Do you know what you’re actually chasing in life, and why? Are you clear on what actually matters to you? Because those are essential ingredients for better mental health.

This episode is about understanding your why, as well as the real difference between what you want and what actually matters and how that shapes whether you're living with purpose or just running on autopilot. I get into why so many of us end up chasing the wrong things, especially in a culture that's much better at telling you what to want than helping you ask why, and I talk about why finding purpose and meaning starts with being really honest about your own reasons for pursuing things rather than the results. You'll walk away from this episode with a genuine way to check whether your goals are actually aligned with what matters to you, so that your next move comes from something real rather than someone else's idea of ‘a life well lived’. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and yet still can't shake the sense that something's missing, then this episode is for you. 

👉 Ready to work out what you're actually chasing, and why? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: What are you actually chasing in life? Because achieving everything on your list doesn't mean much if you've never actually stopped to ask yourself why you wanted any of it… and that’s what this episode will help you do.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 What are you actually pursuing in life?

0:40 Understanding what you’re chasing in life

3:25 Do you know what you’re pursuing?

9:55 Why understanding your ‘why’ matters

17:01 How to identify what you’re really chasing

24:03 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21240  

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Focusing on what matters (Episode 306): https://ltamh.com/?p=18636
Why figuring out what you want is so scary (Episode 341): https://ltamh.com/?p=20629  

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Let's Talk About Mental Health website: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Daily Reflection Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Daily Affirmations Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

📖 Sources:

APA (2023) https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/purpose-in-life-less-stress-better-mental-health 

Boreham & Schutte (2023) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.23576 

#whatareyouchasing #findingpurpose #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #mentalhealth #mentalhealthpodcast #lifepurpose #understandingyourwhy #livingwithpurpose #purposeandmeaning #mentalhealthmatters #selfawareness #intentionalliving #findingmeaning 

Your self-respect gets harder to protect when you keep accepting less than you deserve… and every time you let bad behaviour slide, or stay in a destructive situation, you end up reinforcing for yourself that your worth matters less than keeping the peace or not challenging things. 

In this episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I’m talking about why tolerating bad behaviour can slowly become your normal along with how what you accept from other people, situations, and even yourself shapes what happens next. If you’ve ever wondered why you struggle with standing up for yourself, or worried that setting boundaries with people will make you seem difficult, this episode will help you look at the problem differently. I’ll explain why self-respect and boundaries are closely connected, how repeatedly letting things slide can train both other people and yourself to expect less, and why changing that doesn’t mean suddenly becoming cold or aggressive. You’ll learn how to spot the moments where old patterns take over, audit the situations you may have normalised, deal with pushback, and set clearer standards before you need them. I also cover boundaries without guilt and how to be assertive, with practical ways to start respecting yourself more consistently.

👉 Ready to stop settling for less and start backing yourself? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: Stop letting things slide, because you end up teaching other people (and yourself) that it’s OK to show you less respect than you deserve.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Stop putting up with crap!

0:39 What are you tolerating?

2:07 What does putting up with too much mean?

7:07 Why putting up with crap has a high cost

11:34 How to stop putting up with too much

22:53 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21204 

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Stop people pleasing (Episode 322): https://ltamh.com/?p=19518

How to set healthy boundaries (Episode 248): https://ltamh.com/?p=14448

How to deal with manipulation (Episode 333): https://ltamh.com/?p=20211 

Dealing with difficult people (Episode 325): https://ltamh.com/?p=19737  

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Daily Reflection Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Daily Affirmations Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#selfrespect #bettermentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #mentalhealth #settingboundaries #standingupforyourself #assertiveness #peoplepleasing #boundaries  #emotionalwellbeing #healthierrelationships #protectyourpeace #selfawareness #letstalkaboutmentalhealth

Why do you feel stressed all the time, even when nothing's necessarily 'wrong' right now? If you can't remember the last time you felt properly calm or relaxed, your stress response probably isn't broken; it's just never getting the signal to stand down.

