Episode 27
Unmasking the Warrior: Emotional Truths Men Are Dying to Tell
9 27
Unmasking the Warrior: Emotional Truths Men Are Dying to Tell
Show Notes
Men's health is often measured in silence. David Amerland joins Elaine for a wide-ranging convo on why that's killing us—literally. We go from ancient warrior codes to dopamine cycles, from the chaos of returning home to the peace found in breath, connection, and good sleep. It’s an unflinching look at the stories men carry—and the new ones they desperately need.
💥 What We Talk About:
- Why feelings start in the body, not the mind
- How pain reshapes us—and why we ignore it
- The myth of the strong, silent male and its deadly cost
- Ritual, community, and why ancient warrior cultures got it right
- Why reintegration is essential (soldiers, astronauts, and ex-cons all need it!)
- The real role of emotions in elite military performance
- David’s book Built to Last and the new model of masculine health
- Daily practices for better physical/emotional integration
- Gen Z, social media, and hopeful trends in emotional awareness
🔗 How to Connect with David Amerland:
Website: www.davidamerland.com
Book: Built to Last: How to Get Stronger, Healthier, and Happier at Every Stage of Life (link in show notes)
📞 If You’re in Crisis:
If you're in North America, text 988 for free, 24/7 support.
Elsewhere? Please reach out to your local suicide prevention or mental health hotline. #YouMatter.
💬 Subscribe, rate, and share if this episode moved you. It could be the lifeline someone else didn’t know they needed. #ConverSAVEtions
Bio
David Amerland is a writer focused on how human behavior is shaped by modern forces, especially technology, and how that shift impacts our health, culture, and stories. After building a career in marketing and publishing several successful business books, David Amerland expanded into the wellness space with Built to Last, a practical guide to health, longevity, and intentional living.
Now also writing fiction, David Amerland explores the emotional and psychological impact of modern life through storytelling. Across all genres, his work investigates how we adapt, and sometimes resist, to change in a fast-moving world and what that does to our sense of values, the moral code we create for ourselves and the societies we build, as a result.
David Amerland's work has been featured in Inc. and Forbes, interviewed on Scott Monty's Timeless & Timely, and speaks on topics ranging from digital culture to long-term wellbeing.
When not writing, David enjoys trains in martial arts and, occasionally visits cafes.
Links & Socials
Learn more About David's books: https://davidamerland.com/bibliography
https://www.instagram.com/david_amerland/
https://www.youtube.com/c/davidamerland/videos
https://medium.com/@davidamerland
https://bsky.app/profile/davidamerland.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidamerland/
https://www.threads.com/@david_amerland
https://x.com/DavidAmerland
Suicide Zen Forgiveness Stories re Suicide Loss | Ideation | Mental Health | Offering Hope |Empathy for All website
©2025-2018 Elaine Lindsay SZF42.com All rights reserved.
https://suicide-zen-forgiveness.captivate.fm/episode/unmasking-the-warrior-emotional-truths-men-are-dying-to-tell
Elaine Lindsay
Explicit
Transcript
YouMatter Song Lyrics: When
moving forward seems too much.
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:When you feel totally out of touch,
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:out the door, you find yourself.
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:Curled on the floor.
5
:The thoughts swirl around
all jumbled and messed.
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:Why is this brain so darkly obsessed?
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:I've secrets.
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:I've never confessed.
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:Haven't told a soul,
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:I'm depressed.
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:A gentle whisper through the pain.
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:Remember rainbows, follow,
rain breathe deeply.
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:Hold on tight.
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:Your hope will return shining bright.
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:Embrace the now, release the past,
In forgiveness,, peace will last.
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:You matter deeply, you're not alone,.
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:Reach out.
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:Let your strength be shown.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: My returning
guest today is David Amerland He's
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:a writer who's focused on how human
behavior is shaped by modern forces,
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:especially technology and how that shift
impacts our health culture and stories.
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:After building a career in marketing
and publishing several successful
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:business books, David Amerland expanded
into the wellness space with Built
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:to Last, a practical Guide to Health,
longevity, and Intentional Living.
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:The book immediately prior to
this was called Intentional.
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:David is now also writing fiction
and exploring the emotional and
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:psychological impact of modern
life through storytelling.
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:I am thrilled to have David
as my returning guest.
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:I know I always learn something new, and
this month is Men's Mental Health Month,
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:which is why we are going to talk about
his book Built to Last and how men can
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:specifically apply it to make things
better for them, to become more rounded,
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:to be more vulnerable, to be more open.
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:All the things that help you live
a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
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:And so it's awesome to
present to you, David.
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:Amerland.
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:Good day.
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:David Amerland: It's just a
pleasure to be here, I can tell you.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: It is wonderful
to have you here and I cannot think of
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:anyone better to come on and speak to.
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:, To me , it's like the whole person.
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:This is men's Mental Health month,
and as such, I wanted to talk about
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:men's mental health with some men
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:okay, when I want to look deeper into
anything, David, you are the man I call.
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:Okay.
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:And that's deeper into my own psyche.
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:That's deeper into search, that's deeper
into Google Plus, that's deeper into
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:absolutely anything and everything.
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:This, I will try not to embarrass you
too much, but I absolutely love you.
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:The depths you go to in your subjects and
the breadth of what those subjects are,
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:and you never fail to surprise and thrill
me with the information that you give us.
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:So in light of it being Men's
Mental Health fund and very lately.
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:You came out with your new book,
built it to Last, I thought.
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:Well, here's a Marriage Made in Heaven.
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:It says How to get stronger, healthier,
and happier at every stage of life.
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:Now, this is of course for everyone,
but we're going to tailor our talk
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:somewhat to men because I believe.
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:Firmly that our mental health
really is dependent on our physical
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:health and our emotional health,
and I know that you are the one who
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:can speak to all of those things.
