Mental Health and Podcasting

In episode forty of Podcasts Suck, Sebastian Rusk discusses the importance of taking action even when you don't feel like it, and how prioritizing mental health can impact your podcasting journey.

Tune in as we explore the intersection of mental health and podcasting, and learn valuable tips to support your well-being on this podcasting journey.

ONLINE COUNSELING

• BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/

TIMESTAMPS

[00:02:35] Finding motivation for workouts.

[00:06:49] Mental health epidemic.

[00:11:48] Prioritizing Imperfect Action.

[00:12:21] Mental health and podcasting passion.

QUOTES

• “There's a variety of different things that could affect our mental health. But I also believe that a lack of action fuels bad mental health, feeling down, being harsh on ourselves, critical. I think that the lack of inaction contributes to a lot of that.”
• “It's very important and not a lot of us take action on it, but have the opportunity to, and that's to seek professional help. Find a counselor or therapist to sit down and talk about your ****. That's what they're there for.”
• “Remember that nothing is ever going to be perfect and that if you embrace imperfect action more times than not, it really pays off. Why? Because nothing's ever going to be perfect.”

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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Instagram: Instagram.com/PodcastsSUCK

Facebook: Facebook.com/srusk

LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sebastianrusk/

YouTube: Youtube.com/@PodcastLaunchLab

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Transcript

Welcome to Podcast Suck, a podcast about starting a podcast, where we dive headfirst into the wild, wacky, and sometimes frustrating world of podcasting. If you've ever sat down with a microphone, hit record, and thought, what on earth am I doing? Or if you're just curious about the magic behind your favorite shows, then you're in the right place. Get ready for laughs, insights, and a whole lot of what not to do advice as we embark on this podcasting journey together. Let's dive in. What is happening, everybody? Happy Monday to you. If you're listening to this episode or watching the replay of the recording of this episode at another day, well, happy whatever day it is to you. You know, I want to kick things off with this episode by talking about waiting till we feel like it. to get started with something because let me tell you, I've been creating content for, for over 15 years now. And there's rarely a time unless it's a talk that I'm giving a live talk that I'm giving or a podcast interview that I'm doing somewhere. And sometimes that doesn't even change the narrative for me on whether or not I feel like it. But today was one of those Mondays where I got some rest this weekend. I woke up this morning. I said, you know, Sebastian, I function just a little bit better when I'm back to the old school routine, which is waking up in between five and 6.30 AM, guzzling some coffee, doing my daily reading, meditation, quiet time, and then forcing myself, literally forcing myself to put my gym clothes on, go up to the gym, hit at least 20 or 25 minutes of cardio just to get things moving, and then 20 minutes of volunteer torture in the dry sauna. But let me tell you what happens after I complete all of those tasks. There is never a feeling ever of, man, I'm really bummed that I did that. Boy, I'm really disappointed that I did that. That never happens, leaving the gym. It's quite the opposite, actually. I leave the gym and I say, you did it. Feels good. Feels damn good. So the next time you don't feel like it, I want you to stop for a second and I just want you to remember how it feels After you actually do the thing that you didn't want to do. Content creation is a great example of it. The gym is a great example of it. Calling friends, getting together with friends, leaving the house these days. It all falls under the same category. I'm a bit biased when I say you're never going to feel like starting a podcast. But once you get that first client or build that first relationship or break through that first personal barrier that you've always had because of podcasting, it all changes. So sometimes it's important to go back to the basics. Let's go back to what we know. I heard a quote last week and I'm starting to work it in a new talk that I'm working on right now, work it into a new talk that I'm working on right now. And it said something, to the tune of, and I'm paraphrasing here, we can't heal what we're not aware of. We can't repair what we're not aware of that needs to be fixed. Does that make sense? So awareness unlocks a lot of things for us. If we're aware of the way that we feel, when we're about to go to the gym or it's gym time or it's time to get up early. I go back to the mail. I did it this morning. I go back to the Mel Robbins rocket ship theory of And you can go look this up. She tells the whole story. She was watching TV. She saw a rocket ship and she said, well, every time I don't feel like it, what if I just did 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off, get up, get out of bed, go to the gym, whatever that initiation point needs to be. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, no more negotiating, out of bed, coffee on, guzzling water. Think about the basics here and things that work. I wanted to start this episode specifically because it's about mental health and podcasting. I wanted to start this episode with something that was fresh on my mind. I'm working on a new morning show concept. I'm thinking of doing something live a few times a week, maybe something that pertains to a roll call. Been doing that for, a long, long time. Maybe we turn it into something that would put me on the hook very early in the morning on camera, waking you up, either going to love that or you're going to hate that. One of the two things on there. But those are those are a couple of things that I'm working on right now that I have to not felt like. But I constantly. And. Showing up on stage in front of a room full of people and the first thing out of my mouth, is who's missing out, because you're not showing up. So, I have to ask myself that same question to remain in integrity. Otherwise, it makes me a hypocrite. Who's missing out? Cause you're not showing up. Great question, Sebastian. When you don't feel like going live on a Monday morning to record another episode of podcast suck, who's missing out? Who's missing out? Because maybe the rant that I started with today was exactly what you needed to hear. There's no mistake why you press play on this video or why you're listening to this podcast episode. Thank you by the way, or watching a replay or live on Instagram or Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. So what up to everybody over there? but I want you to go back to the basics the next time you don't feel like it. All right, let's get into today's