that grief and why it had such a profound impact on him, how its forced him to grow up even as a 39-year-old, addressing underlying mental health issues and putting new internal systems in place to deal with the ups and downs of life. We also discuss the anxiety he’d been having during Covid-19 and how it alleviated significantly when he stopped taking his ADHD medication. We finish by analysing the pros and cons of that decision and his experience of antidepressants he was prescribed after his gran’s death and therapy. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow James on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/J_Bloodworth You can read The Times article we mentioned which interviewed James and his gran here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-went-to-see-gran-for-the-weekend-so-how-did-i-end-up-staying-for-a-year-p370c30j3 Listen to Part 1 of James's story here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-69-james-bloodworth Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk