In episode 163 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Shaun Flores.
Shaun Flores a podcaster, presenter and mental health advocate.
He is the host of ‘The Flower Hour’ where he talks to people from all backgrounds about their journey through life.
In this episode we discuss Shaun’s lived experience of OCD and his diagnosis in April 2022, particularly ‘Pure-O’ which is a severe form of the neurological condition and how it manifests itself in his thoughts and his day-to-day life.
2022 has also been an extremely difficult year for Shaun. He has had to deal with multiple periods of grief when his cousin was murdered aged 24 in Trinidad, his aunt on his mother’s side died in October 2022 and his half-brother on his father’s side aged 62 to bowel cancer.
The grief that had the biggest impact on him was the loss of his dad when he was aged six on Christmas Day. We discuss how he adjusted to a new male figure when his step-dad entered his life and how a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) called Exposure Response Prevention has helped him massively with his recovery.
We finish by discussing the journey he has gone on to become a mental health advocate for greater awareness around OCD, how he turned his negative experience into a positive and the stigmas that exist within the black community when it comes to mental health.
As always, #itsokaytovent
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TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains deep and detailed discussions about suicide and suicidality, grief and OCD which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.
