Productive Living: Mental Health, with Scout Sobel – TPW360

How does your mental health affect your productivity and making a life that matters, especially if you are made to feel that you have to conceal your true feelings? Join Scout Sobel and me in this latest episode of the Productive Living series as we talk about feeling safe in your emotions, living in alignment, and going after your dreams. Taking care of your mental health is an important part of making a life that matters Scout Sobel is the CEO of Scout's Agency, host of the Scout podcast, co-host of Okay Sis podcast, and author of the new book, The Emotional Entrepreneur. Scout lives in San Diego with her husband and princess Pomeranian and enjoys journaling, reading, having Happy Hour with her friends, and watching Parks & Rec and Jurassic Park. Scouts journey to who she is today Scout's entrepreneurial journey began with many different iterations until she got to where she is today--and who she is today wasn't even possible until she discovered podcasting. Each step she took along the way was important, though, and had an impact on who she is. Scout had her first depressive episode when she was 14 years old (although she remembers feeling some symptoms between the ages of 4 and 6--behavioral problems and social isolation) and was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder Type Two at the age of 20. Her mental health journey has had many iterations and symptoms, including depression, anxiety, hypomania, catatonia, psychosis, paranoia, and suicidal ideation. Upon receiving her diagnosis and being deemed as nonfunctional by her doctors, she dropped out of college due to an inability to function in today’s society - a theme that would play out in her early twenties as she quit every minimum wage job, internship, or program she started. During this time she also participated in outpatient programs and tried different medications. At the age of 23, she discovered entrepreneurship and realized that this was a play her mental illness could "dance" in. Her highest of highs and lowest of lows often mirrored entrepreneurship, so it was a good fit for her. Although Scout has been a functioning member of society since her mid-20s (and she is now approaching 30), it's only been within the last year and a half that she has finally felt safe and comfortable with her mental illness and all the emotions she experiences. She feels grounded now and no longer views her mental illness as her enemy, but rather her guiding light.  When Scout speaks about her mental illness, she is often admired for her bravery and strength because it's not easy to talk about. She understands there is a shame and stigma around mental illness (and when she was first diagnosed there was very little social media) but she never felt for one minute that she shouldn't share her story. She shares it openly and with pride because her mental illness is a part of who she is. Scout's advice for someone who is experiencing hopelessness There was a pivotal moment in Scout's life when she started to take responsibility for her own healing after her boyfriend (who's now her husband) looked at her within two months of dating and said, “If you are depressed and hopeful, I can be in this relationship. If you are depressed and hopeless, I can’t be here with you." In that moment, he showed Scout that she was actually in control and had the ability to have hope, faith, and gratitude, rather than exist in a victimhood mentality and let other's opinions influence her...