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:So let's dive in.
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:David Amerland: Okay.
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:Where to begin from.
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:Right.
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:And you're absolutely right.
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:The way we feel and the way we think.
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:Is absolutely key to the way our bodies
and, and here's the reason for this.
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:Feelings and thoughts tend to be kind
of immaterial in substantial things.
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:We sort of have an idea, but
we can't really see them.
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:We can't really grasp them or
sensational them, tend to be
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:subjective to a large extent.
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:However, nothing can ever
arise out of nothing.
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:And the place where we
inhabit is the body.
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:That body has substrate, it has
structure, it has cells, and it has
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:networks, and it has neurochemicals,
and it has electro transmitters, it
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:has neurotransmitters, and all those
things actually have a physical,
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:existence, which is definitely measurable
and definitely makes itself felt.
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:And out of the combination of those
sensations, we get our feelings primarily.
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:And once we process those feelings,
those emotions, we get our thoughts.
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:So if our home, if our body isn't
okay, then having the expectation
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:that our feelings would be okay and
our thoughts are going to be okay is
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:something which is a really tall order.
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:So we always start with
the absolute basics.
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:And , there's a saying which goes
back almost two and a half thousand
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:years ago, mentioned grease, but they
said a sound mind in a sound body.
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:And we sort of kind of accept it at face
value without questioning too deeply.
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:But there's massive.
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:Wisdom integrated into
that simple observation.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Absolutely.
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:That's the basis
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:of it.
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:David Amerland: Yeah.
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:Yeah,
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: yeah.
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:I, I'm just gonna interrupt you
here for one thing that a few, I
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:don't know, a few times ago we were
talking, you were talking to me
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:and explained that pain changes us.
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:Completely.
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:And that's absolutely true.
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:And that's what led me when I started
reading your book, I was thinking,
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:oh my God, that makes so much sense
that our emotions, our feelings, our
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:the pain receptors, the dopamine,
all of that needs to have some kind
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:of balance with our physical body.
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:Because you're trying to walk
and there's a rock in your shoe.
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:You can't concentrate, you
can't carry on a conversation.
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:You can't walk properly because
you are focused on that pain
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:from the rock in your shoe.
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:It throws off everything else, and
that's a very simplistic example, but
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:it does therefore make sense that.
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:In the larger scheme of things when you
take, the long view, that only makes
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:sense that all of those parts of us are
put together in a way that's balanced,
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:that's functional, that's healthy, and I
don't think you can take mental health.
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:Or physical health or emotional health
or even spiritual health and separate
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:them and have you function properly.
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:David Amerland: Absolutely.
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:We can't.
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:And the sad thing is, and this is an
obvious one, and we don't really think
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:about it, we only talk about mental
health when things are already bad.
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:We talk about physical health
when things begin to go wrong.
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:And when everything's going relatively
okay without being necessarily, okay.
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:Okay.
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:We tend to ignore it.
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:We tend to think, oh, it's gonna,
it's going to work itself out.
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:And it doesn't.
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:I mean, if you were an
athlete, for example, I.
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:You'd have a physiotherapist and you
have a psychotherapist, and you have a
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:coach, and you might have a dietician,
and all those people are there to
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:make sure that when you push your
body and mind to the limit in order
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:to increase your performance, then you
have to take specific steps to bring
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:your body back down to baseline, to
get enough rest, enough refueling,
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:enough repair, and then you have
to do the same thing for your mind.
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:And we know that from a lead
performance and for the rest of
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:us, we tend to ignore those things.
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:We tend to think, oh, we'll manage, we
are okay because we're not breaking down.
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:By the time we begin to feel that we're
breaking down, it's already too late.
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:And this is the thing
we need to be aware of.
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:I've discussed this with a friend before
who's, who teaches philosophy at one
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:of the universities in Poland, and we
were saying that it's taken 6,000 years.
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:To make sure that we have a civilization
that more or less guarantees
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:your personal physical integrity.
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:You're going to step outta your house.
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:Nobody's going to attack you.
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:We have encoded this into law.
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:We have encoded into traditions.
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:We have encoded into moral
structures, moral behavior.
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:If by whatever sort of situation
you happen to be attacked, somebody
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:will come to your aid because
that's the right thing to do in
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:some way within their own capacity.
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:But nobody's going to be left
unmoved because it's been encoded
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:in so many different layers for so
long, and that's taken 6,000 years.
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:But that's just the outside.
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:Nobody thinks about what's
going on inside each person.
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:We think it's okay to yell at somebody
because we are full of anger or
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:full of stress, and we externalize
it and we don't think of the impact
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:that will have on somebody else.
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:We are gradually.
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:And encouragingly in the 21st century,
beginning to talk openly about these
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:things, about our feelings, about how
we're impacted by the external world,
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:about how our behavior impacts others.
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:So this is the first step, and we
need to accelerate things a little
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:bit so it doesn't take another 6,000
years before we get to the stage
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:where we feel that we are responsible
for the mental and psychological
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:health of the people around us.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah, please,
let's not take another 6,000 years.
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:But to that end, 'cause we're
talking about men's mental health.
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:David Amerland: Yes.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: I think
for so long you were seeing men
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:having, the silent killer, the widow
maker, all these heart problems and
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:things, because traditionally men
don't talk about their feelings.
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:And don't have emotions other
than anger and satisfaction.
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:Everything else was by the wayside,
and it's not something we probably
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:most people think about, but for so
many decades, that was always the fear.
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:I think honestly, that's why
insurance came about because the.
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:Head of the household.
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:The ba, the breadwinner was always
at risk and we put 'em there
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:because men were meant to be silent
and strong and like hydro poles.
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:It just be there.
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:David Amerland: You're correct.
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:A hundred percent correct.
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:This is a stereotype that came about
gradually, especially in the West, but
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:it's a global phenomenon to some extent.
