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
Speaker:

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.

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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.

342

:

Yes, but they're also changed and

we refuse to acknowledge that.

343

:

And a lot of the problems that we

see is because of the refusal of

344

:

that acknowledgement, they're not

exactly the same as the rest of us.

345

:

They need help in reintegrating, and I use

the word help in a very, generic sense.

346

:

Yeah.

347

:

They need some systems,

they need some assistance.

348

:

They need some time.

349

:

They need some kind of

structure around all that.

350

:

And I know there are things they

can access, but again, it's like

351

:

they have to break down first.

352

:

And I think that's, again, in a

realistic situation, we have to

353

:

have , a problem when we could have

had a solution that would prevent

354

:

the problem in the first place.

355

:

Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: So technically

there should be a decompression

356

:

timeframe for people that serve.

357

:

And funny enough, as you were talking,

I'm thinking people coming out of jail.

358

:

Have something in place.

359

:

They have halfway houses and then they're

reintegrated somewhat into society, but at

360

:

least it's something between the complete

structure of the day and the evening and

361

:

night that one finds in jail and then

to be thrown out into the real world.

362

:

Yeah, no wonder the, rate of recidivism

is as high as it is because That's right.

363

:

Yeah.

364

:

There's just, there's no rhyme

or reason in the real world.

365

:

David Amerland: Yeah.

366

:

In that context, they're

institutionalized, which means essentially

367

:

what the brain becomes accustomed.

368

:

To specific patterns of operation,

specific stimuli to which they respond

369

:

and then suddenly they're placed in

an environment where those things

370

:

go away, where the structure around

them that supported them goes away.

371

:

They're on their own, they're

unassisted, they feel cut off,

372

:

they feel misunderstood, and

the situation is very similar.

373

:

And all these contexts we're

discussing, the problem is the same.

374

:

We fail to acknowledge changes which

happen internally because we can't

375

:

see them and we only address them

when they are expressed externally

376

:

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

:

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one in the search results.

900

:

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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

would be a great guests hero?

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

About the Podcast

Show artwork for Suicide Zen Forgiveness Stories re Suicide Loss | Ideation | Mental Health | Offering Hope |Empathy for All
Suicide Zen Forgiveness Stories re Suicide Loss | Ideation | Mental Health | Offering Hope |Empathy for All
Shattering Stigma Igniting Hope

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Elaine Lindsay

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