This past year we decided to take our audio podcast to YouTube, but it hasn't been easy, nor as rewarding as I was hoping it would be. Cancer diagnoses, people dying, financial strain, burnout, both in life and as podcasters, then this election, my mental health was trashed, and I fell into a slump, as well as some not so healthy coping mechanisms. But I'm back, clean and healthy, and ready to go for broke and make this the best damn little known podcast we can make it! Here, I speak about some of the challenges we faced, the name change and retool that's coming very soon, and why this will succeed, if we just stick it out for the long haul, be ourselves, and not pander to the wrong kinds of people, short attention span audiences, and clickbait nonsense. By being real, doing good work, and having joy, we will find our stride like we once did on Surviving Empathy Podcast, and recapture the fun , humor, depth, and balance we once had. I sincerely want this to be a good experience for everyone, for myself and you guys equally! I'm proud of this show, but it takes time and a whole lot of perseverance, and not giving in to discouragement to find your people and tribe.

Behold, my stuff!

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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My fun light-hearted discussion about music from the past compared to today's popular music, in particular, addressing the misnomer that Gen Z thinks Grunge and Nu-Metal isn't very good. Thems fightin' words!

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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On this short birthday video I wanted to quickly talk about my newfound gratitude and enjoying the simpler things in life after a scary life changing event. Plus, how to stay in gratitude and in comfort and growth despite the shit show out there, and staying relaxed in goofy times. And how to how to be motivated in your activism in a balanced way that doesn't take up your limited time and emotional resources.

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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Life's been a scary unmitigated disaster for me lately, and I found myself coping with life and the times we're in in some pretty unhealthy ways. I had several life crises, I landed myself in the ER multiple times, and needed hospitalization to get back to healthy again. I basically hit rock bottom. But since then I've been trying like crazy to take these scary surreal events and the new tools I've learned in getting my health, my mental health, and my life back from the brink and into a much more positive place. I'm eating better, I'm addressing my sleep hygiene, and I've quit my self-destructive ways, and I want to share my newfound hope, wisdom, and techniques with you guys in the upcoming weeks, months, and hopefully years here on the show. I wasn't there for you guys before in the way that I really wanted to be there for you, and I'm sorry for that. We're in some pretty unprecedentedly difficult times, and I got caught up in my own problems for which I couldn't find a way up or out of.

And so, I am launching a short form podcast series here on The Bryar Patch called 'Rants & Dissertations,' where I can share with you my thoughts, feelings, humor, wisdom, and sometimes tirades, that I think will help address the real issues us real people deal with in this very real life, living as regular working and struggling people in a society that's often ignoring, subjugating, and slowly eating at the livelihood of most good people. Regular people require hope, help, and balance. Many good folks, just like us, are working regular jobs and living average lives, looking for a lifeline and a pathway to a more comfortable and meaningful life. Virtually, our whole culture and society has taken us for granted and has helped to perpetuate the sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and psychological issues we're contending with today through their inability to prioritize people over all else.

Sometimes I'll talk about being an empath, a sensitive in insensitive times. Often we'll discuss staying strong, positive, encouraged, relaxed, and balanced in unbalanced times. Whatever I talk about in this new short form series, it's always to resist this unruly and tyrannical political MAGA movement, and the complacent and complicit Democrats, who need to grow a spine and rise to the seriousness of our times. I want to help find humor, clarity, fun, and balance in a culture that has long abandoned the working and middle class. We must be vigilant in balancing activism with selfcare, for this is our only life, and we must make the best of this life, and be the kind of good people I know that we are, and to live as best as we can. Whether you know it or not, we regular folks are on our own, and I think that warrants us coming together to create the world and the kindness and goodness we want, and that I know that we really are.

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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I had a scary surreal thing happen to me and here I finally break my silence, and how I'm trying to heal and recover from a traumatic event, and what I must do to get right with myself again and to find a better new path forward, and how this will affect the podcast & YouTube channel going forward. Let's just say that I'm still deeply affected by what happened, but I'm on the correct path, and slowly getting back to my old self again.

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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You're chugging along, just living your life, and one day you wake up to the reality that your life is upside down from how it used to be! Your job has become less gratifying, your pay has gotten lower, the cost of living has become outrageous, and the world is becoming more uptight and serious, less kind, and more harsh. As as a result, you've become a shell of your former self, this once fun-loving person of conscience, bravery, joy, and exuberance! The world out there now has become less kind and less functional, and more cruel and harsh, and more difficult to enjoy. Your instict is to say f*ck everybody else, I'm taking care of me, and to hell with the rest of the world! You hit a crossroads, one that we all go through. A time when we have to choose between hardening our heart or becoming a better, kinder, more evolved and compassionate version of our self, or allowing the cruelty, shallowness, and harshness out there to turn us into an insensitive asshole!

This episode is all about my journey into depression, anxiety, disappointment, and frustration, and the bad coping mechanisms we employ to cope, and how I decided instead of causing more problems and hate in the world to recapture my inner comfort and joy, my innermost excitement and exuberance, my inner activist and irreverent spirit, and let go of all that junk that keeps us down, and to simply go for broke and be me own unique unbridled unapologetic self. To use my newfound bravery and exuberance to recapture my heart, and a newfound sense of joy, fun, and whimsy, and to reclaim that inner child and moral core, and to live a life of greater comfort, heart, and meaning.

