The Alternative Story podcast

The Alternative Story
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

Stories of mental health powered by the therapists and friends of The Alternative Story.

Episodes

  1. Beyond the mirror: Understanding the psychology of body image

    05/04/2023

    Beyond the mirror: Understanding the psychology of body image

    In this podcast episode, Rashi talks to Paras Sharma, a wearer of many hats, about body image.. In this episode Paras is a PhD scholar researching the acquisition of male body image and a therapist with over a decade of experience. Paras explains that body image is not just about objective physical appearance, but also about how a person perceives their appearance and how others perceive it. Body image is, therefore, constantly influenced by cultural and societal norms. Paras also breaks down body image into two main elements: body esteem (how a person thinks they look in comparison to others) and body satisfaction (how happy a person is with their own body, irrespective of what others think of them). Paras and Rashi discuss how everyone has body image issues, and it's a spectrum ranging from mild dissatisfaction to severe issues. They also discuss how certain groups of people are more vulnerable to body image issues due to societal pressures. Overall, the conversation offers insights into understanding and managing body image issues.

    36 min
  2. In the life of a person with a sleep disorder

    03/02/2023

    In the life of a person with a sleep disorder

    In the part 2 of the sleep podcast, Rashi and Paras talk about sleep  disorders. Paras has been diagnosed with a sleep disorder and shares his  experience of how it was before the diagnosis, how he got the diagnosis  and how his life has changed post the diagnosis. Forums for help with sleep disorders: 1. Sleep Apnea - https://www.reddit.com/r/SleepApnea/ 2. CPAP - https://www.reddit.com/r/CPAP/ 3. Sleep Disorders - https://www.reddit.com/r/sleepdisorders/ The link to the promised Baba Sehgal song about sleep apnea (It promotes a company that offers sleep studies as well as the CPAP machine. We are not affiliated with the company though we have used their services in the past) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyzgN_IKEQ

    40 min
  3. Sleep and other things I find hard to REM-ember

    04/17/2022

    Sleep and other things I find hard to REM-ember

    I spoke to Paras, a counselling psychologist and my spouse about sleep! We spoke so much that we had to make this the part one of the podcast. In this episode, we speak about what sleep is and why we as humans sleep at all!  Full transcript available on our website!

    50 min
  4. Making sense of emotions

    02/02/2022

    Making sense of emotions

    In this episode, we explore what emotions, feelings and affect mean and how their impact on our lives. Should we control our emotions? Should we express them at all times? Are some emotions good and some bad?  We discuss all of this and much much more with Ahla, master's in applied psychology with a specialisation in clinical psychology.

    50 min
  5. Have my childhood experiences screwed me for life?

    08/03/2020 · BONUS

    Have my childhood experiences screwed me for life?

    In this episode, Paras talks about adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and what they for us in the here and now. He answers some questions about resilience, moving on and more.  For details of the ACEs questionnaire, visit: https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/activities/adverse_childhood_experiences/en/ and  for details of the resilience questionnaire, visit: https://www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/resiliencequestionnaire.pdf

    13 min

  6. 05/19/2020

    Surviving - A personal experience of moving past an attempt.

    TW: suicide Surviving an attempt to kill oneself can teach you a lot about the world we live in. D talks to Ahla Matra about what it means when one doesn't get the support and what changes when you do receive unwavering support.

    54 min

  7. 05/19/2020

    How to say no and set boundaries.

    Do you also find it difficult to say no? Setting boundaries is not an easy task. It requires one to be assertive and mindful of one's own needs as well as respecting the other's person's demands.  Here, Paras Sharma talks about how can you set boundaries and learn to put yourself first.

    27 min

  8. 05/19/2020

    Can a broken heart affect your mental health?

    What happens to your mental health when you get your heart broken and everything sucks? Is there something you can do to protect yourself? Hear Paras Sharma  talk about grieving relationships, what could have beens and recovering from them.

    32 min

  9. 05/19/2020

    Soooooo let's talk about anxiety!

    Having anxiety is difficult. You can feel the effect in your body - with your heart thumping, your BP fluctuating, in your mind - with thoughts running, unable to stop the thought loop and it is difficult to believe that you will ever feel better again.  In this episode, Paras Sharma talks about dealing with anxiety and how one can manage their mental health.

    16 min

  10. 05/19/2020

    Make some space for self-compassion in your life!

    What is mindfulness? Can you be mindful without meditating? What is self-compassion? Is it the same as being selfish? What's all of this got to do with mental health? All this and more answered by Paras Sharma.

    37 min

  11. 05/19/2020

    It's not you, it's capitalism

    If you were to sit down to make a list of things affecting your mental health, would capitalism feature in it? Most mental health practitioners would ask you to look inward, to try and find things within you that can be fixed. At The Alternative Story, we know that capitalism and the importance it places on productivity can impact your mental health.  Paras Sharma talks about what it means to be a mental health professional who believes that capitalism is not helping us and why we should be nicer to ourselves.

    13 min
  12. Psychooncology - Making the connections between cancer and mental health

    05/19/2020

    Psychooncology - Making the connections between cancer and mental health

    TW: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death, Grief Getting a diagnosis of cancer can be traumatic not only for the person but their loved ones, as well. In this episode, Rashi talks to Hiba Siddiqui, a trained psycho-oncologist about the impact cancer can have on one's mental health.  Both Hiba and Rashi talk about their experiences of being a caregiver to someone with cancer, losing people in their lives and grief. There's a lot of conversation about Hiba's work at Max CancerCare, Max Hospital, New Delhi.

    53 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

Stories of mental health powered by the therapists and friends of The Alternative Story.

Information

  • Creator
    The Alternative Story
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2023
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Alternative Story
  • Show Website
    The Alternative Story podcast