The Heavy Mental Podcast

In this special episode, I speak with a mate of mine, Aimee Hill. At the end of last year, when Aimee was 6 months pregnant, she went into a local optician for what was supposed to be a routine eye test. During the examination however, the optician identified something of concern, specifically in regards to Aimee’s left eye. This resulted in a referral to a local hospital, so Aimee could be assessed further. Mere weeks after that initial hospital appointment, and Aimee found herself in a specialist eye unit in Liverpool being officially diagnosed with malignant melanoma, as a cancerous tumour had been found at the back of her left eye. Not only was this of course, a complete shock, but Aimee then had to consider treatment options and the best way forward while heavily pregnant and during a global pandemic — I’m happy to say now though, that Aimee’s little boy Evan was born earlier this year! In this episode, Aimee candidly and bravely shares her experience in great detail from beginning to the present day. We talk about how she managed to cope emotionally and how ultimately, it was the the life growing inside of her, and the support of those closest, that kept her going at the most difficult of times. Aimee wants to share her journey in the hope that it’ll raise awareness about the importance of getting regular eye tests, and contribute to the removing of the stigma and fear surrounding the discussion of cancer openly, especially considering that 50% of people in the UK will be affected by cancer at some point in their lives. I feel really privileged that I’ve been able to help in some small way by sharing this story with our audience, and as I say during the episode, I'm really in awe of Aimee's strength and courage, in what has been and still is, a period of immense difficulty and uncertainty. Thanks for listening. Rhys X

This episode's theme is LISTENING TO YOUR BODY. I (Rhys) talk about a recent experience which reminded me about the importance of listening to my body, while Leila shares her theory that we human beings were engineered by aliens who created us by using monkey DNA...or something to that effect. Anyway... During the episode, we also chat about: * Our own experiences with listening/not listening to our bodies. * Understanding what our bodies actually need and when. * How natural it is for animals to be at one with their bodies. * How symptoms within the body are messengers trying to tell us something. * The importance of considering health holistically when looking at our mental health. * And a whole lot more. Just so you know, our conversations are completely unfiltered, unedited and happen very organically. Also to note, we’re not professionals — if you’ve heard us speak, youwillknow that. We’re just a couple with a passion for nattering about our mental health and trying to navigate our way through the mad old game we call "life". We explore these topics in real-time and figure out our opinions and share our experiences on the fly. We have no agenda, other than that we want to try and help. Often we miss things out and get things wrong. We're human — anyway, you know the score by now! Anyway, please enjoy our chat, all aboutLISTENING TO YOUR BODY. ------ If you're not already following us onInstagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareheavymental/?hl=en], what're you waiting for!?

It’s Rhys here, and in this additional mid-week episode, I chat with special guest, musician, Kris Dawson [https://www.instagram.com/duwasbt/?hl=en]. You might know Kris as one of the guitar players in banging British metalcore outfit, Bury Tomorrow [https://www.instagram.com/burytomorrow/?hl=en], but did you know that he’s actually a man of many talents and also training to be a barber? Well, now you do… In this wide-ranging conversation, we chat about Kris’ journey of self-discovery, which led to a breakthrough and positive change in his mental health and wellbeing. A big piece of the puzzle for Kris, was for him to stop drinking alcohol because over time, he’d come to realise how much of a negative impact it had been and was having on his mental health. Kris goes on to share his experiences with anxiety and depression and how there were moments on tour when he really, really struggled day to day to cope. Following on from this, we talk about how and when Kris sought mental health help and the importance of sharing your feelings with those you trust. Along the way, we cover Kris’ passion for exercise and the positive effect it’s had on his mental health, and how it’s helped him focus over the past year in lockdown. Thematically, we also cover: Uncertainty, spending time in solitude, letting go of the things that you no longer enjoy and impinge upon your ability to live a happy life, letting go of the things we can’t control, focus, hard work, determination, ego, authenticity, change, counselling, travel and touring in a band, self-awareness and development, friendship and peace. I loved this chat because you know what I’m like by now, I love self-development and hearing stories of how people have managed to better their lives and mental health. It gives me hope and inspires me to keep heading in the right direction, and I know it’ll have this effect on you too! Also, after hearing it back, the stand out theme of this podcast is rooted in authenticity, which in Kris’ words, subsequently then leads to a sort of inner peace — I fully agree. I’m stoked to have had an opportunity to chat with Kris, as I’ve always been a big fan of his music, so please, enjoy!

EPISODE NOTES This week’s theme is THE ROAD TO PARENTHOOD. First off, TW on this one for baby loss and miscarriage. Another thing to note is that I (Rhys) am flat as a pancake in this episode — not really selling it well, am I? Leila's must have a bad back this week...because she carried this one! Anyway, in the business of full disclosure and with us being a mental health pod, I thought I should put it out there: I had a shit week. It has now improved though, and I'm back to baseline once more...ready for the next dip. Anyway, in this episode, Leila and I have a candid chat about the continuing winding and uncertain road we're currently walking, in an attempt to become parents and how it's impacted our mental health through the years. We talk less about the specifics of what happened but more about how the events made us feel and how we've navigated our way through. For those wanting to listen to our full baby loss journey with specifics, we did a podcast with our mates over at The Worst Girl Gang Ever [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-21-rhys-and-leila-weareheavymental-part-1-mmc/id1524031149?i=1000514380094], who do amazing work breaking the taboo surrounding miscarriage and baby loss. Go follow them on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the_worstgirlgang_ever/?hl=en]! During this episode, we chat about: * Our baby loss and miscarriage experiences. * How the situations made us feel. * How we both grieved in different ways. * How we found a way through and what helped us. * Coping with ongoing uncertainty. Just so you know, our conversations are completely unfiltered, unedited and happen very organically. Also to note, we’re not professionals — if you’ve heard us speak, youwillknow that. We’re just a couple with a passion for nattering about our mental health and trying to navigate our way through the mad old game we call "life". We explore these topics in real-time and figure out our opinions and share our experiences on the fly. We have no agenda and often, we miss things out and get things wrong. We're human — anyway, you know the score by now! Anyway, please enjoy our chat, all aboutTHE ROAD TO PARENTHOOD. ------ If you're not already following us onInstagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareheavymental/?hl=en], what're you waiting for!?

This week’s theme is FEAR. I talk about where my fear of small spaces started after being trapped in a tardis made of UPVC doors in B&Q as a kid and we discover that Leila takes pleasure in a lot of the things that others find fearful (she's a strange gal). During the episode, we chat about: * What fear is and where it stems from. * The different types of fear. * Whether worry is the same as fear. * Our own fears and our experiences with them through the years. * Examples of fears we've learned to overcome in our lives. * How to overcome fear in your own life by getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Just so you know, our conversations are completely unfiltered, unedited and happen very organically. Also to note, we’re not professionals — if you’ve heard us speak, youwillknow that. We’re just a couple with a passion for nattering about our mental health and trying to navigate our way through the mad old game we call "life". We explore these topics in real-time and figure out our opinions and share our experiences on the fly. We have no agenda and often, we miss things out and get things wrong. We're human — anyway, you know the score by now! Anyway, please enjoy our chat, all aboutFEAR. ------ If you're not already following us onInstagram [https://www.instagram.com/weareheavymental/?hl=en], what're you waiting for!?