When emotions trump logic, your brain usually doesn’t announce it. It feels like you’re being “rational” — while your nervous system is quietly driving the car.
In this episode of Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”), host Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) and co-host Tony Medeiros (“IndyPocket”) break down emotional dysregulation, cognitive distortions, and how to make better decisions when your brain is on tilt.
The core theme is simple: most bad decisions happen when emotion overrides logic and you don’t realize it’s happening. Nicholas shares an epiphany that came out of therapy: the goal isn’t to become “all logic” or “all emotion.” It’s to operate in the middle — to regulate your emotional state enough that logic can actually be used, and to listen to emotion without letting it hijack the wheel.
This isn’t a theory episode. It’s practical tools you can use in real time: data checks (what’s actually true), gut checks (what your body is signaling), and pattern interrupts that stop escalation before you torch your relationships, your job, or your future self’s peace.
We walk through distortions like all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, catastrophizing, and emotional reasoning — and how they can turn stress into “end of the world” decisions. We also talk triggers, early warning signs, and decision guardrails that are boring but effective: labeling emotions, time-outs, third-party reality checks, and prioritizing sleep/rest so you’re not making life choices in a depleted panic state.
If you’ve ever looked back and thought, “Why the hell did I do that?” — this episode is for you.
In this episode, we talk about:
Drop your messiest decision in our Discord, “The Struggle Bus” — we’ll sanity-check your options and help you set guardrails. (link below)
Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”) is a candid mental health podcast rooted in lived experience: schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, BPD, PTSD, trauma recovery, coping skills, and dark humor that helps make serious mental illness more understandable and human.
Hosted by Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) with frequent co-host Tony Medeiros (“IndyPocket”), we cover psych wards, psychiatric medication, disability, religious trauma, good therapy, bad therapy, and practical real-world coping — plus the societal and relationship issues that shape mental health every day. The goal isn’t just “fighting stigma.” It’s education, clarity, and honest conversation.
We interview everyone from everyday people to public figures, clinicians, and professionals, because mental health struggles don’t care who you are. If you’re willing to share your story or expertise, we aim to offer a safe, judgment-free space where you can speak openly — and still have some fun while doing it.
New episodes drop every other Monday at 6am EDT.
Want community and support? Join our Discord, “The Struggle Bus”: https://discord.gg/emFXKuWKNA
All links (TikTok, YouTube, Streaming, etc.): https://linktr.ee/BTMHOOI
Podcast cover art by Ryan Manning
