Participant #1:
Hello Cupcake, it's Me, a podcast with your host, Michael Peterson. Hey everyone, Michael here with Hello Cupcake, it's Me. Today is June 24, 2022. How are you and welcome to episode 30. So if you haven't done so already, please hit like and subscribe. Go check out the YouTube channel. And that's Youtube.com. Hellocupcake, it's me. Go check out the blog www.hellocupcakeitsme.com and make sure to give like follows and share this podcast everywhere that you can, please. Getting right into it. Starting off with Tuesday night trivia night, we kicked but yet again this week and maintained our first place Bronze Division. So we have one or two more weeks of having to fight it out. And then after our six weeks, if we've maintained our first position in Bronze for the next couple of weeks, then we will move into Silver Division. And that's going to be super exciting because that brings on a whole new level of just difficulties. And following along with them on their Facebook page, they've added over something like 15 to 30 new bars within the state. So our competition is growing exponentially. But kicking ass ticket names.

Participant #1:
Just having a lot of fun doing this though. It has been kind of tedious the last couple of weeks because we've had some new members show up and they're just not into it as much as we are. And by the time that we're into the third or fourth round, they're really drunk and not wanting to pay attention and just kind of BSing and fucking around on their phones and stuff. So it has hurt to have these new people on the team, but we can't necessarily tell them, hey, I can't be here anymore. So yeah, it's just been kind of weird and difficult how this has all been working out, but it's still fun. And last night took a totally random trip to the bar. Did not plan on going there at all. But somebody got a hold of me and said, hey, I just need someone to talk to you. Can I meet you at the bar? And I'm like, yeah, sure. I wasn't going to be doing anything, like literally I was just waiting for or I was getting ready to make dinner is what it was. But I just put that off to the side because I really wasn't hungry right then. So I went to the bar tucked with this person, got them in a better head space, and then decided, okay, well, I'm just going to hang out for a little while and see who shows up. And it was a really nice day yesterday. So just hung around and drink my cranberry juice with Sprite and was just kind of like in awe of how random things are and how just weird things seem to work out. I got into this really heavy mind space where I was just thinking about my life and thinking about how things just kind of like culminate and come together and all that other stuff and like how just a random trip to the bar that I had not planned on doing or anything like that resulted in me meeting new people, resulted in me just having a really good time. And then that got me to start to think, like, what my life would have been had I not moved to the Pacific Northwest, what my life would have been had I not thought that I fell in love in college. And if I would have continued working through and would I have accomplished my degree, would I be working in the field of my choice at that time? Like, I originally was studying to become a high school English teacher and after my parents quit paying for my tuition, I then got on financial aid and started taking all the different classes that I thought were exciting and stuff that I just was really interested in. So when I left school, I was like 24 units from completing several different degrees and certificates. And it's something that's really kind of weighed heavily on me over the last 20 or something years because I saw these older people, older than me at the time, returning to college in their forty s and fifty s and just saying how they wish they had never dropped out in the first place and how life got in the way and how they always wanted to go back and do this or the other thing, but that they were there just to finish out a degree that they started in their youth. And I was like, oh yeah, I don't think that's ever going to happen to me. And it did. And I've been trying to get back into traditional schooling for a long time, but being on Social Security disability, it's like really kind of difficult to do so because I've been told so many different things. In one instance, I'm told that, yes, I can go back to school and I can do all the things and then I'll hang up and call Social Security right back and then they tell me absolutely not, that based on the terms of my disability, that I'm not supposed to go to school, blah, blah, blah, blah, and that if I do go to school they're going to cut off my funding and this, that, and the other thing. And it's just like, what do I believe? But I have been doing a lot of online classes and stuff like that and taking a lot of free courses also. Not just courses that you like audit the class, but where you actually get a certificate for doing the work and all that other stuff. And for some of you who don't know, I'm a state certified peer counselor and I just take classes that continue with that education. And I take a lot of mental health courses and a lot of personal growth and development courses because it's been very difficult for me to find mental health help in my area. And the times that I have been going to see a therapist or a psychologist or whatever, I just don't feel like I'm getting the help that I need and they're too busy doodling in their notebook to actually listen to what I'm going through or to provide me with any kind of actual help. So that's why I started taking these classes and that's actually kind of what led me into becoming a peer counselor is I looked into it one day just to see if there was any ramifications from me providing life coach services because it seemed like for a while there that's all I was doing. People were consistently coming to me and just talking to me about their everyday life problems and stuff like that. And I started wondering, I'm like, well, is there any legal ramification to this? And I don't want to give somebody advice and then they hurt themselves or hurt somebody else and then it comes back that they were talking to me about it. Just out of morbid curiosity, I started looking into it and fell down this rabbit hole and found the training for state certification. And that was one of the most intense classes and testing I had ever done in my life. But I passed and that was like a huge accomplishment for me and I was just like on cloud nine knowing that I pushed myself mentally to not only learn the material, but to actually accomplish that and to know that I could put initials next to my name when I sign it. Like I can legally put my name and then sign it CPC which stands for Certified Peer Counselor and I can have that put on legal documentation and all that other stuff which when I go to renew my license, I'm going to have a CPC put on my license as well.

