#194 Daragh Fleming - Writer and award-winning mental health activist

Sleep Eat Perform Repeat

Today we spoke with Daragh Fleming - Writer and award-winning mental health activist

Daragh Fleming is an author, freelance writer, and award-winning mental health blogger from Cork, Ireland. He has an MA in Linguistics, a BA in Applied Psychology, and a head full of notions as he says. Daragh has a passion for normalising the chat around mental health, and is the founder of Thoughts Too Big, a blog and enterprise that focuses on overcoming daily mental health issues. Daragh’s debut in non-fiction, Lonely Boy, a collection of essays on mental health arrives on November 24th 2022. Please support this work by buying a copy!

Daragh shared with us his traumatic personal story about why mental health is what he writes and speaks about - also, why that period paved the way for him to study the mind in university.

He explained his current 'writer in residence' role in Spain, and what his writing process looks like. We unpacked where he finds inspiration for poetry, fiction and nonfiction, what trains had to do with writing, some of his most popular blogs on mental health - and his charitable support for Pieta House, Crisis Helpline, etc. He explained the meaning behind his motto 'be sound and drink water', and how to recognise if someone is struggling with their mental health. This was a powerful episode for us...thanks Daragh!

Highlights:

• 🙏 Losing a best friend to suicide at the age of 17
• 🧘‍♂️ A non-negotiable morning routine of meditation and reading
• 🪧 Noticing signs of poor mental health in others or yourself
• ✍️ Simple tools like journaling to help with mental health

Timestamps:

• (0:28) - A Writer's Week in Spain
• (1:42) - Daragh's background in Psychology and Linguistics
• (4:30) - A non-negotiable morning routine of meditation and reading
• (6:39) - Types of meditation and ways to implement daily
• (10:01) - Losing a best friend to suicide at the age of 17
• (12:10) - Finding a career in psychology, writing, and mental health
• (15:30) - How to better identify those struggling and give them space to talk
• (16:15) - Noticing signs of poor mental health in others or yourself
• (21:00) - Using journaling as a method to make sense of and organise thoughts
• (25:00) - Addressing emotion through action...not simply distracting self
• (26:15) - Be Sound and drink water
• (29:27) - Being inspired by stoic philosophy
• (34:50) - Recognising the villain in ourselves
• (38:45) - What does high performance mean to you?

For information on previous guests and shows please visit www.SleepEatPerformRepeat.com.

Previous guests include Cal Newport, Dr. Michael Gervais, Joy Neville, Rich Froning, BJ Fogg, Sonia O'Sullivan, Rich Diviney, Keith Earls, Caelan Doris, Chanelle McCoy, PJ Nestler, Jack Butcher, Shane O'Sullivan, Chris Burkard, Brian Keane, Steve Magness, Owen Eastwood, Steven Kotler, Daniel Davey, Ray Goggins, Shane O'Donnell, Jonny Cooper, Capt Emily Bassett, George Kruis, Brett Bartholomew, Aoife McDermott, Lisa Jacob and many more.