In this episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I break down what's actually happening in your nervous system when stress becomes your resting state instead of a passing feeling, as well as why your stress response won't just switch itself off and why treating it as a workload problem usually only tells you half the story. I dig into the internal sources of stress most of us never name, like the self-criticism, the guilt around rest, and the standards we hold ourselves to, alongside the external causes of stress. You'll walk away understanding what your stress is actually trying to tell you, and you'll have practical and sustainable ways to calm your nervous system and address whatever's driving it to stay on high alert… without just trying to grit your teeth and push through.

👉 Ready to understand what your chronic stress is really trying to tell you? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: Your chronic stress isn't a personality trait or a productivity problem… it's an alarm system that's stuck in the 'on' position, and this episode shows you how to actually turn the volume down.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Stress and mental health

0:54 Feeling constantly stressed

2:54 What stress actually is

8:07 Why stress affects your mental wellbeing

14:00 How to stop ignoring your stress

25:04 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21147

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Handling work stress (Episode 316): https://ltamh.com/?p=19257

Money stress (Episode 310): https://ltamh.com/?p=18852

Navigating challenging relationships (Episode 289): https://ltamh.com/?p=17399

How to improve your mental health (Episode 338): https://ltamh.com/?p=20450

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Daily Reflection Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Daily Affirmations Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#chronicstress #stressmanagement #stressawareness #nervoussystemregulation #stressrelief #cortisol #burnout #mentalhealth #mentalhealthpodcast #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #protectyourpeace #selfawareness #jeremygodwin #letstalkaboutmentalhealth

Feeling lost in life, and you don't have a clue how to find yourself again? Start here.This week on the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I'm exploring why feeling lost is not proof that you're broken or failing somehow; often, it's a sign that you've drifted away from your preferences, your values, and your sense of direction. If you're feeling directionless, feeling stuck in life, feeling adrift, or feeling lost and unmotivated, this episode will help you understand what's happening beneath those feelings and what to do when you feel lost. I'll share practical mental health tips to help you stop trying to solve your whole life at once, so you can get the confusion out of your head and learn how to find your way in life one step at a time.Finding yourself again after feeling lost doesn't require some sort of dramatic reinvention; learning how to find yourself again begins with noticing what makes you feel more like you, following the thread of who you have always been, and rebuilding your inner compass through action. Feeling lost in life can feel overwhelming, but you can and will find yourself again one step at a time. It's time to begin finding meaning in life and to discover how to find direction in life without having the entire map.👉 Ready to reconnect with yourself and take your next step? Then let's talk!💡 TL;DR: Feeling lost in life doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, or that you're actually lost. This episode will show you how to find yourself again by rebuilding your inner compass one small step at a time.Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Feeling lost in life0:31 How to find your way again3:56 What feeling lost actually is8:30 Why that lost feeling can really throw you14:41 How to find your way back to yourself22:31 What I want you to take away📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21013📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin➕ Related episodes:

Feeling miserable (Episode 342): https://ltamh.com/?p=20725

Figuring out what you want (Episode 341): https://ltamh.com/?p=20629

Stop existing and start living! (Episode 334): https://ltamh.com/?p=20316👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.comSubscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/Daily Reflection Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/Daily Affirmations Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamhFind me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/#feelinglost #findyourself #findingyourselfagain #feelingstuck #findingdirection #findingpurpose #senseofself #mentalhealth #mentalhealthpodcast #personalgrowth #selfawareness #protectyourpeace #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #jeremygodwin

A strong feeling can often hijack you and take over in moments… but you can learn how to control your emotions, without shutting them down or pretending they aren’t there. 

In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Mental Health podcast, I’m exploring what really happens when strong emotions hit and the thinking part of your brain seems to disappear, leaving you snapping, shutting down, or saying something you later regret. If you struggle with managing emotions, emotional reactions or wondering why your emotions take over, I’ll show you how to stay calm without fighting your feelings or letting them make your choices. You’ll learn practical emotional regulation tools for how to calm down when upset or dealing with emotional overwhelm, and I’ll also explain how to respond instead of react, as well as why emotional self-control is a skill you build rather than something you either have or don’t and how being kinder to yourself can help you stop overreacting over time… because your feelings deserve to be heard, but they aren’t qualified to be the boss. 

