Unhinged

Unhinged Episode #037: Food For Thought

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Unhinged Episode #037: Food For Thought

We continue the discussion about “Having” vs. “Being”, but this time we welcome special guest Mitchell Drew (rocket scientist, idealist, avid concert-goer) and ask his thoughts on the subject. Are we losing out on experiences in real life when we interact with our mobile devices? Or are those virtual social interactions just as valid? Are we sacrificing a full real-life experience for the ability to record the experience on video to preserve the memory?

With three guitarists on, there’s no way we’re not going to mention music. We already know how powerful music can be for mental health, but when music makes us cry, the medicine can be painful and quite healing. Also, find out who has a Spotify playlist specifically designed to make them cry. 🙂

We also talk about how healthier foods can mean a healthier brain. Science tells us that certain types of foods can help promote brain health. A few tweaks to your diet can start you down the path to wellness if you know what foods to avoid (aspartame), and which to seek out (omega-3’s). Self-awareness is key… you have to acknowledge yourself to be able to improve yourself.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:03 — 139.8MB)

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Unhinged Episode #036: Removing Obstacles

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Unhinged Episode #036: Removing Obstacles

This episode begins with some discussion over technology and socialization. Do today’s modern habits of burying ourselves in our tech devices isolate us from being social? Is social networking helping us become more or less connected with other humans? We both take slightly different sides on this issue.

Doug’s current month-long remission from any depressive symptoms has him working hard. He talks about becoming more self-aware and how he now has to learn how to control his anxiety as he socializes more and more in real life. It’s a good problem to have.

This leads us to the topic of productive vs. unproductive worry. Worrying about things that are out of your control is unproductive, but when you can remove an obstacle that you CAN control, this is called “productive worry”. We give some examples and talk about how this is a good tool to have in your mental health arsenal.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:12 — 112.6MB)

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Unhinged Episode #035: Tabula Rasa

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Unhinged Episode #035: Tabula Rasa

In the first Unhinged episode of 2017, we discuss an interesting phenomenon called the Mandela Effect. Think your memory is accurate? Think again. The Mandela Effect is when large groups of people all share the same false memory, typically a memory that can be easily confused or distorted by similar or related memories. In psychology, this is called confabulation. They explain this concept in detail in the 80’s film Shazaam, where Sinbad plays a genie. Remember that movie?

Since it’s a new year, we all tend to make our yearly New Year’s Resolutions. Are these resolutions destined to fail? It depends on how you think of them. We talk about setting life goals and how the new year is a great blank slate, or “tabula rasa”, to begin a conscious change in behavior that can help one achieve his goals.

Finally, we get into Doug’s current and very positive mental state. His DBS continues to work its magic, coupled with weekly social interactions as a peer support worker at the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario. Not only is he getting out and interacting with people, but he’s actually helping other sufferers. His 47 years of life experience living with this disease has essentially created an expert in peer support. Go Doug!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:41 — 120.6MB)

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New Year’s Episode Coming Next Week

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New Year’s Episode Coming Next Week

As we wind down the holidays, we’re taking a small break this week and will be back on Tuesday, January 10th with our New Year’s episode. We’ll talk about what it means to make resolutions, how to set attainable goals, and more on how to make 2017 a better year.

A new year provides us with a clean slate that can be used to realign our thoughts, build up hope, and tackle issues confidently. Join us next Tuesday and let’s get 2017 off to a great and hopeful start!

Unhinged Episode #034: Coping and Hoping

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Unhinged Episode #034: Coping and Hoping

In our final show of 2016, we begin with a quick recap of the past year’s episodes, covering how Doug’s mood has fluctuated throughout. Luckily, we’re ending the year on a high note with Doug feeling some relief and successfully starting on his new path as a peer support worker.

We then move on to discussing the holiday season and all its trials for those who suffer. There are many triggers this time of year that can lead to worsening depression and anxiety. We list several and offer up some possible coping mechanisms for each. From rearranging your furniture, to avoiding crowds, we provide some easy to follow suggestions that can help alleviate the holiday stress.

It’s all about avoiding the negative, embracing the positive, and changing routines.

Happy Christmahannukwanzadan! We’ll see you next year!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:04 — 146.6MB)

Unhinged Episode #033: Don’t be SAD

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Unhinged Episode #033: Don’t be SAD

After a three-week hiatus, we’re back just in time for the holiday season! These past three weeks have been very dark for Doug, but he’s finally emerging from the shadows. With another tweak to his DBS settings, he has seen a shift from severe to moderate, which is definitely the direction he needs to go.

