Have you ever struggled with mental illness? What did you do to overcome or help to manage it? How can a creative outlet change your life for the better?
In this podcast episode, Lisa Lewis speaks about the road to resilience and exploring mental well-being on the open road with Tyler Wittkofsky.
Meet Tyler Wittkofsky
Tyler Wittkofsky overcame addiction and mental health challenges. His debut collection, “Coffee, Alcohol, and Heartbreak,” reflects a transformative journey. Novels like “(Not) Alone” and “The Seeds of Love” spotlight mental health. Tyler amplifies indie voices through Tea With Coffee Media and podcasts, sharing adventures in the blog Adventure With Coffee.
Visit Tyler’s Website and connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
FREEBIE: Get a free download of the first edition novella of (Not) Alone when you sign up for Tyler’s Newsletter.
IN THIS PODCAST:
- Tyler’s story
- Tyler’s books
- Finding your creative outlet
- Managing mental health while on the road
- Tyler’s advice to listeners
Tyler’s story
Tyler overcame addiction and mental health issues in his life which has led him to a place of peace and well-being today.
Back when he was in school, he was a straight-edged kid who didn’t experiment with drugs or alcohol at all, but when he got to college he experienced a lot of peer pressure as well as a huge drug-taking culture.
It really ran me off the path and I started drinking hard liquor on top of taking the pills, and one day, I was going to commit suicide, and I called my best friend … He’s still my best friend to this day, and I told him … I had taken a handful of [pills] and was in and out of consciousness … Then I get a random phone call from a number I didn’t recognize and something in me said, “Answer the phone”.
Tyler Wittkofsky
On the other end of the phone was Tyler’s best friend Matt’s dad, and they spoke together for quite some time, and the call ended with Matt’s dad telling Tyler to keep on going.
That was a pivotal turning point in my life where I said, “I really want to go and get help”.
Tyler Wittkofsky
Tyler was committed to bringing himself back and went to get help. He was then diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, which he had not known that he was properly struggling with.
I got myself together in my senior year of college, really pulled myself together, and I met my wife Grace … We met at Applebees! … She was really my saving grace.
Tyler Wittkofsky
Now Tyler and Grace are happily married, on the road and travelling the country, and Tyler has started two businesses and is now an award-winning author.
He overcame the negativity in his past which hurt him, and other people, and since overcoming addiction he wants to make a positive impact on folks around the world.
Tyler’s books
Tyler and Grace moved into his grandmother’s house while their house was being built, and his grandmother challenged him to write a book. She was an English teacher, and school headmistress, and encouraged Tyler to write. He took it on and wrote about his mental health challenges in a semi-fictional story, which became his first novella, Not Alone.
It’s got a lot of metaphors in there for … your inner demons and the battles that we face, whether we feel like we’re alone or not.
Tyler Wittkofsky
Tyler’s second publication was a collection of poems he wrote from 2012 to 2016 from when he graduated from high school to graduating from college.
These poems were the raw forms of what Tyler was feeling and experiencing during this time, and everyone loved the message that was behind the collection.
Then, he published a love story around a long-distance relationship and the trials and tribulations that the partners face while one partner is managing their mental illness. Most recently, Tyler published the Principal’s Principles to honour his grandmother after her passing.
Finding your creative outlet
Whether you are struggling with mental illness or going through difficult times in life, a creative outlet is not only healing and supportive, but creativity through writing, art, music, photography, nature, or anything else is linked to an innate human need.
I like to believe that humans aren’t placed on this earth to work a nine-to-five job Monday through Friday … I believe we were put here to make art, eat fruit, and enjoy life, and that’s something that we have to try to do.
Tyler Wittkofsky
What are you passionate about? What makes you feel free when you spend time doing it? Art is something unique to everybody because everyone uses it differently, depending on how they see it and what they want to use it for.
If you don’t know what your creative outlet is, try new things and see what works for you! Experiment, explore, allow yourself to play without something being right and wrong, good or bad, and see which things make you feel like you don’t notice that time is passing because you’re resonating with awareness.
Managing mental health while on the road
For Tyler, traveling has been great for his mental health because it breaks up the monotony. Traveling and being on the road allows you to explore nature, move between new and interesting places, and meet great new people.
It allows you to focus on life around you in new ways, and it also reminds you that life can always change because you change, and therefore you meet life differently time and time again.
I enjoy [writing] so much, and I think that’s the key, [which] is finding stuff that you enjoy doing and letting that be your way of life.
Tyler Wittkofsky
Tyler’s advice to listeners
Name the voice in your head and separate it from your own.
If you have something telling you bad or destructive things, make it separate from you so that you can know when it is impacting your thoughts or beliefs, and you can learn not to listen to it as you would your own.
It makes me feel better because it makes me feel like I can get it off my chest and tell the negativity, “No, you’re not going to affect me today!” And then you start to hear the positive voices coming out; “Yes you can do that!” And it’s a really good experience to be able to find and differentiate those two voices that you have, that we all have, battling inside of our minds.
Tyler Wittkofsky
RESOURCES MENTIONED AND USEFUL LINKS
Tyler Wittkofsky – Coffee, Alcohol, and Heartbreak: A Poetry Collection
Tyler Wittkofsky – Not Alone
Tyler Wittkofsky – The Seeds of Love
Tyler Wittkofsky – The Principal’s Principles
Visit Tyler’s Website and connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Email me: lisa@amiokpodcast.com
ABOUT THE SENSITIVE IN NATURE PODCAST
So you’ve been told that you’re “too sensitive” and perhaps you replay situations in your head. Wondering if you said something wrong? You’re like a sponge, taking in every word, reading all situations. Internalizing different energies, but you’re not sure what to do with all of this information. You’re also not the only one asking yourself, “am I ok?” Lisa Lewis is here to tell you, “It’s totally ok to feel this way.”
Join Lisa, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, as she hosts her, Am I Ok? Podcast. With over 20 years of education, training, and life experience, she specializes in helping individuals with issues related to being an empath and a highly sensitive person.
Society, and possibly your own experiences, may have turned your thinking of yourself as being a highly sensitive person into something negative. Yet, in reality, it is something that you can – and should – take ownership of. It’s the sixth sense to fully embrace, which you can harness to make positive changes in your life and in the lives of others.
This may all sound somewhat abstract, but on the Am I Ok? Podcast, Lisa shares practical tips and advice you can easily apply to your own life. Lisa has worked with adults from various backgrounds and different kinds of empaths, and she’s excited to help you better connect with yourself. Are you ready to start your journey?