A very happy Christmas to you, from all of us here on the Where Is My Mind team! Well, that is if you’re not tearing your hair out.

While all the festivities, catch ups, presents and family time can be lovely, it can be a really overwhelming time of year too. Whether you’ve got something going on in your life like stress, grief, loneliness, Christmas is a time that can amplify all of that. This week, Niall takes you through ways to approach the chaos of Christmas. He talks through some of the biggest stressors of the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ like financial trouble, emotional and social expectations, work deadlines and of course all the extra time that you’ll be spending with your loved ones.

Managing expectations and communication are key, along with remembering the magic Christmas can bring, but so is going gently with yourself. If the festive period is getting too much, Niall takes you on a guided meditation to come back to yourself and remember, this too shall pass.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/

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

This year we took Where Is My Mind to 20 counties around Ireland and met some of the soundest souls and audiences along the way.

In this week’s episode, Niall brings you some of our highlights from the October leg of the tour. From Eurovision legend Charlie McGettigan to social media star Kayleigh Trappe, we’ve had an eclectic mix of guests who brought so much craic but also their honest vulnerable selves to the shows. Charlie shared the grief he experienced losing his son, while Kayleigh spoke about her passion for helping young kids in her teacher role. You’ll also hear conversations with Waterford Whisper’s Colm Williamson about that one time he annoyed North Korea and the Vatican, and a beautifully candid chat with the delicious Garron Noone and Stephen ‘Cowboy’ Kelly about overcoming their own internal battles and becoming beacons of light for people online.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

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

Music is one of the most powerful mediums in the world, and as we’ve heard from many people on this podcast, it has saved them.

In this week’s episode we’re taking you along to one of the Where Is My Mind? Live shows. In the Mermaid Theatre in Bray Niall was joined by two long-time friends from the music industry, Kieran McGuinness and James Vincent McMorrow. The trio talk about how music has changed thanks to the never ending metrics of social media and how it’s now even being tailored to our fading attention spans. They share their fears of music losing its true meaning, with all three having experienced its power in their lives and actually saving them in their darker days. Kieran has a beautiful story about how a performance with his band Delorentos connected him with his birth family, and James explains how focusing on music helped him out of the clutches of an eating disorder.

This podcast contains some difficult topics, please take care when listening.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/

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

Where Is My Mind is back!

You might have been wondering where Niall has been over the last while but after a short hiatus and well needed break he’s back to fill you in on where his mind has been.

After undertaking The Rising, the launch of The Madman’s Hotel and a month-long podcast tour, it’s safe to say burnout was on the brink. Niall shares how he was feeling after such a busy time, all while existing in a world that feels like everything is on fire, and what he did to get himself back on track. He also shares some thoughts he’s been sitting with over the last few weeks, about how our perception of normal human emotion has and continues to evolve and how stepping back from the online world can be a whole mental refresh.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

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

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

They kayaked Ireland’s longest River Shannon, cycled 160km and climbed Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohil, all over 8 days to raise funds for better mental health literacy for young people.

The Rising 2024 is complete and this week Niall reminisces on the journey, everything he and the team learned along the way and what it means to complete it. Although there were challenges along the way, from injuries to capsizes, and moments where they had to dig deep, we have almost reached the €200k target which will go towards developing further programmes to help our young people.

You can donate to The Rising here: https://www.alustforlife.com/therising

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/

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

How we listen to music has changed. With streaming, social media and 15 second TikTok’s it’s rare we listen to a full album anymore. Sometimes, though, a body of work comes along that stops you in your tracks.

This week, Niall is joined by Gary Lightbody, lead singer and guitarist with Snow Patrol. The Irish band have just released their first album in 6 years, ‘The Forest Is The Path’, which may be their most vulnerable record to date. The band approached this album in a different way than they have before, with the first lyrics coming to Gary while emerging from a numbness following the death of his father. Niall and Gary get into the process of making the album, along with Gary’s relief to finally feel again after grief and putting it in writing. They also discuss their shared passion for mental health reform, with Gary’s particular focus on the suicide rates in Northern Ireland, and how music is what saved him when he went through his own dark night of the soul.

This episode discusses some sensitive topics, please take care when listening.

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/

#newmusic #album #snowpatrol #psychology #anxiety #mindfulness #mentalhealth #therapy #musictherapy

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

If you’ve been following Niall on social media you’ll know he’s spent the last number of months training for another intense fundraiser to improve mental health supports for young people in Ireland.

Niall and the team are back for the second year to take on the grueling challenge of The Rising. This year consists of a kayak of the Shannon, followed by a 160 km cycle from Limerick to Carrauntoohil, and culminating in a climb up Ireland's highest peak, Carrauntoohil, totaling 393km. In this episode we hear from the incredible souls in the team and their big ‘WHY’ for taking on something like this to better the future of children and young people’s mental health. Some of the team are parents, some are driven by their own and their families struggles with mental health, but they all want to create change from how things were in their past.

If you would like to donate to The Rising challenge:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x6dc29-we-need-your-help

For more mindfulness content check out Niall’s Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/niallbreslin

Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free.

In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/

In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/

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