I can only say thanks so much for writing this. I also read you article in Lenny's Newsletter and have to say that it resonates and speaks to me like nothing before. Especially in regards to how the drive to achievement is a strategy to feel loved and validated and how you defined the environment in which you are thriving by breaking it down into different aspects of your day to day. Honestly Wow!
Reading your experiences made me feel more sure about that I am on the right track and that there are others out there that struggle with exactly the same.
Glad to find you here, Andy. My largest (staggering) analytics on my Facebook page before leaving the platform were for an off-the-cuff post about how I tamed moderate-to-severe OCD. I will follow you here with interest and support. Gratitude for your courage. Authenticity is badass.
Andy, great job brother! It takes a big heart, as a man, to open up about these kind of issues to anyone at any capacity. Even bigger still, to give others the opportunity to learn, grow and over come their challenges as a result of you finding the courage to share yours on this kind of platform. I went through a similar depression a few years ago; you can find my story here:
Hey Andy! I'd love to connect and learn more about your journey. I had 12 year struggle with addiction due to some of the issues you mentioned during childhood. Have been sober six years through meditation, plant medicine, group work, therapy, EQI training, hot / cold, breathwork and many other modalities. I also have the same issue with achievement and external validation. Have also likely logged 10K hours across most modalities. I'd really love to connect and learn more about what was impactful for you and maybe share some stories! Let me know if you're open to connecting - you can find me on twitter or DM here if that's an option
Thank you for sharing this. It takes a lot of courage to do so. But this is a gift. For every person who comments or thanks you, there are probably 100 more who stay silent but whose lives you just changed in some small way
Thank you for sharing this, Andy. As you noted, this topic is so, so important, especially in technology-related career pathways.
Our industry – (digital) product design – is characterised by its ever-evolving nature. It’s hard to keep up and it often feels overwhelming.
This momentum can (and often does) lead to self-doubt, impostor syndrome and feelings of worthlessness.
As a former Senior Lecturer at Belfast School of Art I saw first-hand the effect that all of the pressures above had on students. Before they had even formally embarked upon their careers they were struggling.
Posts like yours help others to understand that:
• they are not alone;
• the feelings they’re experiencing are far more widespread than they had, at first, imagined; and
• there is hope, especially when we face the challenges head-on and with others.
Like you, I have spent a small fortune on cognitive behavioural therapy and other therapies. I’ve also been fortunate to have the support of an understanding and supportive doctor at my local health centre.
I’m looking forward to reading more and hope you now feel empowered to share more. You’ve also inspired me to knuckle down and start writing at my fsck journal:
Andy, as you know, our conversations on this topic have been immensely valuable to me. It’s wonderful to see you sharing publicly so others can benefit from your experience too. Thank you.
I did not realize you struggled with these emotions and issues when we worked together, Andy. This is a really good, heartfelt post. Wish you the best with your emotional healing. You are a good man, buddy.
Hi Andy--it's been a long time. I really enjoyed the work we did together years ago. I am so glad you have gotten the help you need and so appreciate your sharing your own struggles. You are not alone. I remind myself that even when I feel better, I have to keep vigilant. As I heard once, "Never underestimate the ability of your mood to take the express elevator to the depth of despair." Wishing you well and hope our paths cross again.
I'm a trauma clinician and my expertise in the world is relational trauma recovery -- helping the adult children of the mood and personality disordered recover from adverse early childhood experiences to have a better adulthood. One challenge I often have in my work and in my writing is helping people -- successful people but who had adverse early childhood experiences -- understand that what they did live through was subjectively traumatic and that adverse impacts were left. You using your platform to widen the conversation on how someone can be so successful on paper and also struggle, is incredibly refreshing and sorely needed. Thank you.
Thanks for posting this, Andy! I appreciate you for your courage in sharing about your mental health journey and in facing it head on for yourself. I imagine it will inspire and support so many people who are suffering alone, in silence, for fear of shame. I suffered through mild depression for over 30 years and no longer experience it. If you’d like ever like to talk about our respective journeys, please reach out.
Hi Andy, thank you for posting this. I thought you summed up your journey very well. I have been on a similar journey with mental health, using some of the various techniques and modalities you’ve described in your article. I am interested in connecting and swapping stories and ideas. Feel free to dm me on here. Thanks for doing your work
Hey Andy, That Chris Tucker reaction meme was funny! Thank you for sharing the personal battles you have been facing in the past and are currently facing. It takes a lot of courage to share one's battles. I have a close family member that suffers from some of the issues you have listed and I saw the impact it continues to have on them and the people around them. Many years ago, I read this book called "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz and learned that our self-inner-image is built by our early experiences in life and our outlook on life is strongly governed by that self-inner-image. It was pretty powerful for me to learn this because it helped me navigate some of my personal mental battles. It is not a cure-all, but, made things easier to process and as a result arrive at practical conclusions. If you get a chance, I highly recommend you give that book a try. Best wishes buddy and I love you for who you are!
Hey!
I can only say thanks so much for writing this. I also read you article in Lenny's Newsletter and have to say that it resonates and speaks to me like nothing before. Especially in regards to how the drive to achievement is a strategy to feel loved and validated and how you defined the environment in which you are thriving by breaking it down into different aspects of your day to day. Honestly Wow!