👉 Ready to take back control of your emotions? Then let’s talk!

💡 TL;DR: If you want to learn how to manage your emotions, without suppressing them, then this episode will help you create enough space to stay calm, stop overreacting, and choose how you respond.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Emotions and your mental health

0:38 When emotions take over

3:52 When your emotions take the wheel

8:29 Understanding emotional hijacks

13:19 Stop your emotions running the show

20:16 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21008   

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

How to be less reactive (Episode 323): https://ltamh.com/?p=19640  

You don’t have to believe everything you think (Episode 344): https://ltamh.com/?p=20856 

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#managingemotions #emotionalregulation #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #peaceofmind #emotionalwellbeing #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfawareness #lifeadvice #selfdevelopment #emotionaloverwhelm #emotionalreactions #emotionalselfcontrol #howtostaycalm #stopoverreacting #respondnotreact #controlyouremotions #manageyouremotions

Your mind can sound certain and still be completely wrong. Negative thoughts can feel frighteningly convincing when they show up, especially when they’re loud and insistent… but thoughts are not facts, and you don’t have to let every anxious thought take control of your day. 

In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Mental Health podcast, I’m talking about your relationship with your thoughts: why your mind can make negative thinking, racing thoughts and overthinking occurs, what automatic negative thoughts are, and why negative thoughts and anxiety feel like absolute truth… even when it’s just mental noise dressed up as certainty. This is for you if your mindset gets hijacked by worst-case scenarios, harsh self-judgement, 3am spirals, or that familiar feeling of being dragged around by whatever your mind shouted at you most recently. I’ll explain why trying to silence your thoughts or argue with every single one is exhausting (and usually pointless), and I’ll share practical ways to catch a thought and decide whether it actually deserves to take control. This is not about cultivating a perfectly quiet mind; it’s about learning how to stop believing your thoughts automatically, how to stop negative thoughts from running your life, and how to protect your emotional health one thought at a time. 

👉 Ready to stop handing your thoughts the wheel? Then let’s talk!

💡 TL;DR: Your negative thoughts might feel true, but this episode shows you how to stop believing your thoughts on contact and start treating thoughts as thoughts… not facts.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Don’t believe every negative thought

0:31 You don’t have to believe every thought

4:04 What are negative thoughts?

8:49 Why negative thoughts affect your mental health

14:37 How to deal with negative thoughts

22:47 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20856  

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Being hard on yourself (Episode 343): https://ltamh.com/?p=20759 

Overthinking and thought spirals (Episode 321): https://ltamh.com/?p=19518 

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#negativethoughts #overthinking #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #peaceofmind #emotionalwellbeing #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfawareness #lifeadvice #selfdevelopment #negativeselftalk #anxietyhelp #innercritic #thoughtsarenotfacts #racingthoughts #anxiousthoughts #negativethinking 

If you ever wonder, “Why am I so hard on myself, and how do I stop letting self criticism run my life?” then we need to talk… because that harsh inner critic is doing more harm than good! 

In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Mental Health podcast, I’m talking about being hard on yourself: that harsh inner voice that picks everything apart, keeps you stuck in negative self-talk, and makes you believe you have to beat yourself up in order to improve. Spoiler alert: you don’t. Because being too hard on yourself doesn’t make you stronger, or more disciplined, or more successful; it usually fuels self-criticism and anxiety, low self-worth, fear of failure, and that horrible feeling that nothing you do is ever good enough. So, in this episode, I’ll help you understand where your inner critic comes from, why that self-critical voice feels so convincing, and how to stop putting yourself down without pretending everything is fine. I’ll walk you through practical mental health tips for inner critic healing, including how to be less hard on yourself, how to create space from painful thoughts, and how to move forward with more kindness, confidence, and peace. 