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:Of the strong silent male, and
I'm not quite sure how it emerged,
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:but it does as a huge disservice.
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:And if we look in the past amongst,
warrior tribes and warrior cultures,
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:males, the strongest Warriors.
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:Warriors to be leaders to be,
they had a space where they went.
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:Through rituals to get in
touch with their emotions.
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:They went through stages and phases
where they bonded and they opened
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:up with their fellow warriors.
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:So it was never in the past.
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:Even amongst warrior cultures,
the strong silent type, this
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:is one of these stereotypical,
western constructs in my view.
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:Primarily came through popular culture
because we like the lone government.
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:We like the strong silent male, the
Rambo type that comes and does, restores
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:justice, that kind of thing, which is
entertaining for sure, but it feeds into
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:the stereotype which doesn't actually
conform or even represent the way that
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:our internal world actually works.
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:And this is the problem.
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:So if you keep it all in, you
isolate yourself, you put yourself
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:under tremendous pressure, you feel
victimized, which is where the anger
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:comes from because you need to somehow
turn the tables so you don't live
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:in an in, in a sort of, perpetually
toxic environment inside you due
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:to the stress of feeling a victim.
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:And none of those things actually serve
very well in terms of behavior of men.
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:And we're talking about men
in this particular context.
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:There is unfortunately precious
little guidance on how you
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:should behave in a modern world.
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:Beyond that, you shouldn't yell, you
shouldn't lose control of yourself.
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:You shouldn't, other things you
shouldn't do, which we usually
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:translate as being emotional.
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:And yet if we look at some of the
elite soldiers in training, they're
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:very emotional with their brothers.
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:Fellow soldiers, they're very
open about this because that's
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:where their strength is.
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:They go on missions where
they fear for their life.
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:They have uncertainty, they have
definitely feel high levels of anxiety,
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:high levels of stress, and they're
acutely in touch with their emotions.
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:They don't dump and down,
they don't ignore them.
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:They don't not externalize them.
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:They share them, and that's how
they actually grow stronger.
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:If we don't address what we
feel, then it controls us and it
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:controls the point where we lose
control of our general behavior.
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:Our executive function is overruled,
and then we get into reactive mode,
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:and then basically every decision
we make is going to be wrong.
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:And that escalates, and
escalates, escalates until
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:things become really critical.
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:If we acknowledge our emotions, if we
are in touch with how we feel and that's
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:negative, as well as positive emotions,
then that leads us into position strength
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:because we become aware of our internal
world, and that's the first step to
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:actually making decisions that are not
primarily ruled by reactive behavior.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: It's
really interesting because.
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:That very, the very nature of elite
soldiers and people during the war and
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:that are entrenched in other countries
and what have you, are so open and sharing
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:with their brethren, with their troop or,
whatever they call that pack they are in.
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:It'd be interesting to look at
why that became a locked cabinet.
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:It's, it does not translate when you put
the soldier back in day-to-day society.
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:Yes, they share with their brothers at
arms, but they don't share with their
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:spouse or their children or their parents
or it's like it, it is put in a box and
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:it is locked and only can be seen, felt
or discussed with those particular people.
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:And that seems, is that too
a western construct where?
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:To go along with the strong, silent
male as much as being an elite soldier.
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:And, you discussed like little bits of
this in a sniper's mind because Yeah,
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:you have to be fully aware of what's
around you and how you feel about it.
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:David Amerland: It's an
interesting question you bring up.
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:And the problem in that
particular context is compound.
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:The first thing is that when
you take a soldier from.
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:Active duty where he has experienced
all kind of stresses with people
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:like him at the same level.
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:And you put him into civilian life.
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:Now there's a communication gap.
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:Things get lost in translation,
he speaks a different language.
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:There is no shared culture, so that
makes it really difficult to open up.
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:And on top of this very real problem
is the perceived problem that everybody
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:sees him as a soldier with whatever
cultural misconceptions that implies.
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:They don't wanna see him cry.
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:They don't wanna see him break down.
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:They don't wanna see him weak.
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:They see him as a hero
of some description.
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:So suddenly that person, whether they
are aware or not, understands this
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:perception, understands this expectation
and the need to live up to it.
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:So then suddenly they find
themselves isolated, alone,
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:unsupported, misunderstood.
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:I.
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:On top of that, expected to perform
to some kind of different standard.
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:That's a recipe for disaster.
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:It's miscommunication from all sides.
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:It's, it's on us.
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:We have to understand that we all do
different roles in different contexts.
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:We can have highly
specialized training for that.
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:And once we're outta that context,
we are just another human being.
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:And human beings alone
are inherently vulnerable.
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:We're not designed for that.
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:We design to network connect,
find where we belong, and
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:actually function as a community.
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:And this is where we, especially in
21st century, where we still have a
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:loneliness, epidemic, epidemic going
on, where we still haven't fully
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:understood the importance of supporting
and building communities and the
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:standards and values that come with that.
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:This is where we are going
wrong at a fundamental level.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: It's so sad
when we really think about this because
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:really we're all after the same thing.
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:We wanna be connected, we want to
be seen, we wanna be heard, we want
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:to be together, but by, in a way,
forcing the military person to.
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:Put on one suit while they are active
and then to come into a completely
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:different, world, like, let's be honest
and try to fit or take off your suit and
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:then try to fit into this world that is.
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:I would think for all intents and
purposes, when you come out of the
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:theater of active duty, everything
just seems so mundane, so paltry, not
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:no import, it's not life and death.
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:And would it be maybe right or
on the right track to say that?
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:The, soup of hormones and dopamine
and adrenaline and all of those
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:things that you face on a daily
basis when you are serving.
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:Not having that in the real world then
forces you to find the real world.
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:Boring.
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:It's, beige, it's cardboard.
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:It's just so lacking and
that I think it's, yeah.
