This past year has been one filled with a lot of hard times and uncertainty, and with that brought a rise in anxiety and depression for many, especially business owners. Some have seen up to 80% loss in profits and others forced to close their doors entirely. With so much working against us, it can be very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
My guest today is Seamus Kelleher, here to speak on how he gets through his dark times and how he helps others to find their lights as well. We met through one of my clients where he was performing with his guitar. He is truly an amazing musician and all-around great person and I’m so excited he is joining me today.
His musical career started when he was just 16 in his home country of Ireland. He toured around with a few different bands and was really living the dream so to speak. But this lifestyle he pursued was to get away from home life; the school he attended would abuse him daily, Ireland was at war with the British, both of his parents alcoholics. He wanted to escape. It was not until the passing of his mother when he was just 20 that he finally could take no more. He stopped the tour he was on and checked himself into a psychiatric facility for fear he may take his own life.
Since then, Seamus has struggled with depression off and on. It’s a constant battle when something ails the mind in such a way. He still gigs all over the world full-time, and he loves to be on stage and in his element. But once off stage, the demons are still there waiting. Just a few years back he had another brief stay at a mental health clinic where he sought out professional help for himself. He has come to know the warning signs of when his state of mind is in decline, and he knows he needs to seek out the help that is offered to those of us that experience depression.
Mental health is a touchy subject for many. There is still this stigma that surrounds it that deter people from asking for help when they really need it for fear of judgement. But the reality is, millions of Americans and people worldwide struggle with mental health issues. To try and ignore them and deny the help that is out there is not benefitting anyone. No one needs to suffer in silence, which is why Seamus tries to shed light on the subject whenever he can.
Because of his musical abilities, he already has this platform for people to listen to him. He uses this as an opportunity to talk mental illness and often writes songs surrounding his anxiety or his depression. Though some people might be made uncomfortable, Seamus has had countless audience members approach him after the show to thank him for speaking up and sharing their own mental struggles. It may not seem like much, but the sheer acceptance and ability to approach a stranger and talk about it is a huge step towards feeling better.
Fast forward to this past year, everyone’s lives were flipped upside down over night. Seamus amongst millions of others were left scared, jobless, and in what seems to be a never-ending pool of uncertainty. In times like this, it’s extremely easy for people to slip back into their old ways of thinking and back into their feelings of anxiety and depression. What he finds helps him to avoid that slipping is having a few things a day that are routine. Whether it’s waking up by a certain time, exercising, reading a book you’ve started, whatever it may be; pick a few things that you know you want to accomplish daily and stick to them. These things won’t “cure” you, but they are a step in the right direction.
The fears that come up in times like these, they are your body’s way of expressing that it does not want change. It’s comfortable where it is and anything that disrupts that comfort we tend to shy away and hide from. When we lean into our fears instead of letting them overcome us, that’s when we can make strides forward towards bigger and better things and hopefully, towards feeling better, too. Change isn’t always easy and it brings with it a lot of emotions, but if we can learn to embrace the ever-changing world around us and to change a lot with it, we won’t feel so trapped in our own minds.
The mind is a very complex organ, and often times it’s your own worst enemy. Practicing mindfulness and taking time to try and be more mindful can have such a profound effect on your outlook. When any kind of adversity comes at you, our first instinct is to react. Whether that be cowering in fear, fuming with anger, or wallowing in self-pity; all of these are reactions. It’s okay to have these and feel them, but what’s important is how you respond. You can stomp your feet or throw a fit, or you can accept the adversity thrown your way and figure out a way to get past it. You can look at the opportunities it presents you with rather than focusing on the things it’s taking from you. The stresses we feel are not the situation itself, but rather how we’re responding to it. Every single one of us has more control over the way we feel than we think we do.
We cannot get rid of all of the problems we are faced with, but what we can do is get rid of our negative mindset about these things. We can choose to see the good in any situation, or we can choose to see the bad. But until we learn that our minds are the only thing standing in the way of our own happiness and success, we cannot truly begin to move forward towards it.
If you enjoyed this episode and in some way it inspired you to start taking action, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest take away. Send me a DM on Instagram @theresacantley and let me know what your favorite part was.
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Episode 83 – Finding Your True North
Episode 82 – What To Do When You’re Stuck