Participant #1:
But one thing that I would like to know from you, the listener, is do you seek out professional help or do you seek out just talking to other people about your issues? Like what's your go to? What do you do to find help when you are feeling helpless? And I know a lot of men don't talk to anyone about their feelings or their emotions because that whole stereotype that men are supposed to be strong, men aren't supposed to have emotions and showing emotions is somehow demasculating and all this other stuff. But who or what do you do to cope with your emotions and mental health? And if you were to seek out services, what kind of services do you wish were available in your area or that people provided to you? Would you want it set up in a group situation where you could get together with several other like minded people and talk in a safe space, kind of like an Nara type situation where everything's anonymous and you just have this group where you can go and you can talk things out and move on? Or do you want it to be more where like you call a phone number or text someone and your conversations are completely just between you and that person. And you know, also what's holding you back? What's holding you back from seeking out help for yourself because outside of medical insurances and stuff like that, please dial emergency services directly from your phone. Sorry about that everyone. My smart speaker popped up and started giving me information about mental health help and all that other stuff. It was something I didn't even know that I could do. And once I stopped the recording and I was playing around with it, trying to get it to get back to that prompt to see what I had said in order for it to give that prompt to me, I wasn't able to find it. So I'm really sorry about that and I probably shouldn't have shut it off the way that I did so that I could have shared that with you. But I have Amazon Echo dot and I also have the Google Mini or the Google Nest, whatever they're going by nowadays. And so you might be able to activate your device if you have something like that or even Apple Siri and see if that could help. But I'll definitely list some resources and stuff in the show notes down below. Some of them are free, some of them are paid, some of them say that they're like crisis line or whatever. But definitely check it out if you are having any kind of issues and need help or just need someone to talk to. A lot of these people, they've been there themselves. They are there to help other people from making a big mistake. So just know that you are loved even if you don't feel that way or like if your world is literally falling apart all around you. Shit is temporary. And what seems like the end of the world today is only the start of something new and wonderful beginning. And I know that sounds like a bunch of horse shit or whatever else, but guys, let me tell you, I suffer from mental health problems, I suffer with depression, I suffer from suicidal ideology where I think about killing myself and I plan it out in group, just gory gruesome details in my head. When I'm in the midst of my depression, I overplay every single thing in my head, every single interaction I've ever had, how I feel about that interaction. I remember stuff from kindergarten and stuff that people said to me and did to me and I run the Gambit. And over the years it's been harder and harder for me to snap back from having these mental health episodes. But I'm telling you that once I do get through it, it is so much better. And some of the things that I do for myself to try to just get through some of those dark times is I listen to music and I try to do something creative. And if listening to music or doing something creative doesn't work, I get it in my car and I drive and I listen to music while I'm driving and I try to go out and get into nature. I'm thankful and blessed that there's a lot of lakes and beaches and forests around me, but just get outside and go to a local park, walk around the park, take your shoes off, put your toes in the sand or just walk through the grass barefoot, just enjoy life, just be outside of your home. We get so bogged down with everything that just try simple things like that. And if sitting at the beach or sitting outside or listening to music or trying to do something creative like draw or paint or whatever, if none of those things work, then I come home and I take a nap. And if the nap doesn't work, then I get up and I take a hot shower and usually the hottest shower I could possibly stand, the better. And then if none of that works, I cycle again and I go back through. And a lot of times I just retreat into television shows, I watch a lot of stand up, I watch a lot of The Simpsons, I watch a lot of things that is just funny and familiar and lighthearted and usually after taking a nap or whatever, I wake up and I feel a lot better. And so just do what you can to find your happiness and do not make a permanent decision for a temporary problem. So guys, I'm going to go ahead and let you all go. Please take this into consideration. Things are only bad for a certain period of time and they get better from there. So I hope you all are doing the best you can with what you have available to you. And until next time, I will talk to you then. Bye guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. You have been listening to Hello, Cupcake, it's Me, a podcast with your host, Michael Peterson. Please make sure to check back often as new episodes are released by weekly. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to send a message to Hello, Cupcake, it's Me@gmail.com. And until next time, stay happy, safe and keep doing the best you can with what you have been given and.