Mandy Gibbons Podcast Show... GUEST: Mitch Morton

Mitch shares his own personal story of severe Anxiety and how it affected his childhood, his teens and his career as a Aussie Rules Footy player in the AFL (Australian Football League).

Ripping apart Mitch’s life until he hit rock bottom in 2018. For 5 years after finishing playing professional sport, Mitch had been spiraling, living in different cities, changing jobs and he couldn’t settle. He was looking for things outside of himself to make the anxiety go away.

In 2018 Mitch had a moment where he could see the damage that anxiety had done. In that moment he was so angry with his anxiety that he decided he was going to put life on hold and figure out exactly what anxiety was and how he could beat it.

Mitch shares his journey of trying psychologists, meds, online courses, seminars and everything he could find to fix it over the 15-year period but he wanted to go deeper...

To where he is now... A deep understanding of Anxiety... having created his own model of what anxiety is and how he has been able to manage it and overcome what has been the greatest obstacle in his life.

JUST SOME OF THE GOLD IN THIS EPISODE:

Mitch shares how, as a 7 year old, experiencing severe anxiety and not understanding what it was...how terrifying and confusing it was for him as a child.

How Mitch hid his anxiety throughout his life and didn't realise what it was until he 23.

Developing nervous ticks, when he was trying to sit still and was anxious. How performance anxiety, throwing up before events had become part of his life... It becoming increasingly challenging because he didn't feel he could tell anyone.

How overthinking about it... and it playing on his mind... affected his life.

We chat about how as a 15 year old (around year 10 in high school) it got really bad and he started to withdraw, not answer his phone or texts, not want to talk to anyone, stopped participating in sporting events... and staying in his room.

AND then... being thrust into the AFL. Performance anxiety, coming up maybe once a week when playing sports... then took over his life. It all became too much. Affecting his relationships.

Mitch shares how anxiety works and his own years of effort to figure out what was wrong with him. And the moment he found out that he had anxiety.

The different methods, meds, techniques to try and find a solution for his anxiety while also trying to perform at his best as an AFL player. Playing AFL was his dream.

Trying to keep up lead to him overdosing on anti-psychotic medication, which he was taking to help with his anxiety.

We discuss his coming off that medication... And feeling frustrated that other techniques, methods, psychologists... nothing was working. He started to numb it with vices drinking, other drugs, sex.

How after a relationship breakup... He got angry with this anxiety, blaming his anxiety for how it was ruining his life. And how getting angry with it turned things around for him...

This lead him on a journey of self discovery with his anxiety... Leading him to figuring out a way to manage it and overcome it.

Mitch shares what he's learnt in this podcast... Including the tools and techniques he uses. And discusses the incredible quality of life he now has...

...Including being a public speaker and helping others with anxiety.

We talk about mindfulness. Self Acceptance, self compassion... And being able to help yourself feel calm. And safe. And sitting with uncomfortable feelings.

What takes place in the actual process with the body, mind and brain when experiencing anxiety... Why we spiral into anxiety, fear, fight and flight in that moment.

Using Mitch's system that he's created, he's gone within 7 talks, from not being able to public speak, to being a fantastic public speaker. How it's about conditioning, and re-programming the unconscious mind.

Mandy Gibbons
Resilience Coach for Men