The Dysregulated Podcast

Dysregulated Daily is a daily check-in video series designed to capture what the big episodes often miss, the reality of mental health day to day in all its chaotic forms. Instead of focusing only on mood, I introduce capacity as the core signal: how much usable emotional, cognitive, nervous-system, and functional bandwidth I actually have to engage with life. My reality is of a dysregulated headspace, everyday. And this series wil...

This episode is about a hard reframe: stepping back from the dream of marriage and family, not out of bitterness, but honesty. Instead, I am investing my energy where growth is actually possible (I hope).

I talk about the grief that brings up for my inner child, the relief that comes with clarity of direction, and why focusing on career and purpose isn’t avoidance but a sign of maturity of the self. I discuss my nervous system limit...

A sunrise over Newcastle, a phone balanced in my car, and a decision to stop waiting for bloody perfection. In the next fortnightly check-in, I talk about the creative bottleneck that’s stalled a head full of episodes, how expectations kill momentum (again), and why pressing record is so important (as it uploading). It’s about choosing ANYTHING and focusing on consistency over polish, and naming the self-talk that gets in the way. ...

What if your best ideas arrive amongst a wave of dysregulation and mania? 

This episode dives into that blurry space where genuine inspiration mixes with bipolar highs, BPD intensity and ADHD momentum. The hard work of figuring out what’s real before it costs you dearly.

I share the checks I use when ideas start firing: grounded excitement, steady thinking, intact sleep, the 24-hour rule. I talk about the times I completely misread t...

What happens when social anxiety crashes the recording session?
Finally, I return to the mic after a short break, battling a new swallowing issue (anxiety?), performance nerves, and that familiar inner critic. It’s an honest look at showing up imperfectly and refusing to let anxiety call the shots. No way bucko!

In this episode, I reflect on what’s been happening lately in my world: winning the University of Newcastle Young Alu...

Good days don’t last forever which is why they need to be used wisely. In this episode, I talk about using the times when mood, energy and motivation finally line up to take full advantage by being action-orientated and not just sitting back relaxing. How it's important to prepare for the eventual drop that's coming. Because it's true that as humans we have to endure both the good and the bad days. 

When my mood is el...

This episode looks at what happens when perfectionism gets in the way of creating anything at all. Over the past month, I've been stuck in the repetitive obsessive-cycle of record, doubt, delete, repeat. Each recording felt...off. And my inner critic made sure I knew about it.

I talk through what it feels like, the hesitation before pressing record, the pressure to get it exactly right, and how easily the delete button stalled ...

**To watch both the audio and video from this webinar please follow https://youtu.be/4Lb1NzFK5XY?si=N6-pJuM1wPwMjqB_ **

Join Black Dog Institute’s clinical psychologist Pam Withey and lived experience advocate Elliot Waters as they explore how to support teen mental health during one of life’s most challenging stages.

From recognising the signs of distress to building healthy habits around sleep, screen time and social conn...

Finally I've published something. Not because this episode is one of my best (it isn't), but because I couldn’t stand being stuck in that record-delete loop any longer. After days of fighting perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and an overactive inner critic, I realised the only way to get beyond this loop is to publish something....anything!

Fear of imperfection can paralyse creativity and curtail results, which is why rele...

In this episode, I talk about the sudden re-emergence of my old foe, the inner critic, and how it’s teamed up with my perfectionism to drag me down. Together, they’ve convinced me that everything I do is sub-standard, fuelling insecurities and setting expectations that aren't reasonable or attainable.

The best example of this? This very podcast of course! I’ve spent hours glued to my computer and microphone, desperately trying ...

Follow my journey through the chaos of mental illness and the hard-fought lessons learned along the way.
Lived experience is at the heart of this podcast — every episode told through my own lens, with raw honesty and zero filter.

This is a genuine and vulnerable account of how multiple psychological disorders have shaped my past and continue to influence my future.

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Follow The Dysregulated Podcast:
Instagram – @elliot.t.wa...

One missed appointment, that's all it took. And suddenly I was facing weeks without my ADHD medications.

This time I’d done everything right, so for once this isn't on me! I had scripts sorted, appointments booked, all lined up, ready to go. Then my doctor went on unexpected leave, leaving me completely stimulant-free and flailing. The fallout was brutal: executive function collapsed, my car and room turned into chaos, app...

After a break from therapy, today’s session was less about deep work and more about catching my therapist up on everything that’s been happening. Or, not been happening. She thought I'd be tapering off medications, instead of being on another one.. She seemed genuinely bemused by this, thankfully validating the confusion and frustration I have felt when my wishes aren't be listened to. She reminded me that this isn’t a fa...

Follow my journey through the chaos of mental illness and the hard-fought lessons learned along the way.
Lived experience is at the heart of this podcast — every episode told through my own lens, with raw honesty and zero filter.

This is a genuine and vulnerable account of how multiple psychological disorders have shaped my past and continue to influence my future.

--

Follow The Dysregulated Podcast:
Instagram – @elliot.t.wa...

Some of the most powerful insights about mental health don’t always come from structured interviews or carefully planned questions, often they show up in the middle of a casual chat. That’s what the “In Conversation With…” series is all about. 

Unlike the Intake Interviews, which focus on personal histories and journeys with mental illness, these episodes look to capture the spontaneous, off-the-cuff moments where real understanding...

Welcome to The Q&A Sessions: Your questions answered! If you have a topic you would like me to cover on the show, this is how to make it happen! Every week I'll select a question/topic to cover and give the best answers I can. Anything related to mental health, there is nothing that's off limits. This is another way in which I am hoping to fulfil my commitment to you in providing the most genuine, vulnerable and hones...

In this episode, I share what came of my latest psychiatry appointment  and honestly, it left me feeling pretty frustrated. Again.

I talk about what it’s like trying to navigate the mental health system while dealing with anxiety and depression at the same time. When you’re already running on empty, self-advocacy feels almost impossible. The system wants us to be proactive, but how do you do that when you can barely get out of bed?

I...

Follow my journey through the chaos of mental illness and the hard-fought lessons learned along the way.
Lived experience is at the heart of this podcast — every episode told through my own lens, with raw honesty and zero filter.

This is a genuine and vulnerable account of how multiple psychological disorders have shaped my past and continue to influence my future.

--

Follow The Dysregulated Podcast:
Instagram – @e...

Have you ever had to fight your own mind just to do something you love? In this follow-up episode to "When Social Anxiety Hits Back", I share my win of making it to the Newcastle Knights game—despite social anxiety trying it's hardest to keep me trapped at home.

It came down to a last-minute call, but walking into McDonald Jones Stadium with 30,000 fans reminded me that showing up matters more than the scoreboard. Eve...