👉 Ready to stop handing your harsh inner voice the wheel? Then let’s talk!

💡 TL;DR: This episode is about how to stop being so hard on yourself, understand your inner critic, and break the cycle of self criticism without relying on fake positivity or pretending everything is fine.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Being hard on yourself 

0:25 The truth about your inner critic

3:50 What it really looks like

7:04 Why it backfires

12:49 How to work with your critical inner voice

23:39 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20759 

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Being kinder to yourself (Episode 326): https://ltamh.com/?p=19801 

Improving your self worth (Episode 305): https://ltamh.com/?p=18566 

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#selfcriticism #innercritic #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #peaceofmind #emotionalwellbeing #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfawareness #lifeadvice #selfdevelopment #feelhappier #selfcompassion #negativeselftalk #selfworth #anxietyhelp #innercriticwork #healingjourney 

Feeling miserable but can't quite explain why? Sometimes life looks fine on paper and yet it feels like you're just going through the motions, flat and empty and quietly unhappy. If you keep wondering "why am I so unhappy?" or even "am I depressed?", this episode is for you. Here's the part worth knowing: that miserable feeling is usually pointing at something, and once you work out what, you can start to shift it.

This week in the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast I'm talking about that persistent low, unhappy feeling, the difference between feeling miserable and actual depression, and what to do when you're stuck in a rut. I'll share practical tips to help you stop numbing, start paying attention, and work out what your misery is really trying to tell you. If you've been feeling flat and searching for how to feel better about life, this episode will help you make small, honest changes so you can find some balance and stop just going through the motions.

👉 Ready to stop feeling miserable and start discovering how to be happier? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: Feeling miserable isn't always depression; sometimes it's the sign you've been going through the motions for too long and need to start making honest changes.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 The misery you can't explain 

0:42 Just going through the motions? 

4:03 What this feeling actually is 

7:23 Why you really feel this way 

12:23 How to start feeling better 

21:19 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20725

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Depression (Episode 188): https://ltamh.com/?p=11106 

Figuring out what you want (Episode 341): https://ltamh.com/?p=20629 

Stop existing and start living! (Episode 334): https://ltamh.com/?p=20316

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#feelingmiserable #happiness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #ltamh #peaceofmind #findingpeace #emotionalhealth #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #emotionalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfawareness #lifeadvice #unhappy #unhappiness #depressionawareness #selfdevelopment #feelhappier

"But I don't know what I want!" If that thought runs on a loop whenever you feel lost in life, you're not alone, and the reason it's so hard to answer might not be the one you'd expect. Figuring out what you want can feel genuinely scary, and that fear is far more common than anyone admits.

In this episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I'm talking about how to figure out what you want when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, unmotivated, or scared to name it in the first place. I'll explore the fear of going after what you want, the messy truth about being honest with yourself, and why wanting something can feel so threatening. You'll learn practical tips for finding clarity and moving forward when you feel stuck, so you can take it one step at a time without waiting for perfect certainty.

👉 Ready to figure out what you want and start moving towards it? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: If you're feeling lost in life and thinking "I don't know what I want," this episode shows you how to figure out what you want by getting honest with yourself… so you can finally start moving forward, without waiting for perfect certainty.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 "I don't know what I want"

0:38 Why figuring out what you want feels so hard

5:01 What's really going on

8:56 Why staying stuck wears you down

13:02 How to figure out what you want

23:53 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20629

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Avoidance (Episode 99): https://ltamh.com/?p=4560

Stop existing and start living! (Episode 334): https://ltamh.com/?p=20316

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#feelinglost #selfdevelopment #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #ltamh #peaceofmind #findingpeace #emotionalhealth #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #emotionalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfawareness #findyourpurpose #lifeadvice #findingpurpose

Why do you keep doing everything for everyone, even when you're running on empty? That's called overfunctioning: the quiet pattern where being the capable, reliable one slowly wears you down while nobody notices, including you. And it's costing your mental health more than you realise.