I also talk about the slippery slope of grievance, anger, and outrage, and paying too much attention to others out there, when you could be working on your own life, and mastering your own skills and life journey. The Trump plan and the alt-right movement is all about worshipping the wealthy and powerful, and punching downward at the disenfranchised innocent, instead of punching upward at wealthy elite systems which perpetuate injustice, inequality, and freedom for working class people.

This right wing anger and grievance cult is a movement of white entitlement, of "woe is me" grievance, and contempt and hatred of diversity and of open-minded freedom. A fascistic illiberal assault on science, reason, education, skilled workers, and anything they deem a threat to their movement of hateful elitism. A movement that indoctrinates young angry impressionable people, which thrives on this all out war on democracy and normalcy, feigning outrage, always yelling and screaming about others, rather than tending to their own affairs.

At the end of the day, we can choose happiness and forward thinking values, or we can choose to be brainwashed by cults and extremists, for whom have no plan for the middle class, but for which relies on misinformation and lies to radicalize impressionable people who are primed by cynicism and disgust with a failing system. I too see our systems failing, but instead of leaning towards fascism and cruelty, I aim to find solutions by making the world a kinder and more fair and meaningful place for all of us regular people. Be above all influence, and keep compassion in your heart. Be bold, but be kind. Hate ages you quicker, kills friendships, and will inevitably mess up your life and your sense of goodness in this world.

Behold, my stuff!

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're just chugging along, thinking you're doing pretty good. You even start exercising more, eating a little better, then thwap! You find yourself in a mental health situation. Most of the time it's small and manageable, but on a rare instance, you find yourself having the perfect storm of physical fatigue, mental collapse, and an inability to emotionally cope. This is what happened to me recently, causing me to take an ambulance to the ER for severe anxiety. I'm finally feeling a little better now, but it was so unexpected, and my mind, body, and spirit just stopped cooperating with me, and I developed severe anxiety and insomnia. Then, to cope, I drank red wine, which was helping a lot, that is until it wasn't...

Here at the Bryar Patch, I always try to give it to you straight, and to keep it totally 100% real and relatable. The mix of my mom's cancer diagnosis paired with the craziness of the world right now, the LA fires, and the incoming chaos of this new administration of unusual fringe extremists, it's not hard to believe that myself and a lot of folks right now are having some unprecedented mental health challenges, and sometimes with that, some not ideal coping mechanisms. But I'm happy to report I'm back to an all natural life, exercising regularly, and my mind is finally not betraying me anymore with worry, angst, and racing thoughts, and I'm finally sleeping better again.

Life gets real sometimes, and it's easy to feel embarrassed, ashamed, and ostracized for having gone through something that not everyone goes through. There's a stigma to mental health issues but there shouldn't be, afterall, we're only human. Many people like to act tough and play it off to the point of callousness or self-denial, some people just never have the sensitivity, caring, or heart to care enough to admit they're hurting and having issues. But for empaths, sensitives, and good natured people, this is a reality almost all of us face in life, where we just hit an emotional wall and unravel. There's no shame in being a sensitive, and there should be no shame or stigma for having a mental health event, and anyone who's apathetic to this reality is too insecure to admit they're human.

As a veteran and usually tough person, I didn't know until it was too late that I was in the midst of a life crisis, panic attack, and mental breakdown! But I'm here to tell ya, it's not the end of the world, it's just a new opportunity to come to terms with some deep seeded things, set some things right, make some life and mental adjustments, and to get better, stronger, and wiser for it. Here, I talk about my mental health journey, and what to expect in the future for this podcast and channel.

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

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On this brand new episode of the new year, we just wanted to touch base with you guys and gals and say hi, and talk about the state of things going on in this new chaotic administration coming in, that will ultimately try to help the rich and abandon us, the working class. Here, we talk about how to think about it all, and how to keep your personal life feeling good, hopeful, and productive, and how and when to get involved again in the fight. In the meantime, we have to find ways to get through it all, to learn ways to ignore the chaos, and figure out ways to enrich ourselves, better our own personal lives, and try not to let the world's problems become our own, and continue on, improving our own lives. I am oddly optimistic that things will get better. We can't despair, or let wealth agendas or political shenanigans try to take away our happiness. We must maintain an attitude of personal freedom and good cheer. So I hope you enjoy!

I didn't want to start off the new year with audio issues, but my microphone connectors didn't plug in right, causing my audio to echo. Sorry about that! I tried fixing it but it couldn't be fixed. But I didn't want this episode to go to waste, given my cohost's time constraints and just how good this episode turned out otherwise, and so, we put this episode out because it is still audible, and really good stuff, so I thank you for your understanding! We apologize for the issue in advance. We'll solve it before the next episode! But it does perfectly illustrate just how we have to move on and do our best despite the imperfectness of life! Thank you for your friendship and support!

Behold, my stuff!

https://linktr.ee/bryarpatchmedia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.