Theresa and America recall how they’ve dealt with the trauma in their lives. There is a discussion about how everyone experiences trauma differently and how some go straight to avoidance. They talk about the aftermath of trauma, common thinking traps around trauma and Theresa's traumatic association with George Floyd. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

In the Open

How To Deal With Trauma

Theresa and America were reluctant about the concept of radical acceptance at first, but they give the definition of what it means and how they feel about it now. There is a conversation about how to grieve the things that should not have happened. They talk about where they need to practice radical acceptance in their lives, letting go of control and how much of it is about personal responsibility. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

What Is Radical Acceptance?

What makes something normal? America and Theresa talk about their personal relationships with the meaning of “normal.”  They talk about some of the people they trust in their lives to bounce their “normal/not normal” ideas off of to gauge how they feel. They discuss the societal pressures of fitting in and some of their personal behaviors some might categorize as “not normal.” To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Is It Normal or Not Normal?

Why is it that we lash out and say hurtful things? Theresa and America revisit some hurtful things they’ve said in the past and they dive into how they feel when they are on the receiving end of some hurtful comments. They unpack their past experiences that influence the way in which they communicate today, the difference between being reactive vs. responsive and why they lay out some soft and hard boundaries when communicating. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Why Do People Say Hurtful Things?

Kat McIntosh joins Theresa to share her mental health journey. Kat started to recognize some signs of a disconnect with her feelings of emotion so she sought out professional help and she recalls all the obstacles she had to overcome to finally get a diagnosis. She talks about how she started hearing voices, how Kat’s family and friends reacted to the conversation about her experiences and the importance of being your own advocate. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Am I Bipolar or Depressed? featuring Kat McIntosh

Theresa and America focus on how it's hard to celebrate your accomplishments when you’re going through a mental health challenge. They discuss how they personally honor their small accomplishments. They talk about taking pride in your achievements, sharing your accomplishments with loved ones and how you should evaluate why you feel that you can’t be proud. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Why Is It Hard To Be Proud?

America and Theresa talked out about being broken  and now they search through the topic of not knowing who they are. They summarize their own identity and how that has evolved over their lives. There is a discussion about roles, the labels we put on ourselves and how things can become more enjoyable once you identify your own true identity. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

I Don’t Know Who I Am

Am I Broken? Theresa and America have asked themselves this question and it’s something they’ve had to work through, so they navigate through these intrusive thoughts. They talk about how these thoughts make you feel like an outsider and even make you wonder if you’ll ever be “normal.” There is a conversation about self-worth, how being broken doesn’t mean you have to stay broken and how Theresa helped heal through the metaphor of the “broken vase.” To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Am I Broken?

Episode #100! On this special podcast America and Theresa consider the question “will I ever be happy again?” They both have asked themselves this question during their lives and they share what they’ve done to try and shift their framework around the idea of “happiness.” There is a discussion about the effects of the pandemic on people’s happiness, America breaks down her idea of “dwellers” and they talk about what truly makes them happy. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Will I Ever Be Happy Again?

Theresa and America pinpoint what trauma is and each give their personal definitions. Theresa identifies as a trauma survivor and America highlights collective trauma. They discuss experiences that have negatively impacted their lives and how they identified the quality of those experiences, when to reach out for help and how they categorize the big “T” and little “t” forms of trauma. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

What Is Trauma?

Spoiler: It’s not. Theresa and America wrestle with a rather insulting question about whether depression is a choice. They recall when they’ve been asked this question in the past and how it made them feel. They explain why depression (or any other mental illness) is not a choice, the value of a support system and how you have a responsibility to yourself about your own wellness, nobody else. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Is Depression A Choice?

Kelly Davis is back and is joining America to talk about her experiences with thoughts of killing herself but not necessarily wanting to die. This topic may be both difficult for some but the conversation is important to have and Kelly helps explore how she personally changed her relationship with those thoughts. Kelly shares an enlightening piece of advice from a therapist regarding thoughts of suicide, they talk about the importance of finding a sense of purpose and how everyone’s story is worth listening to. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

I Think About Killing Myself But I Don't Want To Die featuring Kelly Davis

Theresa struggles with self-love, so America leads her through the process of how she can try to be better at loving herself. They talk about the progress they’ve made in loving themselves and how small changes to their outside appearance has helped. They discuss the similarities to self-love and confidence, they give two examples of what they love about themselves and how we should all practice self-gratitude. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

How Do I Love Myself?

America and Theresa are completely spent, and they are at the point where they have the inability to process information while recording this podcast. They try to determine how they got to this point and the events that lead to the feeling of their brains not working. They talk about what things drain them the most, the importance of rest for both your body and your brain and they explore solutions for when they need to reset themselves. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

My Brain Doesn't Work Anymore

America is joined by Ben Ballman, who is a high school student who founded a mental health coalition, and they discuss being in a toxic relationship. They talk about their experiences with toxic relationships from each of their perspectives. They share some signs of how to identify if a relationship is toxic, setting boundaries and the importance of remembering that prioritizing your own mental health over someone else’s does not make you a bad person. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org

Am I In A Toxic Relationship? featuring Ben Ballman

Join Mental Health America as we have open conversations about mental health. We're a group of people who want to change the way our communities talk about mental health. On this podcast, we share our lives, fight in the open, and work together to just figure things out.