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:Boredom I think is the most
dangerous state to be in
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:David Amerland: it's interesting you
use the word boredom and essentially
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:boredom means lack of stimulus or
certainly a reduction in stimulus
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:that receive from the external world.
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:, We know for a fact that the people serving
in any capacity, even if they don't see
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:active duty, because of the constant task
orientated, very disciplined approach,
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:they have to, things have a different
baseline of arousal in their brain.
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:So when you put them into a problem,
their immediate go-to mode is to break
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:it down into tasks and tackle those
tasks in a sequence and bring about
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:the outcome that they expect to have.
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:And if they don't get the outcome,
they sort of tackle it again
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:and they do the same thing.
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:And, that essentially is , in a nutshell,
the kind of discipline that you get from
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:the military mindset where the whole
thing is that you are a problem solver,
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:some description, and you have to apply
that to the problems that you face.
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:We get into the non-military world
and things are a little bit looser.
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:The lack of focus is certainly
evident in that, you can
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:tackle several things at once.
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:Nothing seems of to be
of the same priority.
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:It's very hard to prioritize and
nobody seems to be aware of the
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:sequence of things to be done.
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:People will do things in a
haphazard, haphazard way.
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:Yeah, and certainly when I talk to
people who have come outta the military
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:and they're new to saving life.
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:They find it chaotic and they
can't understand how people
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:function in that environment.
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:Yeah.
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:That, again, is on us.
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:When we bring astronauts down
from space, there is a period of
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:decompression where they have to
get reintegrated into city life.
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:Why?
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:Because in space.
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:There is so zero room for error
essentially, and things are done in a
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:very rigorous, systematic, and disciplined
way, and that becomes their way of life.
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:And when they come back down to
earth, in order for them to preserve
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:their mental health, they have
to get reintegrated gradually.
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:And this is astronauts.
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:They don't have to face active duty.
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:Nobody's shooting at them.
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:They're not shooting at anybody else.
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:So now we take people who potentially
have been trained to kill, maybe placed
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:in a situation where they might be
killed, and everything that implies the
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:stress, the chaos, they have to deal
with the systems that have to apply,
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:the solutions that have to put in place,
and then we bring them to civil life
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:and think, you're outta the war zone.
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:You should be happy.
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:Yes, but they're also changed and
we refuse to acknowledge that.
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:And a lot of the problems that we
see is because of the refusal of
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:that acknowledgement, they're not
exactly the same as the rest of us.
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:They need help in reintegrating, and I use
the word help in a very, generic sense.
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:Yeah.
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:They need some systems,
they need some assistance.
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:They need some time.
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:They need some kind of
structure around all that.
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:And I know there are things they
can access, but again, it's like
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:they have to break down first.
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:And I think that's, again, in a
realistic situation, we have to
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:have , a problem when we could have
had a solution that would prevent
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:the problem in the first place.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: So technically
there should be a decompression
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:timeframe for people that serve.
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:And funny enough, as you were talking,
I'm thinking people coming out of jail.
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:Have something in place.
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:They have halfway houses and then they're
reintegrated somewhat into society, but at
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:least it's something between the complete
structure of the day and the evening and
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:night that one finds in jail and then
to be thrown out into the real world.
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:Yeah, no wonder the, rate of recidivism
is as high as it is because That's right.
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:Yeah.
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:There's just, there's no rhyme
or reason in the real world.
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:David Amerland: Yeah.
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:In that context, they're
institutionalized, which means essentially
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:what the brain becomes accustomed.
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:To specific patterns of operation,
specific stimuli to which they respond
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:and then suddenly they're placed in
an environment where those things
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:go away, where the structure around
them that supported them goes away.
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:They're on their own, they're
unassisted, they feel cut off,
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:they feel misunderstood, and
the situation is very similar.
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:And all these contexts we're
discussing, the problem is the same.
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:We fail to acknowledge changes which
happen internally because we can't
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:see them and we only address them
when they are expressed externally
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:through usually, antisocial
behavior or self-harming behavior.
377
:You know, that kind of thing.
378
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: If we
changed even our health approach.
379
:To being proactive as opposed to
reactive and working on keeping us
380
:healthy rather than making us well
again, which is where we're at.
381
:And adding structure of, I realize
, it's not as cut and dried as that,
382
:but basically , having a time period
like that, that, of an astronaut
383
:having something that's that in
between time that allows to become
384
:assimilated into regular life.
385
:But I think part of it is we
need more structure day to
386
:day just for humans, period.
387
:Okay.
388
:If you look at.
389
:I don't know.
390
:I don't care.
391
:Zebras or squirrels or whatever.
392
:Even the animals have more
structure than we do it.
393
:Life is not as chaotic as we make it.
394
:David Amerland: Yes.
395
:Which is bizarre.
396
:Yeah, apex predators,
we have the privilege.
397
:To function in any environment
we choose, and usually any kind
398
:of animal has a very specific.
399
:Environment.
400
:And that environment creates structure
because it has a dynamic, it has seasonal
401
:turns, it has times when the food is
plenty and times the food is scarce and
402
:the water sources go in different places.
403
:There is a structure which they
follow and that's part of their
404
:life, part of their survival.
405
:We are planetary dominant species,
so we have taken over the planet.
406
:We function in a new
environment almost at will.
407
:We can go to the bottom of the
sea, you can go to, , depth of
408
:space and everywhere in between.
409
:And we do that because of the
capability of our technology
410
:and the power of our brain.
411
:At the same time, we fail to grasp, but
every time we change environment, we
412
:expose ourselves to potential stimuli
for which we are not really prepared.
413
:And if we go back to the example of
the astronauts, for example, they
414
:have tremendous training on earth.
415
:On how to function in space.
416
:They go into isolation chambers, they
go into suspended , gravity by either
417
:falling from from, the atmosphere in
order to simulate wait lists in space
418
:or living at the bottom of the ocean.
