How To Cope - with Becky Howard + Lucy Clyde

As a bestselling author of psychological thrillers He Said/She Said, The Poison Tree and her latest book Watch Her Fall, Erin Kelly had had 20 years of experience in working from home when lockdown hit. But that doesn’t mean it was a straightforward journey: she had to radically adjust her writing life to look after her two children, start homeschooling and also finish her latest novel. Through this challenging time, Erin’s learned a good few things about herself – not least that she was suffering with clinical depression during the first lockdown. She shares her mental health story, how she actually found things harder after the crisis period passed, and how ultimately, the pandemic might have helped her mental health in the long run. We also chat to Erin about how the pandemic has affected our relationships with our children, what positive aspects she’s been able to take from it, and how lockdown meant she was able to glean better, more honest insights from ballet dancers when researching her latest betseller. Erin’s latest book Watch Her Fall is available now: https://www.waterstones.com/book/watch-her-fall/erin-kelly/9781529377293  How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it.

Music has always been Simon Raymonde’s life. As a member of seminal band Cocteau Twins during the 80s and 90s, and latterly as the head of Bella Union record label – which looks after artists including Tim Burgess, Fleet Foxes, John Grant and Father John Misty – going to gigs, travelling, and releasing music was everything. But thanks to the Covid-19 shutdown, he’s had to change everything – and through it, has discovered a new way to live his life. We chat to Simon about leaving London for the South coast, the impact of lockdown on him and his artists, and how he sought solace during Lockdown 1 by working on his new Lost Horizons album. But it wasn’t until the start of this year that Simon made some radical changes to his life, afforded by Lockdown 3. Realising he had reached a fork in the road when it came to his own health and wellbeing, he embarked on a totally new approach, and has found the results life-changing. We talk to Simon about how the pandemic provided him with this epiphany, why he feels he’s now a better husband and father, and how he feels about a post-Covid future. We also share some love about his artist Tim Burgess’ Twitter Listening Parties, and why they’ve proved such a hit during Covid times.The new Lost Horizons album In Quiet Moments is out now In Quiet Moments | Lost Horizonslosthorizonsband.bandcamp.com › album › in-quiet-m... How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it. 🎧💚   

With lockdowns easing, why are many of us feeling worried and fearful about the future, rather than all skipping happily down the road(map)? In this episode, we explore the ways in which we’ve become Covid Conditioned – falling (a little bit) in love with the safety and containment of lockdown life when the world outside has become very risky indeed. We also talk about the unwelcome return of FOMO, and how lockdown has actually given many of us breathing space from the oppressive social pressures of our previous lives – how we can make sure this doesn’t come back again? It’s also all about the collective trauma of living through a global pandemic, and we share some helpful tips about working our way out of this (clue: it’s not all about doing it on your own – and it’s also not our fault we feel like this….)How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it. 💚

 When Jake Tyler found himself contemplating suicide, his mental health was at rock bottom. He took an unconventional approach to helping himself, and started an epic walk around the entirety of the UK, becoming an accidental campaigner for mental health along the way. Now Jake’s written a book about his experiences – A Walk From The Wild Edge – which details his journey in brilliantly relatable, moving and funny prose. Having moved from a place where he dealt with his life stresses with drink and drugs, he now knows how to truly help his own mental state and why walking is at the heart of this. Jake talks to us about how he coped in lockdown, how he feels about ‘cracking himself open’ through the book, and what people’s reactions might be. We also chat about the moment of epiphany he had that set him on his journey and how we’re still a long way from shedding the shame, and achieving true openness around mental health. Thanks so much to Jake for joining us. His book A Walk From The Wild Edge, is out now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walk-Wild-Edge-Jake-Tyler/dp/024140116X How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it.

For author Neema Shah, going into lockdown gave her the chance to embrace living in an introvert’s world. Although often mistaken for an extrovert (like both of us at How To Cope), she found the enforced quiet gave her more energy, allowed her writing to thrive, and discovered it as a form of mindfulness. But it wasn’t all plain sailing. Neema had to come to terms with releasing her heralded debut novel Kololo Hill during a pandemic, and moving all her celebrations onto social media. She talks about coming to terms with a digital launch, and how she manages to get the most out of social media by not letting it dominate her time. We also chat to Neema about what she misses about normal life, how speaking different languages changes your personality, and her top tip for dealing with Covid stress. Kololo Hill is out now: https://www.waterstones.com/book/kololo-hill/neema-shah/9781529030501 How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it.  

For those of us with children in the house, being a parent in lockdown can feel like slogging our way through a very dark tunnel. With energy levels much lower than before, and schooling expectations much higher, it’s no wonder that many of us feel as if we’re constantly failing. In this episode, we talk about the crazy difficulties of being a parent now we’re nearly a year into the pandemic, and how we may have lost sight of just how much we’re asking of ourselves. When we’re being asked to tolerate an  intolerable situation, parental burnout is a natural conclusion. But what is it and can we do anything at all about it? The answer is YES, and it’s a surprising one… We also chat about being sick of the sound of your own nagging voice (hey, where’s FUN ME gone?) and how the lockdown is affecting kids too. How to Cope is hosted by writer Becky Howard and psychotherapist Lucy Clyde. You can follow us on Twitter @_beckyhoward @lucysclyde @cope_podcastThank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and share, it makes a real difference and we really appreciate it.