We start this episode with an update on his mood, and also talking about the successful GoFundMe campaign I started for Doug that raised nearly $2,500 (THANK YOU!). The good news continues with Doug’s acceptance into the peer support program for the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario.

Next, we discuss Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is also known as winter depression, winter blues, or seasonal depression. As the holiday season arrives, SAD cases rise due to being exposed to less sunlight as the mornings start later and evening begins earlier during the winter season. And finally, we talk about some of the treatments available for SAD sufferers.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:47 — 164.3MB)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Procedures

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Procedures

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Journey Unhinged Featured on Home Recording Podcast

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journey-unhinged-cover

As some of you may know, I wrote and recorded a song called “Journey Unhinged” about Doug’s struggles. This was something that poured out of me after doing our podcast and learning more about mental illness and Doug’s history. Recently, I shared this song to a home recording community I belong to on Facebook called Home Recording Studio Folks. Michael P. O’Mara, the owner of this group, puts together a podcast featuring music recorded by group members every Friday.

I submitted “Journey Unhinged” for his podcast, and last Friday, December 9th, it was one of the featured songs on the show. Please have a listen to the Home Recording Studio Folks Podcast #20 to hear all the great music being recorded by so many talented musicians. It’s a great podcast if you like real music made by real people, and I suggest subscribing to it if you like great music. Michael does a great job editing and putting together these shows, and I really appreciate having my song featured amongst other great recordings. Thanks Michael!

Quick Update and Next Week’s Show

by Ed 0 Comments
Quick Update and Next Week’s Show

Hey there, Unhinged listeners! Just wanted to post a quick update on what’s been going on. As you know, we have taken a break from the show for the last three weeks so that Doug could focus on feeling better. During that time, I started a GoFundMe campaign to help alleviate his financial stress, and that generated a couple of bits of good news. One, the genuine outpouring of love and support from our listeners, friends, and family has been nothing short of amazing! And two, GoFundMe selected our campaign as one out of 100 that received an extra $1,000 directly from GoFundMe on #GivingTuesday!

On top of that, Doug has been accepted as a peer support volunteer for the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario after a lengthy interviewing process (yay!). All these things put together has generated very positive vibes that I have to believe has helped Doug during these past three weeks.

Today was the first day with some slight relief, and after some discussion, we have decided to record a new episode of Unhinged for next week! With the holidays coming up, we know it’s a very difficult time for many, so we would like to do our first holiday episode. Our intention is to be able to record this episode some time this week, and put it out next Tuesday. That’s the current plan if Doug’s mood stabilizes or improves. We will do our best and will keep you posted if things change!

-Ed

GoFundMe’s #GoBeyondGiving Gives $1,000

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This is amazing. As you saw from my previous post just eight days ago, I started a GoFundMe campaign called “Saving Doug”. This is an effort to help Doug with basic living expenses since he is on disability and living under the poverty line. Every month, he runs out of his disability money and can go days without eating. This, of course, does not help with his depression.

Well, we had an outpouring of donations from friends, family, and listeners! This morning we reached 50% of our goal, all in just a week’s time. But just as I was celebrating reaching this milestone, GoFundMe took it to a whole other level…
gfm-1000
Our campaign was chosen as one of 100 campaigns (tagged with #GoBeyondGiving) that GoFundMe felt was inspiring or touching, and on #GivingTuesday (today), they donated $1,000 to our campaign! I just stared at the donation notification for what seemed like minutes before I was able to fully grasp the fact that we were selected.

So just a huge shout out to everyone who donated (listeners, friends, and family), and a special shout out to GoFundMe for recognizing Doug’s struggles and for the generous donation!

Saving Doug Campaign

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Hello Unhinged listeners! As you may know from our last show, we are taking a short break from the podcast until Doug feels a bit better. This break will help relieve some stress for him, and any bit of stress right now is hard for him to handle.

He’s been down for a few weeks now, struggling with anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and deep depression. As we’ve mentioned on the show before, he’s on disability and lives just under the poverty line. Every month, when he runs out of money, he can go days without food and is just inches away from homelessness. So to try to dig him out of this hole, I started a GoFundMe campaign so he won’t starve and to remove one of the biggest stressors he has in his life. This will help him both mentally and physically.

So if you feel like making a donation, hit the button below. Any amount helps! If you cannot donate, I totally understand. Just keep listening to our show! THANK YOU!