419
:So we prepare them rigorously for
that environment where they're going
420
:to live in for a very short time.
421
:We don't take the same
kind of preparation.
422
:For most of us, when we change
neighborhoods, for example, change
423
:countries, and we have culture shocks.
424
:Yeah, that totally amens us.
425
:There is a phenomenon which has
been documented of westerners
426
:going to India on an extended
holiday and losing their identity.
427
:Literally, they forget who they
are, they forget why they exist.
428
:It's a magical phenomenon.
429
:So because the culture
shock is so profound.
430
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
431
:That.
432
:Yeah, that, that makes perfect sense.
433
:The advent of social media, , that
had to chuck a whole bunch of spanners
434
:in the works because none of us
had that kind of access to others.
435
:The way social media made
everything so immediate.
436
:Now, you and I have had talks before
about the good side of social media
437
:and just what Google Plus did for us
and many other people on the bad side.
438
:It came, it really did
come at us so quickly.
439
:People didn't realize how
detrimental it could be to young.
440
:Minds that are not fully shaped yet
to, children that don't have the
441
:mental capacity to understand that
not everything they see is real.
442
:And that's not even counting on adults
that are constantly being, having the
443
:wool pulled over their eyes and getting
scammed and hacked and what have you.
444
:I guess again, that's a very human thing.
445
:We have the capacity, to be tricksters,
, to be narcissistic, to go after what we
446
:want, often at the expense of others.
447
:And that too, I think, plays well,
not just men's mental health, but
448
:on the side of men's mental health.
449
:It has to be a really big thorn in
the shoe of people who look at it and
450
:immediately feel comparison, feel that
they somehow or other are falling short.
451
:They don't meet the requirements
that they're seeing in front of them.
452
:And because men are so silent.
453
:Supposed to be strong, that
has to be a hell of a soup
454
:that's going on in men's minds.
455
:David Amerland: Absolutely.
456
:And I'm glad you brought this up.
457
:Social media is still new to us, , but
right now had quite a bit of time
458
:under our belt to see its effects.
459
:And it does a lot of good things.
460
:It shrinks the world.
461
:It breaks down barriers,
gives us access to knowledge.
462
:It allows us to network.
463
:It allows us to find friends when
finding friends is difficult.
464
:At the same time, it produces
something called context collapse.
465
:We find meaning in what we see because of
the context it actually takes place in.
466
:And social media is fantastic and its
ability to take things out of context
467
:and present them to us so we have an
emotional response to what we are saying.
468
:But lacking context, we don't
understand the meaning of it.
469
:So we end up reacting emotionally to
the stimulus without truly being able
470
:to prioritize that for us, without being
able to understand what it truly means for
471
:us without having the luxury of time to
process it and understand its impact on
472
:us at a deep level, at the that level of
memories and knowledge and comprehension.
473
:And that's the danger of that.
474
:Every time we are exposed to any kind
of danger, we find ways to get rounded.
475
:It takes time.
476
:And we are still young in our use of
social media in that regard, but as
477
:we are talking, we are probably the
last, our generation that is growing up
478
:without having access to social media.
479
:Yeah.
480
:And the ones coming after.
481
:Us and the ones after them will
evolve their own tactics and their
482
:own defenses in order to reap the
benefits of what they use and mitigate
483
:A lot of its bad impact at the moment.
484
:The impact is certainly there.
485
:It creates a lot of anxiety in young men.
486
:I think it creates a lot of
confusion in adolescence.
487
:Definitely the comparison factor is
one of the issues which you mentioned.
488
:But those existed before in a smaller
form before we reached the digital domain.
489
:And this has only amplified it.
490
:So in the past, we found ways
to guide people through that.
491
:And I'm sure that through, the next
five years as we evolve, we'll find
492
:very clear guidelines of how to navigate
the digital world as we grow up.
493
:Without it impacting us the way it does.
494
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
495
:Because I think, an awful lot of it is
scary and I'm already seeing with some
496
:of my grandkids that Gen Z are, they're
finding ways to distance themselves.
497
:To acknowledge that not all
of this is good, which I find
498
:really interesting because they
do it better than millennials.
499
:Millennials kinda had one foot in each
camp, and it depended on where they
500
:chose to land, how much of it they find
good, and how much of it is difficult.
501
:We, I don't think there has ever been
a generation that is I wanna say it's
502
:almost like they're on rubber bands.
503
:They keep going home.
504
:Like
505
:I, I didn't see that in generations before
me, and certainly not in my generation.
506
:Okay, once you left home, that's it.
507
:You're on your own.
508
:Okay?
509
:You're an adult, go do your thing.
510
:And even Gen X, to, most extent
they've done that as well.
511
:You, there are some that end up
having to go home again, but it's
512
:not a consideration as with a
lot of millennials it is for them
513
:a big consideration right now.
514
:Trying to buy a house for
a millennial is a big deal.
515
:Things are not what they once were.
516
:And part of their life plans.
517
:I hear an awful lot of young men
and young women who will, , through
518
:my twenties, I'll just, when I
go to school, when I do whatever,
519
:I'm just gonna stay at my parents.
520
:And I don't think anybody in my age
group would have thought that was
521
:viable, nor would their parents.
522
:David Amerland: Absolutely.
523
:I think
524
:one of the thing, yes, I think one of the
things which are evident at the moment is
525
:we're going through a transition period.
526
:Things are changing.
527
:They're changing fundamentally across the
board in so many different areas that it's
528
:very hard to keep track of the effect of
all that change collectively is that it
529
:increases significantly our perception
, of uncertainty about the future.
530
:And for young people growing up
right now, the effect of that is that
531
:they tend to sometimes lose hope.
532
:And they certainly feel
under a lot of stress.
533
:A lot of pressure.
