Do you know anyone who experiences high days then the next minute you turn around they are at the lowest point of their life? Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a mental condition that includes extreme mood swings.

The reason for this disorder is unknown. It may be genetics, environment, altered brain chemistry or maybe even a combination of all. What does the life of one diagnosed with bipolar disorder look like?

Mrs.Diana Mosley, a bipolar patient, who is now a successful business woman shares her story with her struggles and obstacles she faced. 

Highlighted Quotes:

“What I was doing was abnormal, over the top, not normal”

“The extreme lows were suicidal thoughts, depression, and the lowest it could possibly go”

“It was always chasing something and never just being happy with what I had and not being happy with who I was”

It's 2023, not 1960. 

We live in a world where electronic devices are there at any turn, are in any pocket, and are in any hand. 

Where there are phones, there is social media.

Where there is social media, there are pictures online.

Pictures with lighting enhancement, filters, photoshopping, editing and much more.

Seeing these pictures leads to a body dissatisfaction and wishing that one could change the way they look.

These photos aren't just photos people view online; they increase body image insecurity and negative self-talk offline as well.

What is the correlation between the media and the way we view our bodies? 

What do teenagers do with a phone? Click on an app, swipe, and watch… 

That watching affects the mental health of many teenagers and creates behavioral problems and outburst of emotions 

Many questions may arise when you hear the phrase “social media and body image”

To answer those questions join me on this episode with Dr.Len Newman, a professor of psychology and a social psychologist at Syracuse University Who conducts research on a wide range of mental health topics

He specializes in the different effect social media pictures have on body image

Join me on my next episode on bipolar disorder and the day to day life with one who is diagnosed

Lastly, email me at mentalhealthimage@gmail.com for questions you would like answered or any concerns!

Highlighted Quotes: 

“ ‘I wish I looked like that’, it is possible that spontaneously that is your first reaction, to compare yourself”

“We compare ourselves to others more than we are consciously aware we are”

“There are media effects on people's bodies satisfaction” 

Are you a teenager that constantly picks at specific parts of your body appearance you don't like? Are you constantly flooded with negative comments? Then you may want too look into BDD. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is the constant obsession with body image and the continual worry about flaws and how others perceive your opinions. In this episode we have a guest, Dr.Cynthia Van Golen a professor of neuroscience at the University of Delaware. We will go over the factors that play a role in BDD, the symptoms, the effects in behavior as well as go over questions you may have.

Body dysmorphia and the feelings along with it can affect lives. 

Hiding, feeling ashamed, embarrassed, can happen one day and the another day you are basically being eaten alive by negative self comments.

Covering yourself, going to extreme lengths to hide yourself, constantly picking at yourself wishing you could look different. 

The list of the thoughts that go around in patients diagnosed with BDD is endless.

People have negative thoughts which leads to depression, suicidal thoughts and more. 

This can be caused by a variety of reasons whether it may be the environment all the way to childhood drama.

And many more factors.

So how can we help those who are diagnosed? 

Today we will answer this question with Dr.Cynthia Van Golen 

Dr.Cynthia Van Golen is a professor of neuroscience at Delaware State

It is vital to create a safe environment, make them feel comfortable and most importantly to be in a complete judge free zone.

Letting an individual open up is the first step in getting better.

Once that is established, help is the next step. 

There are different treatments whether it may be therapy or medication or sometimes both. 

How would I even know if someone is diagnosed? 

What do I look for?

To dive into these answers check out this episode on BDD with our guest speaker Dr.Cynthia Van Golen for more. 

Join me on my next episode on how social media pictures affect teenagers where we can dive into the main root of this arising BDD problem 

Lastly, email me at mentalhealthimage@gmail.com for questions you would like answered or any concerns!

Highlighted quotes:

“BDD is a gradual increase from an obsession of their appearance to the point it's affecting school, work, etc.” 

“BDD and OCD have a very similar incidence.” 

“This isn't ego, this isn't self absorption, there are changes that actually occur in the brain with people with BDD meaning this is a true illness.” 

“If this is something you are facing, get help and do not feel alone.”

Lily is diagnosed with BDD and is invited to a pool party which she dearly wants to go to but is held back by this invisible rope of fear: how others will analyze and criticize her body. 

She goes through stages of sadness, frustration, embarrassment, and obsession due to the obstacles she faces throughout the story. 

As she goes through these moments, it is important to analyze and break down what is happening and what is going through her head, as her internal monologue screams at her and floods her with negative thoughts. 

Highlight Quotes: 

Lily desires to be perfect and look like the ideal image she has in mind because “BDD is all about being obsessed with the whole idea of looking perfect even when there is no such thing as perfect”. 

She goes through and expresses different behavior changes such as covering herself since “a patient with BDD would go to extreme lengths to make them feel comfortable and not bring attention to their appearance.” 

Throughout the whole story she has negative comments filling her head. “It's quite simple. If you don’t like the way you look or think there is something wrong, you won’t have the confidence you wish to have.”

Wishing she could change herself she does an online search looking for different ways to lose weight scrolling for hours and hours browsing through weight loss treatments and surgeries to diets to pre-made workouts that focus on losing fat. 

