In this episode I talk about living without a “baseline” and the swings between days of huge momentum and days where everything stalls. Living with ADHD and BPD means my capacity isn’t always stable, and when I run hot — big output, little sleep, racing thoughts — it can feel productive right up until it isn’t. I unpack how workaholic thinking, the inner critic and impostor syndrome turn urgency into a virtue, and why that pattern has landed me in hospital before.

This episode is about pacing instead of pushing: recognising the warning signs, building recovery into the plan, and redefining success as staying in the game rather than burning out. But I haven't quite nailed down how to do all of this. I also speak honestly about medication — what helps, what complicates things, and how I’m trying to put guardrails around it. If your baseline feels like a moving target, this is a reflection on how I need to find sustainable momentum without destroying my engine.

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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.waters
Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast
YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel)

Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience.
Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.

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 will offer you access into my life living with complex mental health disorders, the difficult moments but also the wins on the board.

Join me in tracking mood and capacity scores, not to compare but to gain insight and awareness into our own journeys.

This is as real as it gets. There are no secrets here and I will be showing you everything I can about the day-to-day experience of living with mental illness. If you are battling yourself, know that I'm in the trenches with you. And now for the first time Dysregulated Daily takes you into the warzone that is my life everyday.

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Follow The Dysregulated Podcast:
Instagram – @elliot.t.waters
Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast
YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel)

Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience.
Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.

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 limits (more on that soon), my mental health reality, and the cost of chasing dreams that perhaps aren't possible after all.

I also introduce Dysregulated Daily, a new YouTube series of short, honest check-ins coming soon.

Alright, time to launch!

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Follow The Dysregulated Podcast:
Instagram – @elliot.t.waters
Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast
YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel)

Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience.
Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.