534
:I was reading a study carried out by
McKenzie, the McKenzie group from,
535
:they used six and a half thousand
different respondents from five
536
:different countries, and they looked
at Gen Zers and millennials, and
537
:they founded Gen Zers in general.
538
:Face more anxiety, face more
stress, are more acutely aware
539
:of their need to access wellness.
540
:They try to focus on their sleep.
541
:They try to focus on their health,
and they're relatively young.
542
:They're at, , they're very young.
543
:They're at an age where generations
before didn't even consider those
544
:things because they felt okay.
545
:So this kind of self-awareness
and the willingness to reach
546
:for some kind of solution.
547
:I think it's extremely hopeful.
548
:It's very encouraging.
549
:We are seeing them put in place the
defenses, the strategies, the mechanisms
550
:that will allow them to navigate
successfully in the years to come.
551
:A world that right now appears
very chaotic, and this is
552
:just the beginning for them.
553
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah,
that, that's absolutely true.
554
:An awful lot of the Gen
Zs, they do consider.
555
:Mental health is not a
foreign concept to them.
556
:And, taking time, yes, getting enough
sleep, taking time taking time because
557
:you're starting to feel burnt out.
558
:And the other thing that I, I find
really fascinating is exposed because
559
:of everything else that has gone
before, none of them look at career
560
:as meaning working in one place.
561
:Hmm.
562
:Which I find absolutely fascinating.
563
:And , that brings me to
the book for the young men.
564
:Okay.
565
:There, there's stuff in here
that talks about like harmony and
566
:happy hour and, all the additional
pieces that make for a good life.
567
:Never before.
568
:Like I find the book really interesting
because before when you got a book
569
:that talked about physicality and,
and looking after what was phys ed and
570
:you know, your body, making sure that
it functioned at its best and what
571
:have you, didn't consider any of what
people might consider more esoteric.
572
:Pursuits that really no one used
to consider your mental health.
573
:No one used to consider,
are you happy enough?
574
:Do you spend enough time every day
being grateful for what you have?
575
:Do you have a meditation practice?
576
:Do you do yoga?
577
:Like what do you, what do
you do to decompress that?
578
:All of these things are.
579
:A little newfangled, and I love
the way it's all there in the book.
580
:And as a matter of fact, like
on the back it says, stronger,
581
:healthier, happier for life.
582
:And I think that's such a,
583
:such a timely concept to put
it all together because this.
584
:Funny enough goes back to SEO.
585
:Okay.
586
:Years ago when we switched from
Boolean to contextual search, I
587
:got in the habit of talking about
everything I did was integrated.
588
:It had to be congruent.
589
:You had to pull it all together.
590
:And by that I meant
also your mental state.
591
:And here the book is
addressing all of those things.
592
:So it's
593
:YouMatter Song Lyrics: When
moving forward seems too much.
594
:When you feel totally out of touch,
595
:out the door, you find yourself.
596
:Curled on the floor.
597
:The thoughts swirl around
all jumbled and messed.
598
:Why is this brain so darkly obsessed?
599
:I've secrets I've never confessed.
600
:Haven't told a soul,
601
:I'm depressed.
602
:A gentle whisper through the pain.
603
:Remember rainbows, follow,
rain breathe deeply.
604
:Hold on.
605
:tight Your hope will
return shining bright.
606
:Embrace the now release the
past In Forgiveness, peace
607
:will last You matter
deeply you're not alone.
608
:Reach out.
609
:Let your strength be shown.
610
:When moving forward seems too much.
611
:When you feel totally out of touch,
612
:out the door, you find yourself.
613
:Curled on the floor.
614
:The thoughts swirl around
all jumbled and messed.
615
:Why is this brain so darkly obsessed?
616
:I've secrets I've never confessed.
617
:Haven't told a soul,
618
:I'm depressed.
619
:A gentle whisper through the pain.
620
:Remember rainbows, follow,
rain breathe deeply.
621
:Hold on.
622
:tight Your hope will
return shining bright.
623
:Embrace the now release the
past In Forgiveness, peace
624
:will last You matter
deeply you're not alone.
625
:Reach out.
626
:Let your strength be shown.
627
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
optimizing the human
628
:David Amerland: pretty much.
629
:Yes.
630
:I love the way you, you
brought it all together.
631
:We have talked in the world of
business and even in, in SEO forever.
632
:Yeah, about the who and the why, and we
said, if you don't know who you are as
633
:a business, there's no chance in hell
that you're really going to find your
634
:customers because you don't know how
to talk to them because you don't know
635
:what to talk to them really truly about.
636
:And if you don't know who you are,
then clearly you don't also know
637
:why you're doing what you're doing.
638
:And this is so fundamental in everything.
639
:It's fundamental in fitness, it's
fundamental in mental health.
640
:It's fundamental in happiness.
641
:We certainly struggle, and this is
again going back to the men's health
642
:thing, with our identity, we struggle
to understand who we are and when we
643
:struggle to understand who we are.
644
:We grasp past straws.
645
:We try to become what the
world expects us to be.
646
:We try to be strong.
647
:We try to be silent.
648
:We try to be successful.
649
:We try to appear that, you know, we
have this material wealth and cold
650
:veneer that we think people expect
us to have, and it's killing us.
651
:It's too much effort.
652
:It's unsustainable, it's fragile.
653
:It will break at the first stress test.
654
:So really.
655
:The answer to most things
is to look inside ourselves.
656
:And, uh, who we are is an evolution.
657
:It doesn't stay exactly the same.
658
:Parts of it do, but parts
of it constantly evolve.
659
:And why we do things is also a
reflection of that evolutionary arc.
660
:But the moment we are in touch with that,
then we are okay with the changes and that
661
:gives us grit, that gives us resilience.
662
:That allows us to bend and not break,
that allows us to navigate difficult
663
:situations without falling apart.
