BREATHE N BOUNCE

The FOPO Trap: Breaking Free from the Fear of Other People's Opinions Let’s be honest for a second. How many times today have you played out a conversation in your head before it even happened? Or maybe you didn’t post that thing on Instagram because you were worried that one person from high school, you know, the one you haven’t spoken to in fifteen years, might think you’re a "try-hard"? It’s exhausting. It’s a literal drain on the battery of your soul. We’re talking about FOPO, Fear of Other People’s Opinions. It’s a term coined by Dr. Michael Gervais, and honestly, it’s one of the most pervasive, invisible hand-cuffs we wear in modern society. We’re so goddamn obsessed with what everyone else thinks that we’ve forgotten how to think for ourselves. We’re performing. We’re wearing masks over masks, and eventually, we lose sight of the face underneath. At Breathe N Bounce, we talk a lot about the raw side of mental health. In Michael’s chronicle, The Struggle, he t...

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to write the Gratitude Chronicle this past Friday. I had some really exciting things happening—it was a time for happiness and celebration.  And then we come to today, where I feel like absolute fucking shit. <a href=https://breathebounce.blogspot.com/p/im-late-but-honest.html>READ MORE</a>

  We all go through life with the intention of being better and being happy.  It doesn't always work out that way.  So what do we do? We have to put in the work.  We have to do our best, even if it may look better each day.  We just have to be and do one percent better than we did yesterday.  And it will all work out one way or another.  No worries. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE EVERYDAY - Eric Prydz HARD TIMES - Paramore I GO TO WORK - Kool Moe Dee I CAN BE SOMEBODY _ Deorro w/ Erin Mccarley THE BEST I CAN - Queensryche FOR EVIGT - Volbeat OOH CHILD - The Five Stairsteps

Are Real Conversations Dead? I was standing in line for coffee the other day, and I watched this guy get absolutely dismantled by a phone call. I don’t know who was on the other end, a boss, an ex, a lawyer, but his face went from a normal human shade to a ghostly, vibrating pale. He hung up, his hands were literally shaking, and he stepped up to the counter. The barista, doing the autopilot thing we all do, chirps, "Hey! How are you doing today?" The guy didn’t even blink. He swallowed whatever soul-crushing news he just got and said, "I’m fine. Just a little tired. Think it’s gonna rain later?" I almost jumped over the counter and shook him. It’s going to rain later? Your world just imploded in the middle of a Starbucks, and we’re talking about the 20% chance of precipitation? This is where we are. This is the state of the union. Real conversations aren't just dying; they’re being buried alive under a mountain of "I'm fine" and "Did y...

There is only so many hours in a day.  How many times have you said this to yourself? I know I have.  What if you were to change your perception from that to how much can I do with the time I have left.  Sure, father time lets us know we are getting older.  But what if we can tell him that we are going to use that time to get better as we age like a fine wine. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE TOO OLD TO CUT THE MUSTARD - Ernest Tubb TIME - Anthrax GOT THE TIME - Joe Jackson YOU CAN DO IT - Ice Cube I CAN I WILL - Rage of Light FOREVER YOUNG - Alphaville

When you watch the news and see current events—especially what’s happening in our country—it is completely normal to feel nervous. There is so much restlessness about the price of food, gas, and the potential for war. However, we must remind ourselves of a few things when dealing with these issues.  READ MORE    

The Digital Boundaries No One Tells You I’m sitting here on a Monday afternoon, and I’ve probably checked my phone fifty times since I sat down to write this. Fifty times. And for what? To see if someone liked a post? To check a notification for an app I don’t even remember downloading? It’s a digital leash, man. We talk all this big game about "digital boundaries" and "unplugging," but let’s be real, most of that advice is total corporate wellness bullshit. It’s written by people who don’t seem to have the same brain-itch that the rest of us do. The truth is, setting boundaries with the internet is hard as hell. It’s not just about turning off notifications or putting your phone in another room. It’s about the fact that our entire lives, our livelihoods, and our "tribes" are buried inside these glass rectangles. When we disconnect, we don’t just feel "peaceful." We feel anxious. We feel like we’re missing out on the one thing that makes us fe...

