Top 10 Nailed-It Moments From the Hilarious World of Depression
If you haven't had a chance to check out John Moe's podcast, the Hilarious World of Depression, holiday travel is a great time for binge-listening. Plug in on a flight across the country and get involved in someone else's life and experiences. Along the way, pick up great insight about anxiety and depression from smart, funny people, like the ones listed here. Without further ado, here are the top ten nailed-in moments from my favorite mental health podcast in 2017.
1. On the Relationship Between Anxiety and Depression.
“[Anxiety and depression] are closely related. For me, depression comes in to help manage the anxiety. And no, it doesn’t do a great job of it.” - Aimee Mann
2. On Being the Child of an Addict
"My mother (god bless her heart) was an addict when I was in high school. And since our emotional language comes from our parents, whatever they're stuck on, we are as well. As a result I wasn't aware of mental health issues for a long time. As a kid, you compartmentalize. You think you deserve to be treated however you are...Being a child of an addict is a surefire way to have some anxiety or depression as you get older. " - Baron Vaughn
3. On Positive Thinking
"I thought, 'I can't do comedy as a trans person..' Luckily I had a friend who was sending me links and telling me I had to come to New York to do it. So that was very helpful, to have people around me who are like 'It is possible, just don't lead with your apprehension. Don't lead with your egheghwheww. " - Patti Harrison
4. On Suicide
"If you look at the Venn diagram for people who have bipolar disorder, people who are addicts and alcoholics, and people who have tried to commit suicide, statistically you could have guessed...It would have been a pretty safe guess that I would have attempted suicide. " - Ana Marie Cox and John Moe
5. On Writing
"I've often thought of writing as that childhood pool game Marco Polo, but I'm in my basement for 4 or 5 years just saying "Marco, Marco, Marco" over and over again, waiting for that one person to say Polo back." - John Green
6. On Hiding
"I didn't tell anyone about the OCD thoughts until I was 35 because I felt so ashamed of what they were. But then I googled my thoughts and...turns out, OCD sites came up. That's why I love the internet. Anything you're worried about, you type it in and someone's already done it, they've written a book about it." - Maria Bamford
7. On Reckoning with Truth
"When my dad admitted he didn't love me, it actually made me feel better. It was both excruciating and liberating. It meant I wasn't crazy." - Neal Brannon
8. On Dealing with Other People
"I'm a snob about depression. I think we are superior." - Jen Kirkman
9. On Anxiety and People Pleasing
"When I was around 12 or 13 years old, anxiety started for me. Attention became uncomfortable. I began to feel I wasn't doing things for myself as much as doing things other people expected me to do...For example, it was important to the adults in my life that I do teen magazines. I didn't want to do that. It felt like a distraction. I just wanted to make believe." - Wil Wheaton
10. On Being Misperceived
"I was not an aggressive person. I didn't have that killer instinct. I was very timid. I just happened to be born into this was this 6 foot 6, 240-pound body. I was very athletic and I could run fast and jump high but my mental makeup was more like Richard Lewis." - Gary Gulman