664
:It allows us to face uncertainty
without feeling crippling fear,
665
:and it starts so simply by asking
ourselves, who am I really, truly?
666
:And answering honestly, we can
all lie, especially to ourselves,
667
:but the moment we are honest.
668
:It's a game changer.
669
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Oh, that, that's so good.
670
:So good and so true.
671
:And in, in a way, it's funny, but
it does all come back to integration
672
:without the physical piece, without the
emotional piece, the mental health piece
673
:is never going to be what it should be.
674
:And vice versa, put any one of them at the
top and all the others must come together
675
:in a way to allow you to function well.
676
:David Amerland: Yeah, absolutely.
677
:And when you say function well,
I mean, what do we mean by that?
678
:Really, let's quantify that.
679
:We all have X amount of energy in us.
680
:That's all it is.
681
:Another amount of energy is allocated
into things we want to do, things
682
:we have to do, and a little bit of
energy to deal with the unexpected,
683
:which is kind of there all the time.
684
:So if we want to function well,
truly, and we don't have any
685
:more energy, this is all we have.
686
:And the external world
is more and more complex.
687
:So let's say part of the unexpected,
especially in our times, is going to take
688
:more and more and more of our energy.
689
:And we can't find anything extra.
690
:So the only thing we can do is to lower
the daily energetic cost of existing,
691
:and the only way we can truly do that
is by living our truth, by being us.
692
:If you know who you are, you don't
have to mentally struggle all
693
:the time to understand what is
expected of you and how to project
694
:it because you know who you are.
695
:If you know why you're doing the things
you're doing well, there's no struggle
696
:on why should I do this or why should
I do that, or how to prioritize these
697
:things because it's already clear to you.
698
:And if we take something as mundane as
marketing, for instance, well if you
699
:know who you are and why you're doing
things, you marketing message is simple.
700
:You don't have to have sort of,
uh, brainstorming sessions and,
701
:uh, focus groups and you know,
different trials and AB testing.
702
:All the nonsense we go
through when we are not sure.
703
:So let's break it down to the individual.
704
:Give yourself the space required
to deal with the unexpected without
705
:breaking by, making life easier for you.
706
:Understand who you are,
structure your life accordingly.
707
:Understand why you're doing those things.
708
:Seek the clarity that comes with that,
and suddenly some things become easier.
709
:Everyday living becomes
a little bit easier.
710
:I'm not saying it's easy ever, but
it's easier, which means you have
711
:margin now to deal with the unexpected.
712
:That's living Well,
that's what you just said.
713
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: It's so true.
714
:And, and by finding out who you
are and then living into that,
715
:it takes a whole lot less effort
716
:and building something that you
think you ought to be doing,
717
:what you think you ought to do,
and hating every moment of it.
718
:Because then when you, when you need
some extra moments, you don't have
719
:that reserve 'cause you wasted it
all trying to be this other thing.
720
:And some of us takes a little
longer to figure that out.
721
:But once you get there I will say
it's pretty cool to know who you
722
:are and what you're capable of.
723
:And more importantly,
724
:celebrate that.
725
:Celebrate
726
:David Amerland: embracing who
727
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: you are.
728
:Celebrate knowing who you are and
celebrate the things that you know
729
:you do well, because I've said
this forever, every single human on
730
:the planet has at least one thing.
731
:They excel at.
732
:And it isn't necessarily what you think.
733
:It may not be what you thought you wanted
to excel at, but the fact is there is
734
:something that you are the very best at.
735
:You know what?
736
:Celebrate that.
737
:David Amerland: I, I'll
definitely second that.
738
:Absolutely.
739
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yes.
740
:Yay.
741
:So in wrapping up our, our theme here, I
hope we, we did men's mental health, uh,
742
:some justice here, but what are, let's
see, what are three things from your book
743
:that you think it would be beneficial
for men to incorporate into their day?
744
:Keeping in mind that, and it
doesn't have to be mental health
745
:because everything we do that
integrates will actually help that.
746
:David Amerland: Definitely.
747
:Okay.
748
:Just three things.
749
:Okay.
750
:Let's think about that.
751
:The first thing is breathe more deeply.
752
:We tend to get stressed.
753
:We don't realize we're stressed.
754
:Yeah, we take shallow breaths.
755
:A cascade of events happens because
of that tightness in the chest,
756
:less oxygen in the bloodstream.
757
:More cortisol and bloodstream.
758
:Cortisol affects us in so many different
ways from shutting down after a
759
:certain threshold is reached the higher
analytical centers of the brain to sort
760
:of affecting the body's energy pathway.
761
:So we don't access the glucose we
do have, and we eat food and we put
762
:weight on, and that destroys our
image of ourselves and how effective
763
:we are, you know, all those things.
764
:So all those things can be addressed.
765
:By just breathing deeply
after every situation.
766
:It allows us to decompress.
767
:It allows us to be aware of our own body.
768
:It allows us to feel in control,
which is very important and allows
769
:us to be grounded in the moment
because we're taking deep breaths
770
:and then slowly ex excelling.
771
:So if we get into that habit.
772
:That's a great thing to do and certainly
when we get into a stressful situation,
773
:extra deep breaths absolutely nail it.
774
:So that's one good thing to keep in mind.
775
:Second thing, socialize, and I
don't mean go to parties, have
776
:meaningful relationships with people.
777
:Maybe you have one or two people in
your life which you prioritize because
778
:their connection with you elevates
you and you in turn elevate them.
779
:We know from countless studies now
that this impacts positively our,
780
:our mental and physical health to
the extent that sometimes it adds
781
:up to five extra years in our life.
782
:That simple thing, find those people.
783
:It's not easy.
784
:You have to find a friend.
785
:It has to be a meaningful connection.
786
:You have to try and raise
them when they need raising.
787
:Listen, when they need
listening, and also be.