topic of what I want to talk about, which is mental health, something I'm deeply passionate about, deeply. We're in a mental health epidemic right now, in my opinion. With everything going on in the world, all the chaos and the craziness and the uncertainty, mental health is at an all-time high. Then we came out of a pandemic four years ago. That sounds crazy to say, huh? Four years ago. My daughter's a psychology major, actually has her degree in psychology. I stand corrected. Her undergrad in psychology and her master's that she's currently working on in mental health counseling. And what I constantly tell her is you'll always have a job. You'll always have work. You'll always have your own practice, whatever it may be, because our need as human beings to connect and get the assistance, the professional assistance we need to keep our mental health in check is so, so important. But today I want to talk about podcasting and mental health. It's not always as glamorous as it may seem to go and record podcast episodes. Sometimes you're just getting started. Sometimes you're midway through the journey. It doesn't matter how you're making your podcast a reality. Maybe you're doing all the work yourself. I don't recommend that. You've heard me talk about that before, but maybe you are, that's the only means that you have. Maybe you outsource it to a team and your challenge is time. How do I balance family and business? and this damn podcast. There's a variety of different things that could affect our mental health. And, and, but I also believe that a lack of action fuels bad mental health, feeling down, uh, being harsh on ourselves, critical. I think that the lack of inaction contributes to a lot of that. So let's talk about what we can do to prioritize mental health. First of all, connect with other podcasters, get together with other podcasters on a zoom call or a phone call, connect with them, trade ideas, find out what they're up to. You could very well be the solution for that other podcaster to get their head out of the mud and get back in the game too. Maybe they're on the bench too. So connect with other podcasters. Tip number one, by the way, all of these tips are in the post, of this live recording of this podcast also in the show notes of this episode. So in case you want to take a quick gander show notes of the description of this podcast episode, if you're listening on iTunes or Spotify, the next tip is to set realistic goals. Don't. don't force yourself into burnout because you're setting unrealistic goals. Like I'm going to record five episodes a week. Let's just start with one and get really, really, really good at one. And then we can start swinging for the fences and talk about scaling more volume of episodes on a monthly basis. But first things first, set some realistic goals for yourself. Next is take a break. Not too long of a break. My favorite quote ever. I don't have a lot of them, but one of them. This is on the top five. Martin Luther King, Sr. how soon not now becomes never. So don't take too long of a break. But if you say, you know what, I'm going to take the month of July off. I'm going to reset. I'm going to come up with some new ideas. I'm going to set a definitive date that I'm going to restart and I'm going to reenter the world of my podcast, the world of podcasting. with a refreshed and renewed mindset around it. This works out great. Cause it's kind of like you're in an office all week long or all day long and you had a really crazy day and you just go outside and maybe grab a cup of coffee or a tea or whatever keeps you going. And you just take a walk around the block and you come back in. It's kind of a, just a new perspective. It's okay to take a break, just not too long of a break. The next one's, it's very important and not a lot of us take action on it, but have the opportunity to, and that's seek professional help. Find a counselor or therapist to sit down and talk about your bullshit. That's what they're there for. I hear phenomenal things about the BetterHelp app. You hear them advertised a lot on podcasts. You can literally pick up your phone and for about 80 bucks a session, talk to a licensed therapist about life and work through things. We don't know what we don't know. Therapists are there as another pair of eyes, another pair of ears, and also there to help you better understand what you don't know that you don't know. Well, I'm not gonna have somebody tell me what's wrong with my life. That's all ego, and it may very well be the catalyst of why you're in the situation that you're in. So stay open. We don't know what we don't know. So this isn't like, you know, a lecture to seek professional help. These are words of encouragement. I read all these things and take them to heart as well. Next is give yourself grace. Remember that nothing is ever going to be perfect and that if you embrace imperfect action more times than not, it really pays off. Why? Because nothing's ever going to be perfect. Okay, my definition of perfect, your definition of perfect, completely two different things, but the bottom line is there is no perfect. It's in the eye of the beholder. Remember, your mental health is just as important as your podcast, as your business, as your family, as your friends, as your relationships. It's just as important. So treat it as such, all right? Mental health and podcasting, very two, very deeply passionate topics of mine. She's got done sharing what my daughter's decided to pursue as a career. I'm already deeply passionate about mental health because it's real. Depression is real. Being down in the dumps is real. Life showing up is real. Mental health is real. Don't ignore it. And if you're watching this right now and you may be going through it, shoot me a DM and say, Hey, I'm going through it because guess what? I'll reply back and I don't know what I can offer you, but it may be something. You never really know, it could be a stranger, it could be a friend, it could be your neighbor, people that you least expect help you work through the biggest challenges and valleys in your life. Questions, thoughts, ideas, concerns about this episode, please send me feedback. Comment below if you're watching the live stream of this recording of this podcast episode. If you're listening to the podcast episode, just shoot me a DM, Instagram, at podcast suck, that's plural podcast, two S's, podcast suck. And then Sebastian Roscoe over on Facebook and on LinkedIn. Happy to help, happy to reply back to you, and happy to help you get wherever it is that you desire to go. Have a great week, everybody. Until next time. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode. We sure do appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcasts. It's a way to get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review and share the show with someone you know should start a podcast or may already have one. And remember, podcasts suck if you don't have one. Until next time, friends.

Sebastian Rusk