How to stop settling for less than you deserve (Episode 348)

Why does everything feel so heavy sometimes, even on days when nothing's technically gone wrong? Let's talk about dealing with mental exhaustion and heaviness. In this episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I dig into what's actually happening when that weighed-down feeling takes over: how your brain starts rationing your physical, mental, and emotional energy the moment it hits something it can't control, and why that rationing quietly shrinks parts of your life that had nothing to do with the original problem in the first place. This isn't about making the hard thing disappear (because you probably can't, or you'd have done it already); it's about catching the exact moment "I can't fix this" turns into "so I might as well stop trying at everything," and taking that power back before it costs you more than it should. Whether what's weighing on you is the news, your health, your relationships, or something you couldn't even name out loud yet, the pattern underneath is the same… and so is the way out of that pattern. And if you want to go deeper on the control piece specifically, my episode on focusing on what you can control (Episode 291) is a great one to pair with this. 👉 Ready to stop letting heaviness and overwhelm shrink your life? Then let's talk!💡 TL;DR: Feeling heavy and overwhelmed doesn't just make things tough, it quietly rations your energy and shrinks your whole life; this episode is about how to catch it happening and take your power back.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 Heaviness and mental health0:30 Feeling heavy and overwhelmed?2:04 What ‘feeling heavy’ actually means8:39 Why feeling heavy affects your mental health13:55 How to stop feeling heavy from shrinking your life24:55 What I want you to take away📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21318   📖 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:Overcoming hopelessness (Episode 297): https://ltamh.com/?p=17921  Living with depression (Episode 188): https://ltamh.com/?p=11106  Focusing on what you can control (Episode 291): https://ltamh.com/?p=17492  Protecting your peace in chaotic times (Episode 315): https://ltamh.com/?p=19074  👋 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.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/📚 Research mentioned in this episode:Learned helplessness, visit psychologytoday.com/us/basics/learned-helplessness for more#overwhelm #existentialdread #mentalhealthtips #feelingoverwhelmed #whydoifeellikethis #thingsicantcontrol #learnedhelplessness #emotionalexhaustion #mentalexhaustion #protectyourpeace #ltamh #mentalhealthpodcast #mentalhealthawareness #createyourfuture 

Why is it so hard to work out how to actually create the life you want? What does it take to change your life? And why do so many of us stay stuck in the same patterns, waiting to feel ready and telling ourselves we'll get there "someday," or quietly turning all of our research and reflection into a substitute for real action? It's time to stop waiting for life to start and start taking action today to live the life you want, one that's focused on your mental wellbeing... and this episode will help you do that.In Episode 350 of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I explain how to start achieving goals and creating the life you want. We’ll discuss why simply visualising your future can work against you, and I share the handful of simple and practical shifts you can make that will close the gap between knowing and doing; the kind that make starting feel manageable instead of overwhelming, and that hold up even when finding motivation feels difficult. I also touch on how comparing yourself to others and their timelines can quietly pull you off course, and why keeping small promises to yourself is what actually rebuilds trust in your own follow-through. If you've been feeling stuck in the same patterns and wondering how to take action in your life without waiting for the ‘right’ moment, this one's for you. And if you're still working out what you genuinely want first, Episode 349 is the natural place to start.👉 Ready to stop waiting and actually start building the life you want? Then let's talk!💡 TL;DR: Your life won't change on its own, and waiting for it to change doesn’t work, so this episode shows you how to stop overthinking things and actually start creating the life you want.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 How to change your life0:44 Create the life you want2:08 What creating the life you want actually means7:32 Why knowing what you want isn’t enough13:05 How to actually build the future you want23:05 What I want you to take away📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21318📖 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:What are you really chasing in life? (Episode 349): https://ltamh.com/?p=21240Stop being hard on yourself (Episode 343): https://ltamh.com/?p=20759Why figuring out what you want is 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.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/📚 Research mentioned in this episode:Gabriele Oettingen's WOOP method, visit woopmylife.org for more#createyourfuture #personalgrowth #mentalhealthtips #bettermentalhealth #mentalhealth #mentalhealthpodcast #lifepurpose #purposeandmeaning #selfawareness #intentionalliving #goalsetting  #selfimprovement #procrastination #mindsetshift

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 life3:25 Do you know what you’re pursuing?9:55 Why understanding your ‘why’ matters17:01 How to identify what you’re really chasing24:03 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.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/📖 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 cost11:34 How to stop putting up with too much22:53 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.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/#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 health0:54 Feeling constantly stressed2:54 What stress actually is8:07 Why stress affects your mental wellbeing14:00 How to stop ignoring your stress25:04 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=19257Money stress (Episode 310): https://ltamh.com/?p=18852Navigating challenging relationships (Episode 289): https://ltamh.com/?p=17399How 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.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/#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=20725Figuring out what you want (Episode 341): https://ltamh.com/?p=20629Stop 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 health0:38 When emotions take over3:52 When your emotions take the wheel8:29 Understanding emotional hijacks13:19 Stop your emotions running the show20:16 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.comSubscribe 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/@ltamhFind 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 thought0:31 You don’t have to believe every thought4:04 What are negative thoughts?8:49 Why negative thoughts affect your mental health14:37 How to deal with negative thoughts22:47 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.comSubscribe 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/@ltamhFind 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 critic3:50 What it really looks like7:04 Why it backfires12:49 How to work with your critical inner voice23:39 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.comSubscribe 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/@ltamhFind 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.comSubscribe 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/@ltamhFind 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