This week in the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I'm talking about overfunctioning: the pattern where being the capable and reliable one slowly wears you down while nobody notices, including you. If you carry the invisible labour and the mental load for everyone around you, or if you can't seem to stop even though you're overwhelmed and exhausted, then this episode is for you. I'll explain what overfunctioning actually is, why it's so closely tied to people pleasing, hyper-independence and emotional exhaustion, and why it leaves you carrying too much while quietly losing yourself in the process. More importantly, I'll walk you through how to stop overfunctioning in practical, realistic ways: how to start setting limits, how to name what you're carrying, and how to ask for what you need without everything falling apart.

This is about understanding the pattern underneath the overwhelm so you can find some balance, protect your emotional health, and avoid burnout from invisible labour and emotional labour.

👉 Ready to stop carrying so much and start looking after yourself too? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: If you're the one who holds everything together for everyone else, then who's holding you together? This episode explores overfunctioning, including why you take on so much and how to put some of it down before it breaks you.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 The pattern nobody notices

0:39 What carrying too much costs you

3:33 What overfunctioning actually is

9:23 Why it wears down your mental health

16:33 How to start putting it down

25:43 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20502

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Feeling like a burden (Episode 336): https://ltamh.com/?p=20357

Avoiding a breakdown (Episode 300): https://ltamh.com/?p=18109

Being kind to yourself when struggling (Episode 326): https://ltamh.com/?p=19801

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#overfunctioning #emotionalexhaustion #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #ltamh #peaceofmind #findingpeace #emotionalhealth #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #emotionalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #invisiblelabour #burnout #peoplepleasing #hyperindependence #findbalance #overwhelm #overwhelmed #invisiblelabor #emotionallabor #emotionallabour

Does your mind ever take one worried thought and turn it into a full-scale emergency, leaving you overwhelmed, exhausted and unable to think straight? That's a spiral, and if it's familiar territory, this episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast is for you. Because what nobody tells you about being in a spiral is this: the things you instinctively do to stop spiralling are often what keep it going.

This week I'm getting into what actually happens in your brain and body when a spiral takes hold, because understanding the feedback loop is the first step to interrupting it. When your thoughts, your emotions and your nervous system all start feeding each other, you can feel completely out of control. I'll explain why spiralling happens, why the responses most people reach for tend to make it worse, and I'll give you practical, realistic tools for emotional regulation that work even when you're already overwhelmed. If panic and anxiety are familiar territory and you're ready to break the cycle rather than just survive it, this one's for you.

👉 Ready to stop spiralling and break the cycle? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: If you've ever felt your thoughts start to spiral and tried everything to make them stop, only to end up more overwhelmed than when you started, this episode will explain why that happens and what to actually do about it.

Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I teach you how to improve your mental wellbeing with simple tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 When one thought becomes an emergency
0:21 How to calm down mid-spiral
3:04 What a spiral actually is
7:20 Why a spiral hijacks your brain
12:08 How to interrupt the cycle
21:59 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=20475

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:
Overthinking and thought spirals (Episode 321): https://ltamh.com/?p=19518
Fatigue and anxiety (Episode 331): https://ltamh.com/?p=20080
Why overwhelm can make you freeze and shut down (Episode 330): https://ltamh.com/?p=20056

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links

Learn more about Let's Talk About Mental Health: https://ltamh.com

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Buy my Daily Reflection Tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Buy my Daily Affirmations tool here: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

#anxietyspiral #stopspiraling #mentalhealth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #ltamhpodcast #letstalkaboutmentalhealth #ltamh #peaceofmind #findingpeace #emotionalhealth #personalgrowth #mentalwellness #mentalwellbeing #emotionalwellbeing #jeremygodwin #protectyourpeace #mentalhealthpodcast #selfimprovement #mentalhealthsupport #spiraling #spiralling #inaspiral #nervoussystemregulation #anxietyrelief #emotionalregulation #overthinkinganxiety #anxietysupport #mentalhealthtools