For more research here are some resources I found helpful in my studying: 

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=k9jQCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=body+dysmorphic+disorder+feelings&ots=CITdRdWEA2&sig=2qEGLx3pNAgy4TMTEm5zUxx2Fu4#v=onepage&q=body%20dysmorphic%20disorder%20feelings&f=false

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114025/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1357034X09347222 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022090200057

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005796700001029

https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-0500-6-36

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/body-dysmorphia/#:~:text=BDD%20can%20seriously%20affect%20your,and%20even%20thoughts%20of%20suicide.

Mentoring teens is a scary thought, isn't it?  They carry attitudes, think they know more than you and rarely show gratitude.  Why would anyone want to invest in them when there are easier ways to contribute to society?

And yet, they are our future.  They want to be successful, they just don't know how.  Between media addictions, fast access to drugs, mental health breakdowns, campus lockdowns, threats of mass shootings, the absence of available mentors and so much more, the odds are against them.

In the second of our two part, bonus episode series, we interview a group of 7th and 8th grade students who recently completed the Purpose Project at their school.  We ask them about their thoughts on a range of topics and have them share the personal insight they gained while working through our innovative, social-emotional style curriculum.  

Again, we think you will love what they have to say and also be inspired yourself to invest in the young people in your life who are starving for mentorship.  If you feel the tug to do something but you are not sure what, consider scheduling a 15 minute call with us to explore becoming a certified Purpose Project Guide.  It may be easier than you think and more rewarding than you can possibly imagine.

Learn more at www.catalystcollective.community

Have you ever wondered what young students think about their future?  In a world filled with pressures, mental health issues, school violence and a desperate longing for identity, purpose and belonging, the next generation is starving for guidance.

In the first of our two part, bonus episode series, we interview a group of 5th and 6th grade students who recently completed the Purpose Project at their schools.  We ask them about their thoughts on a range of topics and have them share the personal insight they gained while working through our innovative, social-emotional style curriculum.  

We think you will love what they have to say and also be inspired yourself to invest in the young people in your life who are starving for mentorship.

You made it.

The spouse, the house, and the kids. 

Your career is beginning to take off, and you are working hard, and it feels good.

But not great… 

Something is just not there. 

You have a bad taste in your mouth, or there's a yearning for more.

That is what we call a passion deferred. 

Anyone with a pipe dream, a brilliant business idea, or that big passionate pursuit will one day find themselves facing a loaded schedule and needing more time to flex those muscles.

All kinds of obstacles or fears can get in the way; and eventually, after a few years, we tuck it away into a box in our closet to be forgotten about. 

It is something we often feel but rarely ever talk about or address head-on. 

Running in circles and working overtime does not end each week with your creativity and passion cup being full. 

But does it even matter to get back to filling that? What kind of impact does that have on us?

How do we get back into the rhythm of what we use to call our passion? 

Is it possible to find time to balance or integrate it all?

The answer is yes. And a great example of who lived this out is our guest on our penultimate episode of Season 5!

EV startup leader, self-published author, and full-fledged creative Tyle Schuetze went from working 60+ hours a week at Tesla to writing a book while working 60+ hours a week at Tesla.

He breaks down his methodology and his WHY in tandem with our cohost Aaron's story of doing the same while working four jobs and also releasing music. 

The challenge during the journey is not impossible, and it might feel like you are close to burning out and will never get there, but YOU CAN. 

Just start. First, by checking out this episode. Second, by partnering alongside a Purpose Pro guide today to get back on track for your passions. 

Your family and friends will thank you. But so will that inner you, that part of you that knows that dream isn't just a dream; it's today. 

Quotes and Highlights from the Episode

-" Do I choose life, poverty, and passions or do I have the basic necessities?" -Tyler Schuetze

-" You only have so much capacity each day." -Tyler Schuetze

-" It's Important that we do things to keep that flame alive in some way shape or form. We stay engaged with that passion." -Joe Elliott

-" Hey man, I finished half of a book." -Tyler Schuetze

-" I think a lot of the time, it's easy to get caught up in the what instead of the why." -Tyler Schuetze

-"If you use the fire and the funds from your work, you're gonna make the best stuff you've ever made in your life." -Aaron Alba

-"If you're not willing to make those sacrifices and bleed over this, then it isn't your passion anyways. It's a cute idea better than your full time work" -Joe Elliott

-" You really don't need more money all the time, you need reps." -Tyler Schuetze

-" Are you willing to run the marathon here?" -Joe Elliott

-" You have to." -Tyler Schuetze

-"Maybe you're the obstacle." -Joe Elliott 

-" You gotta have a tribe to support you, and if you don't have that, then you haven't met that tribe yet." -Joe Elliott

Links

-Start processing your passions at www.PurposePro.Org

-Check out Jude Barclay’s music and videos on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-neYWiNTX5OmzhI48C15GQ

-Get a copy of Tyler’s book, The Awkward List on Amazon now at https://www.amazon.com/Awkward-List-Finding-Epic-Story/dp/B08DC1P4MC

-Check out Aaron Alba’s music on Spotify or Apple Music or follow him on Instagram at @AaronCAlba