Real Talk With Rev Marq Mervin

Content Warning/Trigger Warning | Content Warning/Trigger Warning: In this episode, topics of self-harm, suicide, and suicidal ideations will be discussed.

In the Season 1 Finale, I'm sharing something that's near and dear to my heart—my journey understanding mental health. As someone who lives and copes with depression and anxiety, I want to share my experiences along with how I pursued therapy. There's still misunderstandings about mental health, but I also think there are misunderstandings about pursuing counseling (I've had a lot of misconceptions, y'all). There's always plenty to talk about, but through it all, let's keep trying and keep going. Also, I've added a link to Pride Counseling, the counseling service I use that is specifically designed for the LGBTQ+ community. It's truly been a lifesaver and I hope it helps someone. Sending you love, light, supportive energies, and manifestations of your favorite snack. And, like always - let's talk about it.

Pride Counseling - pridecounseling.com
Website - marqmervin.com/podcast
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Holding space for others and ourselves requires energy—mental, physical, and emotional. And, sometimes, I'm completely tapped out and unable to hold anything except my phone in my hand (and that's a big maybe). In this episode, I'm talking about what emotional capacity means for me. I also have some Rev Reveals (that'll be the new term for when I have an epiphany or make a breakthrough/neural pathway) where a few things start to click and I ponder my relationship with my bandwidth. Let's talk about it!
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Making friends is hard...or is it? In this episode, I'm doing some serious rambling about friend circles. To be honest, I didn't think I'd have many friends. Especially when I'd often hear "making friends as an adult is hard". But I'm here to tell you, 1. I've met some wonderful people whom I consider friends (chosen family) and 2. It's absolutely possible to make friends. After all, friendships are relationships (and relationships require some work to be fulfilling for everyone involved). Let's talk about it!
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I can't be the only one who has some battles with jealousy...right? In this episode, I'm sharing a major breakthrough I had about the root of my envy. And y'all are in for a real treat - I have an epiphany in the middle of my rambling and it's a good one! There was a lot of impromptu self-discovery in this episode! Let's talk about it.
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One of my most intimate and longest struggles has been accepting my body. As a person of size, I've had quite a number of interesting things said about me (some flattering, some not-so-nice). Being a big man has its perks, but I've had to learn how to navigate romance, sex, intimacy, culture, and the world in particular ways to keep my sanity. I'm not always the happiest when I look in the mirror, but I've been learning to give myself more credit. I've also been learning to appreciate my body for the wonderful job its done of keeping me going. Let's talk about it.
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In Episode 3, I'm sharing something I still struggle with to this day - forgiving myself. Oftentimes, I'll tear myself down for not being good enough, not knowing better, falling off track with my health goals, etc. Though, I've slowly been giving grace to myself. This includes speaking kinder to myself and allowing myself to mess up. Why? Because I'm only human. Though, I'm here to tell ya, it's been harder than it seems. But it's been so worthwhile. Let's talk about it.
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