Episode 39: Continuing the Mental Health Conversation

Hype of the Week: 
Inspired by the recent In the Elements podcast, Castle and Minh share personal stories, experiences, strategies, and continue the conversation about mental health.

In the Elements - ​Mental Health in Meteorology

 What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?​

  • "Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. People with GAD may anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work, or other issues. Individuals with GAD find it difficult to control their worry. They may worry more than seems warranted about actual events or may expect the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern. " - ADAA

IDONTMIND - A Mental Health Awareness Program

What exactly is IDONTMIND?  IDONTMIND is a mental health awareness program, working to break down the barrier of stigma and to bring help to those that need it. Our goal is to get people talking about their minds, and to generate positive messaging about mental health. ​

​​How do you do that? Any way we can. We think of our role in the mental health advocacy world as finding the holes and plugging them. Stigma still exists, despite over a hundred years of effort in America, so we have to try something new. IDONTMIND always looks to get creative with its activism.

But… a clothing line? People talk more about what they wear than how they’re actually feeling. Let’s use that to our advantage.
We think that donations to a cause can also be an opportunity for activism. By doing some online shopping at the IDONTMIND store, you are both helping to expand our program and also getting the chance to fight stigma. A compliment—“I like your shirt, where did you get it?”—suddenly turns into an opportunity to discuss mental health.

Additional Mental Health Resources

Shoot the Breeze

Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies, and it's not always as great as what we choose to highlight on our social media accounts for all to see. We all have our struggles that we often don't discuss. I know I've certainly struggled and sometimes continue to struggle with depression and anxiety to this day, and it's a rollercoaster ride. Depression and anxiety do not have a specific look. I may be traveling or having fun, but that doesn't mean my emotions inside aren't bouncing around all over the place. I'm lucky to have friends and family I love and trust to talk with, and for those who have helped me, I truly appreciate it. Whether it's a phone call or a text or even writing letters, it means so much. For those who are dealing with mental illness, I know it's hard. I may not know exactly how you feel or what you feel, but I encourage you to talk about it with those with whom you feel comfortable. There are good days, and there are certainly bad days, but we can all get through it and knock down those stigmas about mental illness. The shirt I'm wearing (thanks @vifx1005!) Is part of the #idontmind campaign started by @christophrwood. #idontmind, through clothing and fashion, helps to normalize conversations about mental illness and bring hope to those who need it most. It seems like a gimmick to sell clothes, right? But it's an amazing non-profit that works to donate money to mental health research and resources. The point of my mini photoshoot (thanks @qaz08019) is to use the power of photography and swag to get your attention in hopes that you will talk about this with others. No, I'm not trying to sell you the shirt, but it does look cool :) Feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk about whatever. I want to be here to help in any way I can.

A post shared by Minh Phan (@minhfinn) on

Songs of the Week
Minh: "The Scientist" - Coldplay
Castle: "Decline" - RAYE, Mr Eazi
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