{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"MAA #099: With Sam Petersen","description":"Interview with Melbourne Producer and ex-Comedian Sam Petersen. Sam recently released a documentary called Lady O\u2019Loughlin about Comedian Fiona O\u2019Loughlin, and he also has a weekly podcast called Confessions of the Idiots. Sam particularly enjoys having conversations about mental health and getting people to talk more about how they are feeling. Big thanks to Sam for allowing us to record in his studio for the first face-to-face MAA recording in a while. We discuss: Everyone having a battle with something that you don\u2019t know about, using comedy and then therapy to assist his own mental health, issues with alcohol and being a workaholic, the danger of bottling things up vs the benefits of talking about issues, recognising panic attacks as a sign to take time out for self-care, accessing bulk-billed counselling via Medicare, the importance of finding a supportive friendship group to share with, the pressure-cooker analogy of mental health, the impact of the pandemic and the resurgence of communication by telephone, Sam\u2019s views on the best and worst elements about the lockdown, the positive and negative effects of the pandemic on social media, Sam\u2019s love of swimming, the benefits of breathing exercises, relaxation music like the Teskey Brothers, breathing exercise techniques, Relax Lite and Calm apps, Sam\u2019s super power, how telling people things they might not want to hear can be a form of kindness, and Sam\u2019s message to reach out and seek help if you need it. ","author_name":"Mental As Anyone","author_url":"http:\/\/mentalasanyone.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"