788
:Re reciprocate that by
being open in return.
789
:Being vulnerable again is not easy, but
if you do, if you go into that effort,
790
:you get rewarded in turn by finding
somebody who has your back and you have
791
:their back and you feel way less alone.
792
:That's the second thing.
793
:So socializing.
794
:Second thing, and the third
thing, fix your sleep.
795
:It doesn't matter really, truly how
many hours of sleep you get a night.
796
:I mean, it does, but let's say it doesn't.
797
:Ideally, what does matter is the
quality of sleep you get in those hours.
798
:So if you manage to get deep rejuvenating
sleep every night, you reset your mind
799
:and you reset your body, and that's
a good basis to start a new day with.
800
:Most of us go to bed, we check our
phones, we check our tablets, we
801
:think about things we toss and turn.
802
:We spend a couple of hours not sleeping
in bed, and then we kind of fall asleep
803
:and our brain is already agitated.
804
:We don't get good quality sleep.
805
:Change that button.
806
:Your phone in bed shouldn't be there.
807
:Your tablet in bed shouldn't be there.
808
:And I know some people can manage it,
so when I say this in a prescriptive
809
:way, impacts on them and they resist it.
810
:But a lot of people cannot manage it.
811
:So exceptions aside.
812
:Let's make it a rule.
813
:And then those people who
can't manage it well they can
814
:definitely do with this help.
815
:And those people who can manage it will
not feel severely deprived, I'm sure.
816
:Absolutely.
817
:So if you do those three things straight
from the book, you're going to feel
818
:better in your mind, your body, and
your emotional and psychological health.
819
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: That is so good.
820
:And this is something maybe
a little different for men.
821
:I find that.
822
:I repeat three.
823
:Well, one's a gratitude, one's a
clearing, and one's a what I aspire to.
824
:Tomorrow I have three little
sentences that I just read through
825
:every night before I go to sleep.
826
:Now I am going to confess here
I have my phone by the bed, but
827
:not for checking stuff because.
828
:I didn't have my phone all morning.
829
:I was, I was out and realized,
oh, my phone must have fallen
830
:down between the seats in the car.
831
:Like I don't really care at night.
832
:I use it for meditations because
unfortunately I sleep with, you've
833
:probably heard him because you
were only half a world away.
834
:Uh, my husband snores
somewhat like a freight train.
835
:And I started with earbuds
years and years ago.
836
:Just, you know, like those things
that they give you to put in your
837
:ears if you're standing in front
of a jet plane or something.
838
:And it morphed into doing
my meditations overnight.
839
:And we actually play music for the dogs.
840
:It's calming music for the dog.
841
:So that's why those are in there.
842
:But yeah, I don't scroll before bed.
843
:I don't scroll when I
get up in the morning.
844
:It's not, it was never my habit, so I
didn't allow it to become a habit now.
845
:And I think if a lot of people,
if you can't do it without
846
:scrolling, leave it in the kitchen.
847
:Leave it in the living room, put it
somewhere that you're not gonna get that.
848
:That weird fake light.
849
:In your face while you're trying to sleep.
850
:'cause that's definitely
not useful for sure.
851
:I have to say that first off, I'm gonna
do this now and see it without any, uh.
852
:Without any, oh, there's a ring on there.
853
:I'm so sorry.
854
:I will add this to the
information down below.
855
:In the transcripts, we'll tell you exactly
where you can get David's book built to
856
:last, how to get stronger, healthier,
and happier at every stage of life.
857
:And I honestly believe that
being happier is important.
858
:I also believe that to
do all of those things.
859
:It's our choice.
860
:So step up, deep breath, deep breathing
is absolutely super important.
861
:Socialize with the right
people for the right aim.
862
:And the third one was except.
863
:Except when you can't get rid of all
those things and get really good sleep
864
:there.
865
:I got all three.
866
:David, I cannot thank you enough.
867
:Once again for, thank you for giving
us so much to think about and, we will
868
:return with David for sure because he's
always got wonderful things to say.
869
:I'll make sure that all of the
information you need to get in touch
870
:with David is right below along with the
transcript and I want everyone to pay
871
:attention to Men's Mental Health Month.
872
:Make sure that you try to see
and hear the men in your life.
873
:Reach out and tell people
you are willing to listen.
874
:I've actually told my husband and other
people in my life, I will duct tape my
875
:mouth because I will listen, not talk,
but sometimes that's what people need.
876
:They just need your ears.
877
:They don't want your mouth.
878
:And on that lovely note.
879
:Thank you again, David.
880
:I'm Elaine Lindsay.
881
:This is suicide and forgiveness.
882
:Make the very best of
your today, every day.
883
:We'll see you next time.
884
:Thank you very much for having me.
885
:Thank you.
886
:Bye-bye.
887
:Wonderful to have you.
888
:Thank you for being here for
another inspiring episode
889
:of Suicide Zen Forgiveness.
890
:We appreciate you tuning in.
891
:Please subscribe and download on your
favorite service and check out S'S
892
:YouTube channel or Facebook community.
893
:If you have the chance to leave
a five star rating or review,
894
:it'd be greatly appreciated.
895
:Please refer this to a friend you
know who may benefit from the hope
896
:and inspiration from our guests.
897
:Suicide Zen Forgiveness was brought
to you by the following sponsors.
898
:TROOL social media, the digital
integration specialists.
899
:Let them get you rocking page
one in the search results.
900
:Canada's keynote, Humorist, Judy Croon,
motivational speaker, comedian, author,
901
:and standup coach at Second City.
902
:Judy has been involved for over
a decade in the City Street
903
:Outreach program in Toronto.
904
:Do you have a story to share?
905
:Do you know someone you think
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906
:Please go to SZF four two.com
907
:and for our American listeners,
that's s zf four two.com.
908
:Thank you for listening and we hope.
909
:To see you again