Reading your experiences made me feel more sure about that I am on the right track and that there are others out there that struggle with exactly the same.
Thanks so much Andy, this means a lot to me!
Glad to find you here, Andy. My largest (staggering) analytics on my Facebook page before leaving the platform were for an off-the-cuff post about how I tamed moderate-to-severe OCD. I will follow you here with interest and support. Gratitude for your courage. Authenticity is badass.
Andy, great job brother! It takes a big heart, as a man, to open up about these kind of issues to anyone at any capacity. Even bigger still, to give others the opportunity to learn, grow and over come their challenges as a result of you finding the courage to share yours on this kind of platform. I went through a similar depression a few years ago; you can find my story here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU8EOW6vzD2/?utm_medium=copy_link
I believe that the more we share is the greater chance we have to heal! Keep shinning bro and stay blessed!!!💯
Hey Andy! I'd love to connect and learn more about your journey. I had 12 year struggle with addiction due to some of the issues you mentioned during childhood. Have been sober six years through meditation, plant medicine, group work, therapy, EQI training, hot / cold, breathwork and many other modalities. I also have the same issue with achievement and external validation. Have also likely logged 10K hours across most modalities. I'd really love to connect and learn more about what was impactful for you and maybe share some stories! Let me know if you're open to connecting - you can find me on twitter or DM here if that's an option
Thank you for sharing this. It takes a lot of courage to do so. But this is a gift. For every person who comments or thanks you, there are probably 100 more who stay silent but whose lives you just changed in some small way
Thank you for sharing this, Andy. As you noted, this topic is so, so important, especially in technology-related career pathways.
Our industry – (digital) product design – is characterised by its ever-evolving nature. It’s hard to keep up and it often feels overwhelming.
This momentum can (and often does) lead to self-doubt, impostor syndrome and feelings of worthlessness.
As a former Senior Lecturer at Belfast School of Art I saw first-hand the effect that all of the pressures above had on students. Before they had even formally embarked upon their careers they were struggling.
Posts like yours help others to understand that:
• they are not alone;
• the feelings they’re experiencing are far more widespread than they had, at first, imagined; and
• there is hope, especially when we face the challenges head-on and with others.
Like you, I have spent a small fortune on cognitive behavioural therapy and other therapies. I’ve also been fortunate to have the support of an understanding and supportive doctor at my local health centre.
I’m looking forward to reading more and hope you now feel empowered to share more. You’ve also inspired me to knuckle down and start writing at my fsck journal:
http://fsck.mrmurphy.com/
Thank you again. I’m sending you warmest wishes from Ireland. —Chris Murphy
Andy, as you know, our conversations on this topic have been immensely valuable to me. It’s wonderful to see you sharing publicly so others can benefit from your experience too. Thank you.
I did not realize you struggled with these emotions and issues when we worked together, Andy. This is a really good, heartfelt post. Wish you the best with your emotional healing. You are a good man, buddy.
Hi Andy--it's been a long time. I really enjoyed the work we did together years ago. I am so glad you have gotten the help you need and so appreciate your sharing your own struggles. You are not alone. I remind myself that even when I feel better, I have to keep vigilant. As I heard once, "Never underestimate the ability of your mood to take the express elevator to the depth of despair." Wishing you well and hope our paths cross again.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking this out for others to see and resonate with.
I'm a trauma clinician and my expertise in the world is relational trauma recovery -- helping the adult children of the mood and personality disordered recover from adverse early childhood experiences to have a better adulthood. One challenge I often have in my work and in my writing is helping people -- successful people but who had adverse early childhood experiences -- understand that what they did live through was subjectively traumatic and that adverse impacts were left. You using your platform to widen the conversation on how someone can be so successful on paper and also struggle, is incredibly refreshing and sorely needed. Thank you.
Thanks for posting this, Andy! I appreciate you for your courage in sharing about your mental health journey and in facing it head on for yourself. I imagine it will inspire and support so many people who are suffering alone, in silence, for fear of shame. I suffered through mild depression for over 30 years and no longer experience it. If you’d like ever like to talk about our respective journeys, please reach out.
Hi Andy, thank you for posting this. I thought you summed up your journey very well. I have been on a similar journey with mental health, using some of the various techniques and modalities you’ve described in your article. I am interested in connecting and swapping stories and ideas. Feel free to dm me on here. Thanks for doing your work
Peace brother,
Joe
Hey Andy, That Chris Tucker reaction meme was funny! Thank you for sharing the personal battles you have been facing in the past and are currently facing. It takes a lot of courage to share one's battles. I have a close family member that suffers from some of the issues you have listed and I saw the impact it continues to have on them and the people around them. Many years ago, I read this book called "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz and learned that our self-inner-image is built by our early experiences in life and our outlook on life is strongly governed by that self-inner-image. It was pretty powerful for me to learn this because it helped me navigate some of my personal mental battles. It is not a cure-all, but, made things easier to process and as a result arrive at practical conclusions. If you get a chance, I highly recommend you give that book a try. Best wishes buddy and I love you for who you are!
An element that is at times overlooked is diet. Here's some sources on Neurological Disorders from Nutrition Network, https://research.nutrition-network.org/neurological-disorders/?s=08