Hong Kong Confidential

REPLAYED CONTENT: Rebecca Hopkins talks about how she found herself going through early menopause in her early 30’s and this affected many aspects of her life, including her ability to have children. She had her children using an egg donor and whilst she was raising her small children she found herself in the midst of quite intense menopausal symptoms. Her doctor put her on hormones to combat early osteoporosis. This meant that her sex drive shot through the roof and she became rather rampant. She was also super moody and explosive, so she tried different methods of administering the hormones until she found the one that was most conducive to her having minimal menopausal symptoms and less mood swings.  Rebecca talks about bone density, ugly crying and egg donation. Stay tuned for All Out of Eggs: Part 2 where Rebecca goes into detail about egg donation, IVF and what she has learned throughout the whole process.

A Listener Note: If you feel you need support, please visit your local GP, a counsellor or contact the Samaritans in Hong Kong on 28960000. If you live in another country, please contact your local GP for support.

REPLAYED CONTENT: Rebecca Hopkins talks about how she found herself going through early menopause in her early 30’s and this affected many aspects of her life, including her ability to have children. She had her children using an egg donor and whilst she was raising her small children she found herself in the midst of quite intense menopausal symptoms. Her doctor put her on hormones to combat early osteoporosis. This meant that her sex drive shot through the roof and she became rather rampant. She was also super moody and explosive, so she tried different methods of administering the hormones until she found the one that was most conducive to her having minimal menopausal symptoms and less mood swings.  Rebecca talks about bone density, ugly crying and egg donation. Stay tuned for All Out of Eggs: Part 2 where Rebecca goes into detail about egg donation, IVF and what she has learned throughout the whole process.

A Listener Note: If you feel you need support, please visit your local GP, a counsellor or contact the Samaritans in Hong Kong on 28960000. If you live in another country, please contact your local GP for support.

REPLAYED CONTENT: Aaron Stadlin-Robbie suffers from panic attacks and anxiety. He talks about when he first realised that he was suffering from panic attacks after experiencing the most frightening event of his whole life. Eventually, he saw a psychiatrist and got to the bottom of what he was going through and began to receive treatment and support. He recognised that he experienced several red flags that he initially ignored which led to his panic attacks taking hold. He feels that dealing with anxiety is a battle and without the support of friends, family and professionals, he felt very alone. He acknowledges that it can be more difficult for men to discuss more personal issues with each other and he wants people to understand that every time he discussed his anxiety, it was a weight off his mind. Aaron is a rugby player and he found that when he opened up to his mates about his anxiety, they were very supportive and did not judge him. Aaron decided to start his own podcast ‘Talking Mental’ which will be released on Apple Podcasts on the 22nd of January. He began this podcast to start conversations about anxiety and mental health issues in general in a bid to help improve his own mental health and also to benefit his listeners who may also be struggling with similar issues. Aaron explains that ‘anxiety is like a wet blanket on top of you that you’re trying to get off.’ He hopes that by sharing his story, that he will inspire others to open up and seek support.

REPLAYED CONTENT: Vishal is my ex-student who suffered from mental health issues as a teen and I tried my best to support him. He was diagnosed as Bipolar at the age of 25. He talks to us about his mental health journey and explains how he was very pessimistic and lacked motivation for many years. He also suffered from anorexia as a teen and he shares how he faced this diagnosis. Vishal’s mental health went downhill at university and he found himself feeling suicidal. He could not overcome the shame he felt which was an underlying theme during his struggles. Finally, Vishal sought help and developed the tools that he needed to change the way that he was thinking. He turned his negative thoughts into reasonable thoughts as trying to make them into positive thoughts was too difficult. With medication and CBT, Vishal was able to turn his life around and is now in the happiest place that he has ever been. Vishal is a writer and a poet, and he shares some of his work with us. One of his poems was a real surprise to me and it made me cry. This is a beautiful podcast with a wonderful young man who I am so proud of.

WARNING: Listener discretion is advised as we discuss topics which may be triggering, such as suicidal ideations and mental health.

Hong Kong Confidential Details

REPLAYED CONTENT: Our resident sexpert, Valentina Tudose talks about infidelity. Valentina is a Dating and Relationship coach who shares her insights into why people have affairs, how this can impact people and why infidelity can be an opportunity for growth in relationships. Valentina proposes some ways we can re-frame infidelity as an opportunity for self-discovery and personal development.