 Being a teenager sucks ass sometimes, but it is just the beginning of the life.  The challenges, the ups and downs.  Some say this is the best time of your life and it doesn't work that way for everyone.  However, its the lessons you learn now that will help you see the future.  I talk about my experience and use a nice little playlist to throw you off and get you on the right track. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE BRUTAL - Olivia Rodrigo F**K THE WORLD - Insane Clown Posse MY MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON ME - Geto Boys COMFORTABLY NUMB - Pink Floyd BIG ENERGY - Latto CONFIDENT - Demi Lavato ROADS - Portishead TITANIUM - Sia/David Guetta

  Every day we find ourselves struggling, but sometimes through that struggle comes victory. The hardest part of all this is understanding the nature of impermanence—learning to have enough gratitude to accept the victories as wins and the struggles as lessons.  READ MORE

Struggling to Find the Right Therapist? 10 Things You Should Know Before Your First Session Finding a therapist is a special kind of hell. Let’s just be real about that for a second. When you’re already feeling like a raw nerve, maybe you’re dealing with panic attacks, or you’re in one of those deep holes we all create for ourselves, the last thing you want to do is interview strangers. It feels like bad speed dating, but instead of talking about your favorite movies, you’re spilling your darkest secrets to someone who might just nod and say, "And how does that make you feel?" It’s exhausting. It’s expensive. And honestly, it’s a little bit dehumanizing to have to summarize your entire life’s trauma into a 15-minute consultation call. We’ve all been there, sitting in a "State of Confusion" (check out our podcast episode on that here ), wondering if there’s even a point to it all. But here’s the thing: finding someone who actually gets it changes everything. Not...

 Think about how much easier life was when we were kids. We don't have the darkness we have now.  However we have the will to go for our goals and to make our dreams come true.  Do we really have an inner child or do we want to find the most beautiful life ever? MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE ALL MY LIFE - Odesza I COULD HAVE BEEN A DREAMER - Dio FORECLOSURE OF A DREAM - Megadeth DREAMER- Living Joy BLAME - KMFDM SHOOTING STAR - Bad Company THE TOUCH - Stan Bush THE CHILD IN US - Enigma

Today was a very rough day for me. I’ve been feeling really agitated for a while now, but today felt different. I felt like my brain was jumping out of my skull—like I was moving, but I couldn’t stop.  Finally, one of my drivers spoke to me in a tone that really triggered me. I got right on the defensive and then I completely flipped out.  READ MORE  

5 Signs You're One Bad Week Away From a Mental Health Crisis (Prevention Check-In) Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat this, sometimes we're barely holding it together and don't even realize how close we are to completely unraveling. One bad week. One shitty conversation. One more thing going wrong. And boom, we're in crisis mode. The thing is, most of us don't wake up one day and suddenly find ourselves in a mental health emergency. It's a slow burn. A gradual decline that we rationalize, minimize, and push through until we can't anymore. We tell ourselves we're fine, we're just tired, we're just stressed, it's just been a rough patch. Until the rough patch becomes our entire reality. So here's the thing, I want to talk about the warning signs. Not the polished, clinical list you'd find on some medical website, but the real, gritty signs that those of us who've been there recognize. The signs that say, "Hey, you're ...

 When we look to religious leaders, motivation speakers, politicians, even GASP yoga teachers, we are looking for guidance for wisdom for help.  We are obviously trying to better ourselves and all these organizations talk about service.  However is service French for scaring the shit out of you and raiding your wallet.  We dive into this and I talk about my experiences in *checks notes* church. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Metallica SEND ME YOUR MONEY - Suicidal Tendencies LOSING MY RELIGION - Trivium THE FEAR - Lily Allen (Stonehenge remix) HEART OF STEEL - Manowar